Menya K

Just before heading to Nara City on business, I wondered where I could find a good place for lunch… and found this relatively new ramen store called Menya K. It was established on January 6, 2020, and the owner had trained at the popular “Ramen Jinsei JET” in Fukushima, Osaka, and had previously served as the manager of the affiliate “Ramen Jinsei JET 600” in Tamatsukuri. Even with this information, it is easy to assume that the ramen at this restaurant cannot be “bad.

The atmosphere of an old private house that is different from a traditional Kyoto townhouse…this is the kind of restaurant that Menya K is.

I arrived at Menya K at around 10:50 on a Sunday. As I walked south on Mochiidono Center Street from the direction of Kintetsu Nara Station, I saw a small crowd of people on my left. By the time I arrived, there were eight people in line from the front of the line, and from there, customers began to gather one after another, and by the time the store opened, the line was about 20 people long.

The exterior of the restaurant looks like a retro old house, but it has a different atmosphere from the machiya houses of Kyoto. It’s hard to describe the difference, but it looks more like a regular old private house than a Kyoto machiya…but once inside the restaurant, the atmosphere was very bright, with a clean space extending toward the back, while still retaining an old-fashioned feel. The interior is simple, with no eccentricities, so I think anyone can spend a relaxing time here….

After purchasing a meal ticket from the ticket machine on the right side of the entrance and handing it to the waiter, it is time to go to the seats. There are seven counter seats along the kitchen and two tables for two at the back. The owner, who is in the kitchen making ramen, is a man of modest character? When the foreign tourist next to me slurped his mazesoba and shouted loudly “Very Good!”, he smiled and continued his work quietly. However, the owner’s background music, which seemed to be his hobby, was hard-core Western music…I personally found this gap interesting.

Chicken x Fish Ramen: How was this limited-quantity menu item at Menya K, which combines the famous Toripaitan with seafood flavors?

This time , I ordered the Chicken x Fish Ramen (priced 950 yen including tax), which was the second item on the limited-quantity menu from the top left of the ticket vending machine. I was torn between this and the signature Chicken Ramen, but I knew I was going to have to go with the “limited quantity” option…

After 20 minutes of waiting, a bowl of Chicken x Fish Ramen arrived in front of me. The cloudy soup gives the impression of being very rich. Since the soup is based on the chicken soup that was made at the famous “Ramen Jinsei JET” in Osaka, the flavor must be very rich…

When I took a sip of the soup with such expectations, I found that the taste of the soup was a bit unexpected. The soup is slightly thickened, and while the chicken flavor is of course present, the seafood flavor is much more pronounced. It was as if the chicken was not the main ingredient, but the Toripaitan was supporting the seafood broth soy sauce soup from below. Although it looks very rich, the actual taste is surprisingly refreshing, so you can easily enjoy it until the very end without getting tired of eating it.

The noodles are homemade medium-thick noodles that have a feeling of being packed with wheat. It is hard to tell from the appearance, but when you pick them up with chopsticks, you can feel their weight more than you imagine. While moderately entangling the soup and spreading the flavor in the mouth, the noodles also exhibit a strong firmness and elasticity, appealing a presence that is as strong as the soup itself. The surface is smooth and smooth to the touch. It is one of the most impressive ramen noodles I have had recently.

The main topping, chashu pork, looks like roast beef. It is thinly sliced and has almost no fat content, so there is little meatiness to it. I recommend dipping the whole thing in the broth and eating it with the flavor of the broth. Well, if I may say my personal preference, it was like, “Chicken breast chashu pork is the way to go here…”.

The chicken and fish ramen at Menya K was, contrary to my imagination, not as flavorful as I expected, but it was very easy to eat, and I liked the noodles so much that I finished the soup in a matter of minutes. I prefer the taste of this ramen to that of Ramen Jinsei JET, where the owner trained. However, judging from a man’s point of view, I think the volume is a little small. If I have a chance to come back next time, I must have a large portion for an extra 150 yen…

Other ramen menu items at Menya K (prices include tax)

• Chicken ramen 900 yen
• Curry ramen 1000 yen
• Miso ramen (limited time and quantity): 1,050 yen
• Thick chicken ramen (limited quantity): 1,100 yen
• Chicken Tsukemen 1000 yen
• Chicken and fish salt tsukemen 1000 yen
• Mazesoba 900 yen

Conveniently located near the station among popular ramen stores in Nara City… Menya K is a 9-minute walk from the nearest station, Kintetsu Nara Station.

In my opinion, at least at this point in time, popular ramen restaurants in Nara City are often located far from major stations. For example, Menya Eguchi, which won the Ultimate Ramen Grand Prix, and Mario-ryu Ramen, which calls itself “the holy land of kotteri (flavor rich) ramen”…it is difficult for travelers to plan a visit to these places in between sightseeing tours.

In this respect, Menya K introduced here is a 9-minute walk from Kintetsu Nara Station, and although it is not close to the station, access is relatively easy. It is easy to schedule your visit to Todaiji Temple or Nara Park, so please take advantage of it when you come to Nara for sightseeing.

Here are the details of the restaurant…

It takes 15 minutes on foot from JR Nara Station.

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