Tonryu Kitashirakawa

Tonryu Kitashirakawa is a renowned local restaurant located along Shirakawa-dori in Kitashirakawa, Kyoto, celebrating its 25th anniversary since the owner's independence. Originally part of the lineage of "Karako," which was popular in Higashi-oji Nijo, the owner inherited its recipes and established "Tonryu." Later, "Fukusenro" was developed as a branch, and it is now integrated into Tonryu, offering both types of soup. The signature dish is "Tonryu Soba," featuring a distinctive yellowish soup made from chicken, pork, and vegetables, creating a rich, creamy, yet not cloying, "vegetable potage"-style flavor. It's a golden, potage-like soup with chicken oil floating on top, often described as a pioneer of the vegetable potage ramen boom. The noodles are homemade medium-thick curly noodles that effectively pick up the soup. Ingredients include chashu, menma, Kujo green onions, shinachiku, and chives, well-balanced. Seasonings like chili oil (e.g., "Taberu Nira Mayu" - Chili Oil with Chives) are available on the table to change the flavor dramatically when added in the latter half of the meal. Another signature dish, "Fukusenro Soba," is a rich soy sauce-based ramen inspired by Taiwanese street stalls, featuring cartilage chashu made from Kyotanba Kogen pork and the richness of charred garlic. Furthermore, "Shirunashi Yatai Soba" (Soupless Street Stall Soba) is a connoisseur's delight with homemade egg curly noodles tossed in a soy sauce-based sauce, a hidden masterpiece of the Kyoto Kitashirakawa area.