Today, I was planning to go to a popular set meal restaurant, but it was full at lunchtime! There was no waiting space, so I decided to drive around for a bit, and then I saw a familiar sign for a mountain hut. I had been to a different branch of the mountain hut before, but this one felt different, so I decided to change my plans and visit this branch instead. It was lunchtime, but there were only about 70% of seats occupied, so I was seated at a table with just one other customer. I looked at the menu and it was almost the same as the other branch of the mountain hut...? It had been a while since I visited a mountain hut, so I hesitated between ordering the limited-time menu or playing it safe with the recommended Showa (rural) ramen and rice ball! {They also seem to have cold noodles at this time of year} The food arrived in less than 10 minutes! The ingredients seemed the same as the other branch, but when I tasted the soup, it was different! The pork bone flavor was strong and the soup was richer than I expected, with a moderate richness and a slightly strong pork bone smell, but not too distinctive. The thin straight noodles matched the soup well, which was different from the image of medium-thin noodles at the other branch. Self-service condiments like spicy pickled mustard greens (moderately spicy), pickled ginger, and garlic were available near the entrance, so I decided to try them midway through the meal. It would be helpful if they could inform you about this when serving the food. The spicy pickled mustard greens were delicious, so be sure to try them. The pickled ginger also went well with this soup. I added a little garlic, and it gave the soup a nice punch and transformed it for the better! Personally, I found it tastier with a little garlic added. It was a delicious meal.

I visited for lunch on a regular day. There are few dining options in the area, and many places are closed on certain days, so it was difficult to find a restaurant with an available parking space. After driving around for about 30 minutes, I finally found a place with parking and entered at 12:40. I was seated at the counter and ordered the "Showa Ramen" for 870 yen. The staff confirmed that it was a nostalgic ramen dish. The menu had the kanji for "Showa" with the ruby characters "nostalgic" above it. I wondered if "Showa" meant "nostalgic." The food was served in just 2 minutes. The ramen included 2 slices of chashu, a boiled egg, menma, seaweed, bean sprouts, and green onions. The tonkotsu soup had a rich flavor and was delicious. The thickness of the soup was just right. The noodles were straight, as expected. The chashu was thin, but the flavor was good and the fat was tasty. Come to think of it, there was no pickled ginger, grated garlic, or mustard greens. I had assumed those were common at tonkotsu ramen shops. Thank you for the meal.

I heard that "Yamagoya" is challenging the Jiro-inspired ramen, and I just had to try it. It's only available at certain locations, so I traveled from Kokura to visit the Yoshida store. The price is a bit high at 880 yen, but considering that it's not the main menu item and more like a special, it's understandable. The soup is unique to "Yamagoya" and may be classified as a light tonkotsu in Kitakyushu, with vegetable essence, garlic, and back fat creating a flavorful broth. The noodles are a bit firmer than ideal, but they have a nice chewiness to them, making them quite tasty. The toppings of bean sprouts and cabbage are served separately, and the presentation is elegant. Unlike other Jiro-inspired ramen shops that mix everything together from the start, this place takes a more careful approach, likely due to the serious nature of the manager. There was more garlic than expected, providing a satisfying experience, although the smell may linger despite wearing a mask. The back fat adds richness, and while it lacks shichimi, sesame unexpectedly complements the dish. Black pepper is present, as expected, and while red pickled ginger didn't quite match, it's interesting to try it with Jiro-style ramen. In addition to ramen, they offer skewers and a wide range of izakaya dishes, all while maintaining a well-cooked broth. "Yamagoya" can vary greatly depending on the location, but this store seems to maintain a consistent level of quality. Overall, I highly recommend trying the "Yamajiro" here. It's a shame that it's only available at the Yoshida and Corona World stores in Kitakyushu.

