Homemade Thick Noodles Dokamori Matcho Sannomiya Branch

There are various ramen shops in Kobe, but I think there are still very few Jiro-inspired ramen shops (or maybe I just don’t know about them). As someone who regularly has bouts of jiro-inspired ramen cravings, it is very difficult for me to find a place to eat in Kobe…

I had a seizure the other day when I went to Sannomiya to do some business, so I rushed to the only Jiro-inspired ramen restaurant I knew of at the time, Homemade Thick Noodles Dokamori Matcho Sannomiya Branch. I was lucky to find a store really close by, but even so, this store is quite unique…

A Jiro-inspired ramen restaurant that originally worked hard in Osaka… Homemade Thick Noodles Dokamori Matcho Sannomiya Branch is this kind of restaurant…

Homemade Thick Noodles Dokamori Matcho is a ramen brand that was originally established in front of Kinki University in Higashi-Osaka. After that, the Sannomiya Branch opened in April 2011 as the fourth branch after opening two branches in Namba. At that time, they opened many branches in about a year, and I felt that there was a tremendous amount of momentum at the restaurant. In fact, I once went to the Ura-Namba restaurant at that time, and there was always a line of people waiting in line at lunch time…

However, 14 years have passed since then, and three of the four stores in Osaka have already closed. Now, the Sannomiya Branch is the only one that still operates under this brand name. I was saddened to learn of this situation. Especially since it is a valuable Jiro-inspired restaurant in Kobe, I hope they will continue to operate, but I wonder what will happen now…

But what will happen now… Aside from that, this Homemade Thick Noodles Dokamori Matcho Sannomiya Branch has quite a strong visual appeal. The restaurant is located on a back street in an alleyway from the downtown area, and the atmosphere of this area feels exactly like the “back side” of the city. The building that houses the restaurant has a unique atmosphere, and the interior has a Jiro-inspired feel, with no unnecessary decorations! The interior of the restaurant has a “Jiro-inspired” feel to it. The restaurant has only nine seats at an L-shaped counter. It is quite small, so you need to be a little careful when you are carrying a large baggage.

I made a mistake in ordering the ramen and the volume was reduced, but… how was the ramen at Homemade Thick Noodles Dokamori Matcho Sannomiya Branch really like?

This time I ordered the standard ramen (880 yen including tax) with the pork triple (extra 380 yen). The ramen here is available in three different flavors: soy sauce, salt, and Tokushima, but this time I chose the default soy sauce…

After a little more than 5 minutes of waiting, a bowl of ramen (Normal + Pork Triple) arrived in front of me. I chose to add all the ingredients (vegetables, back fat, fishmeal, and garlic). You might think that the pork and vegetables are Jiro-inspired, as expected, since they are rising to the top of the bowl, but in reality, the bowl is small and the volume is not as large as you might think. There is a reason for this: I made a mistake in my order. The restaurant’s noodle portions are 220g (medium), 315g (medium), and 500g (large), and the prices for medium and medium are the same, but I had ordered a ticket for medium without realizing that the prices were the same. I should have compared it to other Jiro-inspired ramen with a medium size of 315g of noodles, but unfortunately, the amount of noodles was about the same as a large serving of regular ramen.

Well, what has been done can’t be helped. The soup is black and looks like black ramen, with a strong flavor of soy sauce and less pork flavor. However, it is not salty, and I have the impression that the flavor is well balanced. However, after I turned the soup over, a large amount of fish meal that had been sprinkled on top dissolved into the soup, and it turned out to be quite salty. So, I would be careful about adding more fishmeal when you call for more fishmeal. If you want more fishmeal, it is better to ask for less karame (soy sauce).

On the other hand, the noodles are homemade straight thick noodles, hard-boiled and firm and chewy. It is good that we can enjoy the crunchy texture of the Jiro-inspired noodles. However, the amount of noodles was small, so they were gone in no time at all. I regretted that I should have ordered ramen in medium size….

I counted 10 pieces of pork, which I increased to triple as an option. It is not as large as Jiro-inspired chashu pork, but it is thicker and meatier than regular chashu pork. The pork has a high percentage of lean meat, so it is more chewy than soft. It is not a particularly good value for money, but the extra 380 yen is well worth the extra charge.

I left the restaurant after quickly eating a bowl of ramen like this, which is the standard menu item at Homemade Thick Noodles Dokamori Matcho Sannomiya Branch. Although there is the aspect that I made a mistake in my order, I had the impression that it was a bit lacking in terms of taste, including violence…. Nevertheless, this is still one of the few Jiro-inspired ramen stores in Kobe. If you are in the mood for a reasonably priced meal, this is definitely one of the places to go.

All ramen menu of Homemade Thick Noodles Dokamori Matcho Sannomiya Branch (all are standard size, prices include tax)

• Ramen 880 yen
• Mazesoba 880 yen
• Tsukemen 880 yen
• Curry ramen 880 yen
• Curry mazesoba 880 yen

On the other hand, note that there are some reviews that say that the customer service is poor… Access to the Homemade Thick Noodles Dokamori Matcho Sannomiya Branch is a one-minute walk from the nearest station, Kobe Sannomiya Station on the Hankyu Kobe Line.

Now, there are some reviews on the Internet about Homemade Thick Noodles Dokamori Matcho Sannomiya Branch, saying that the customer service is poor. Generally, Jiro-inspired ramen stores are unique in appearance, but the customer service is usually good. In fact, when I visited the restaurant, there was no swearing at customers, but the owner went outside for a leisurely smoke while making ramen. The way he was doing it makes me think this review is “likely…” and you might want to be prepared for that, especially when visiting a restaurant for the first time.

Now, here are the details of the ramen shop…

P.S. If you are looking for delicious ramens in Hyogo, please stop by this article below…