OSAKA: golden dragon ramen

John told me he had started looking for tickets for our trip to Japan later this year, and I realized that I really have to eventually finish up writing about the "Kansai, Japan 07/08" trip soon, or I would probably forget all about it.

With that being said, I'm going write about the "Golden Dragon Ramen" on the famous food/market street Doutonbori in Osaka where we visted one day.



We've passed this ramen shop several times in the past. From what I undersood there were two other sub-locations on Doutonbori, and the one we went to was the main and original shop.


There's almost always a line of people in front of this corner shop. You have to stay in line in front of a ticket vending machine to get your ramen ticket. There were not that many choices... in fact there were two: original ramen, and ramen with extra grilled pork. Simple as that. After you get your ticket a guy would greet you, take your tickets, and show (point) you your seats.

These "seats" and the little tables are on tatamis (that are on platforms). I think you have the options of taking off your shoes or not. I noticed that if a girl was wearing a skirt, chances were that she didn't even get her legs onto the tatatmi, but to just sit side-ways off the tatami platform.

After you are seated you can walk up to the self-service counter to grab water, kimchi, other sorts of pickles, and spices. John got some kimchi and water for us. I saw a lady got a whole bowl-ful of chopped green onions to go with her ramen soup. Interesting.


I think we got the "original" bowls of ramen.

The soup base Golden Dragon was a pork-bone base. Thick and delicious. The pork in the soup was thinly sliced and flavorful. Yummy!

We sat, ate, enjoyed the crowded shop and street, and tried not to look at the people who are waiting in line to buy their ramen tickets, staring at us.