◉ Genre: Ramen, Kushikatsu, Ramen Izakaya ◉ Area: Yoshida area, Kokuraminami-ku, Kitakyushu City ◉ Access: About 15 minutes by car from JR Shimosone Station ◉ Parking: Available ◉ Credit card payment: Not available ◉ Frequency of use: 3 or more times at night, 2nd time during the day ◉ Number of reviews: 1st review On this day, I casually visited "Kyushu Men Master's Flavor Yamagoya Yoshida Store." ◇ Exterior and Interior Unlike the familiar mountain hut visual, the store has a slightly stylish appearance. It doesn't really feel like a Chikuhou-style ramen shop. The interior is also similar, with goldfish swimming on the floor. ◇ Seating Counter seats and table seats. ◇ Menu Composition On this day, it happened to be a gratitude festival, so the menu was limited. I don't remember the past menu as I was drinking... but they have ramen as the main dish, along with kushikatsu and a la carte items. By the way, I think there were several types of ramen available! Sorry for the vague memory. The orders were as follows: - Men Master Mayagoya Ramen (425 yen) → The price seems off, right? Normally, it is priced at 850 yen excluding tax. However! On this day, it was half price due to the "Heisei's Last 'Thank You' Grand Appreciation Festival." I entered without knowing anything. The soup is a typical Yamagoya-style tonkotsu. It's not too strong of a tonkotsu smell, but it might not be for those who are not fond of it. The noodles are thin straight noodles and are relatively firm. The toppings include lotus root tempura, one sheet of seaweed, chashu, boiled egg, green onions, and shredded red pepper. The lotus root tempura is interesting. However, the chashu, although large, is lightly seasoned. Personally, I can't deny that it feels a bit mismatched, but at this price, it's completely understandable. ◆ Strong Points During the day, ramen is the main focus, but at night, you can also use it as an izakaya! Personally, I prefer to have a drink at night rather than going for ramen. ◆ Service Average, I would say. ◆ Summary I cannot evaluate based on this price, so this is an evaluation considering the previous visits. As mentioned, I prefer the night. A beer and kushikatsu. I remember there were other delicious appetizers, but I forgot, so maybe next time. Thank you for the meal.

- Menu: Char siu ramen - Soup: Tonkotsu (pork bone) - Noodles: Regular - Toppings: None - Price: 830 yen - Good Points: The atmosphere in the restaurant is high-class and pleasant. - Overall Impression: This place stands out from other mountain huts I have visited before. Among the eight mountain huts I have been to, this one is the best. I'm not sure if this mountain hut operates on a central kitchen system, but the taste at Yoshida Hut is solid and delicious! The goldfish adds a nice touch to the ambiance.

The atmosphere of the shop is quiet. The waiting time for the food is a bit long considering the number of customers. The taste is average, with a typical Chikuhou ramen soup. The garlic-infused "mukashi ramen" is recommended. The fried rice is...

While traveling to Karata Town, I found a ramen shop called "Kyushu Menso Yamagoya Yoshida Store" and decided to visit. This is a different concept restaurant from Wyeth Food's "Chikuhou Ramen Yamagoya" shop. They also offer a menu of deep-fried skewers for izakaya at night. The parking lot in front of the store can accommodate about 11 cars. Upon entering the store, there is a long counter seat on the left. There are also counter and table seats in the back right. The ramen dishes are a bit on the pricier side, with options like "Tonkotsu Ramen" for 630 yen, "Black Ma Oil Ramen" for 730 yen, "Menso Yamagoya Ramen" for 850 yen, "Dan Dan Noodles" for 830 yen, "Hormone Miso Ramen" for 880 yen, "Yakimeshi" for 390 yen, "Choi Gyudon" for 380 yen, and "Yamagoya Gyoza" for 360 yen. I noticed the limited-time "Spring Sesame Miso Ramen" and decided to order it. They also have a "Custom Ramen" menu where you can choose from 7 types of noodles. The noodles can be replaced for an additional 100 yen. I ordered the fine noodles cooked normally. The dish was served in about 10 minutes, along with a slight pork bone smell. The toppings included char siu, rapeseed blossoms, wood ear mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and carrots mixed together. It also had bean sprouts, green onions, and finely ground sesame seeds on top. The soup was a rich white miso base with a thick and creamy texture. It had a strong salty taste, which I enjoyed. The fine noodles were straight and had a good chewy texture, which paired well with the soup. I felt that a thicker noodle might have been a better match for the rich soup. I added the aromatic oil for ramen halfway through, which had a sesame oil base with a spicy kick. It added a fragrant sesame flavor to the dish. I also ordered a replacement of green noodles, which had a subtle spinach aroma. The noodles were cooked to the same chewy texture and paired well with the soup. I have visited "Yamagoya" for their ramen before, and while I won't review it here, I have enjoyed their offerings. The "Spring Sesame Miso Ramen" had a relatively rich pork bone soup with the saltiness and umami of miso, combined with the aroma of sesame, making it a satisfying ramen dish. The ability to choose the type of noodles was a fun aspect of the meal. Thank you for the meal.

