Menya Inoichi Hanare

"Menya Inoichi," a popular restaurant frequently featured in the Michelin Bib Gourmand guide, opened its second brand, "Hanare," along Takatsuji-dori within walking distance of its main branch. While the main branch is often difficult to visit due to its numbered ticket system for entry, Hanare offers times when you can enter without a ticket on weekdays. As such, it's supported by both local and international visitors as a place where you can more easily experience the ambiance and quality of the main branch. Its signature dish is "Oikatsu Soba" (ramen with fresh-shaved bonito flakes), featuring two main pillars: white soy sauce (shiro-shoyu) and black soy sauce (kuro-shoyu) bases. The broth (dashi), 100% seafood-based, is slowly extracted at low temperatures from several carefully selected types of premium dried seafood flakes (gyokai-bushi). The white soy sauce version offers a gentle sweetness and smooth, mellow flavor, while the black soy sauce version provides a rich umami and deep sweetness, creating a delightful contrast. When served, a generous amount of freshly shaved katsuobushi honkarebushi (premium dried skipjack tuna flakes) is added, and the mountain of bonito flakes (hana-katsuo) piled high on the bowl releases an elegant aroma, reminiscent of a refined soup dish from a traditional Japanese restaurant (ryotei). The noodles are thin, straight, and made with stone-ground whole wheat flour, offering a supple texture and a simple wheat sweetness that harmonizes perfectly with the soup. Toppings include slow-cooked pork shoulder loin chashu (braised pork), bamboo shoots, nori (seaweed), negi (green onions), and an ajitama (seasoned soft-boiled egg). Diners can progressively alter the flavor (ajiyasu, flavor change) using table condiments such as sansho (Japanese pepper), ichimi (single chili powder), shichimi (seven-spice blend), tororo kombu (shredded kelp), and yuzu peel. In addition to the signature Oikatsu Soba, the menu also features a rich selection of dashi-based side dishes, such as "Karami Dashi Soba" (Spicy Broth Noodles) with coarsely ground Kyoto pork, tofu, enoki mushrooms, and cabbage, as well as homemade shumai, tamago kake gohan (rice with raw egg), and a seared scallop and tofu dashi-mayo rice bowl.