Menya Gokkei Ichijoji

Opened in 2011, this popular shop is located in the fierce ramen battleground of Ichijoji, Kyoto. It's a renowned restaurant, continuously selected as one of Tabelog's Top 100 Ramen Shops, and has reigned since the dawn of Kyoto's thick chicken paitan ramen scene as a representative of ultra-rich chicken paitan ramen with the concept of "soup you can eat." The signature "Toridaku" (Regular 1,000 yen, Large 1,100 yen) features a unique soup so viscous that a spoon can stand upright in it. Unlike common emulsified chicken paitan, the soup has a distinct structure divided into a smooth liquid part and a gel-like part (combined with pureed chicken). A unique eating style has become established, where staff instruct customers to "mix from the bottom before eating" when serving. It creates a dish often called "soup you can eat," concentrating the umami of chicken, yet with a milder saltiness than its appearance suggests, and a gentle chicken richness that spreads as you eat. Noodles are low-hydration straight thin noodles, designed not to get overly entangled with the super-rich soup. There are also abundant variations, expanding from the base rich chicken paitan: "Kurodaku" with added black garlic oil (mayu), "Akadaku" with elegant chili spice (shichimi-like spiciness, not extremely hot), "Ebidaku" with shrimp flavor, and "Toridaku-ro" (Ichijoji store limited), a fusion with Jiro-style ramen. Toppings include white leek, thick menma, and chashu, offering good balance. Adding a small amount of the table-side ramen soy sauce (dashi shoyu) sharpens the flavor, and you can enjoy it all the way to the final oimeshi (chasing rice, where rice is added to the soup to create chicken potage rice). The atmosphere is welcoming for families, with thoughtful considerations like providing extra plates.