Ramen sou Yume wo Katare

When it comes to Jiro-inspired ramen restaurants in the Kansai region, the Ramenso Group is the first name that comes to mind. The Ramen sou Group has already expanded beyond the Kansai region to include branches throughout Japan, and its headquarter is located in Ichijyoji, Kyoto’s most competitive ramen district.

In contrast to Ramen Jiro, which has already established its position nationwide, the Ramen sou Group is now expanding its power. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the Ramen sou Group has already surpassed the head family in terms of momentum alone. Talk about “Ramen sou Yume wo Katare”, the main source of this momentum, I went there because I was curious about what kind of restaurant it was…

A little different from other affiliated restaurants… What is the original ordering system of the original Ramen Sou Yume wo Katare?

Ramen sou Yume wo Kanare is located right next to the Tenten Arihon branch, a legendary chicken ramen restaurant that has been in business in Ichijyoji for many years. On the opposite corner of the same intersection is the popular Iekei Ramen restaurant Bishiya, a short walk north is Menya Kyokudori, known for its ultra-thick chicken soup, and a short walk south is Ramen Ikedaya, another popular Jiro-inspired ramen restaurant (and a short walk east is a direct descendant of the original Ramen Jiro). ) … This is a particularly competitive area within the nationally famous Ichijyoji area, which is known for its fierce competition for ramen.

Despite being surrounded by such powerful stores, you can still queue up at the shopfront to get a meal ticket. There are two basic menu items: ramen (priced 800 yen → 950 yen, as of November 2023) and soup-less (priced 850 yen → 950 yen). There are three noodle portions available: the default 300 g, a small 200 g, and a large 400 g. Larger portions can be ordered with a meal ticket for 100 yen. Chashu pork can be added by purchasing a ticket for pork mashi (150 yen → 250 yen). On the other hand, there is no system to fine-tune the amount of noodles with a washcloth as in other restaurants.

For those new to Ramen sou Group… “Do you want garlic?” Here is a brief explanation of how to make the call to

Once you enter the restaurant and are seated, place your meal ticket on the counter and place your order. My order that day was the default ramen (800 yen including tax at the time of my visit) with extra pork (150 yen including tax at the time of my visit) and an onsen tamago (50 yen including tax at the time of my visit). About 20 minutes after ordering, when the noodles were ready to be cooked, the familiar “Do you want garlic? When the noodles are finished cooking, you will hear the familiar “Garlic in?

Not only in the Ramen-so group, but also in Jiro-style ramen in general. is the difference between success and failure. If you cannot respond smoothly, you are interfering with the overall operation of the restaurant, which is not good for you.

The “Do you want garlic? The “call” system common to all Jiro-style ramen is to tell the waiter how you would like your ramen arranged. The amount of garlic, vegetables, and back fat (abura) you want is told to the waiter, and the ramen customized to your liking is served (depending on the restaurant, you can also customize the amount of karame, or soup sauce).

The amount of ramen can be adjusted in five basic steps, starting from none, less, more, less, more, or more. The waiter will call out to you…

With garlic, less vegetables, more abura!

Less vegetable garlic, with abura!

and then return the call. At first, it may seem awkward, but as you gain experience, you will learn how to arrange the food to your liking, and you will be able to call out smoothly.

Ramen with more pork: call for vegetable mashimashi and garlic mashimashi. See the grandeur of “Vegetable Mashimashi” that every Giroian longs for at least once!

Well, on this day, my call was “Vegetable Mashimashi, Garlic Mashi (with Abura)”. If you choose “Vegetable Mashimashi,” you will be able to see the grand appearance of a bowl of rice that every Jiro-rian has longed for at least once. Like this…

A pile of bean sprouts protruding from the surface of the soup as high as the bowl itself. Since the price is the same even with more vegetables (but you are not allowed to leave any leftovers), this is a dream menu for young people in the prime of their lives or for those with big appetites.

However, in this state, it is impossible to scoop the soup well, let alone the noodles. Inevitably, you have to start with a pile of vegetables. The vegetables are boiled in water and have no flavor, so as you continue eating, you will become bored with the monotony of the dish. But surprisingly, the soy sauce sauce flavored abura is perfect for seasoning the vegetables! If you don’t mind the calories, then I would recommend adding the back fat to your vegetable accompaniment.

80% of the vegetables have been consumed. The thick chashu pork, which was not noticeable at first, finally begins to show its true presence.

Rough yet tender meat is the specialty of Ramenso’s chashu pork. It is not refined, but the volume of the meat alone will never let rival restaurants down.

And finally, we met the noodles! It must have taken quite a long time to eat up all the vegetables, but there is no sign of stretching at all. The noodles were cooked just right, without the roughness that is characteristic of otion noodles. Even after eating the vegetables, you will not get tired of eating them, and you will be able to enjoy them all the way through to the end.

Last but not least is Ramen sou’s familiar non-emulsified pork bone soy sauce broth. Despite the wild image one gets from the overall visual of the ramen, the flavor is surprisingly harmonious. It is slightly milder than the Ramen-so’s affiliated restaurants, and seems to be able to make a delicious ramen even when combined with regular Chinese noodles. There are some people who say “Jiro-kei/inspired” ramen is “bad,” but even if they look similar, the taste is different at each restaurant. If you like ramen, why not try something you don’t usually eat once in a while? However, the onsen tamago (hot spring egg) that was added as a topping ended up diluting the taste of the soup, so I guess I didn’t need it…

Access to Ramen sou Yume wo Kanare, the headquarter of Jiro-inspired ramen from Kansai, is a 5-minute walk from the nearest station, Ichijyoji Station on the Eizan Railway Line.

Ramen sou Yume wo Kanare in Ichijoji is the headquarter of Jiro-inspired ramen from Kansai. If you are a Jiro-inspired ramen lover, you should definitely visit the restaurant. The Ramenso Group is now expanding its influence throughout Japan, including Tokyo, Fukuoka, and Sapporo… The memory of having eaten ramen at the origin of the group will surely be one of the topics of conversation among ramen lovers.

Now, here are the details of the restaurant. Check here for store data…

P.S. If you are looking for good ramen in Kyoto, please stop by this article…