Ganso Ramen Daiei

A famous Kyoto ramen shop located near the Marutamachi-Kawaramachi intersection, close to Jingu-Marutamachi, Kyoto. It is a branch crowned with "Ganso" (original) from the lineage of "Ramen Daiei," founded in Kyoto's Minami Ward in 1947, which separated after the founder's retirement and subsequent franchise expansion. Although it is a separate shop from "Ramen Daiei Honten" in the Kyoto Station area, they share common roots: medium-thin straight noodles from Kondo Seimenjo, thinly sliced chashu arranged across the bowl, and a Kyoto-style pork bone shoyu chintan (clear soup). Their signature dish is Chashu-men, served with a mountain of thinly sliced chashu (a mix of pork belly and lean meat), cut with a slicer after the order is placed. Even the default ramen has a volume of chashu comparable to a chashu-men at other shops, supplemented with Kujo green onions and crispy bean sprouts. The soup is a pork bone chintan-based shoyu, with minimal unpleasant flavors or richness, slightly reduced saltiness, and a mild finish, similar to the Daiichi-Asahi style but with more emphasis on mildness here. The noodles are medium-thin straight noodles made by Kondo Seimenjo, and specifying "katame" (firm) for the noodles is recommended. The fried rice on the side is fragrant, finished with lard, and the Fried Rice Set (1,300 yen) is the most popular item. Spicy chives and grated garlic (ninniku) are available on the table, which dramatically change the impression of the taste in the latter half of the meal. Its location, convenient for a stroll around Kyoto Gyoen National Garden or towards Shimogamo, is another reason for its popularity.