I visited this restaurant when I went back to my hometown. There were 6 of us visiting that day around 12 o'clock on a Sunday. I wondered if it was too early for lunch on a holiday, but there weren't many customers. It was a hot day, so I initially thought about ordering cold noodles, but the air conditioning was working well, so I ended up ordering tonkotsu miso ramen. My family ordered hormone ramen and yamagoya ramen. The hormone ramen was rich and even after getting an extra serving, it remained rich (laughs). It seemed like it would go well with rice. The yamagoya ramen, which I am used to eating, was not too strong in tonkotsu flavor and was easy to eat and delicious.

～September 4, 2016, a little after 1:00 PM. Work until noon is done, and now I'm thinking about what to have for lunch. I know! Let's go have ramen! And so, I headed to this place for the second time. Originally, it was called "Chikuhou Ramen Yamakoya," but it recently underwent a renewal and has become something completely different! The exterior is very innovative and stylish now. The interior is also very stylish, with a lot of Japanese-style elements like window frames with hemp leaf patterns. The dishes are original, cute, and stylish as well. I ordered the following: Ramen (tonkotsu), Black Ma-yu Ramen (firm noodles), Gyoza, Yakimeshi (half size), and bottled beer (Asahi Super Dry). While waiting for the ramen, I enjoyed some spicy pickled vegetables with my beer. The pickled vegetables were delicious and not too spicy. The black Ma-yu ramen is said to contain burnt garlic, but I couldn't taste or smell the garlic much. Personally, I found the flavor of this ramen a bit lacking. The regular tonkotsu ramen is still the best. It has that classic Yamakoya Ramen flavor. The gyoza and yakimeshi were also quite tasty. When I went to pay at the register, I was shocked by the price of the bottled beer! The lady behind me was also surprised by how cheap it was. The menu didn't have the price listed for the bottled beer, so I was a bit taken aback by the low price. The other snack menu items were also very reasonably priced. I'll have to come back for the evening menu next time. ★"Kyushu Men Master Yamagoya" is designed to evoke the lively and powerful atmosphere of a Japanese festival, and the interior incorporates a calm atmosphere with a touch of Japanese "wa" that is highly praised worldwide. The restaurant design and tableware are carefully selected, and the menu includes not only ramen but also izakaya dishes like "kushiage" and "chiritori nabe," making it a ramen shop that is a cut above the rest. (From the Chikuhou Ramen Yamakoya website)

When I went back to my parents' house, the three of us went to "Ramen Yama-koya." It was a very stylish restaurant, which was a bit surprising. We went around 6:30 pm on Sunday and luckily didn't have to wait in line. There were about 3 or 4 tables for 6-8 people. We sat at a counter with a small table attached, so we couldn't see well, but we managed (^^;) We ordered the Chiritori Nabe for 1200 yen, along with a set of noodle skewers for the finish, fresh spring rolls, salad, 3 beers, and 2 sake. I can't remember the exact prices, but in total, it was around 4900 yen. We were all full and everything was delicious (*^^*) The Chiritori Nabe was quite large, so even my father, who has a big appetite, was very satisfied with this order. I think the layout and tables are the same as the previous Ramen Yama-koya. It might be better to add a few more tables. The izakaya menu doesn't seem to be limited to just evenings. I would like to go again sometime.

I had a bit of a hard time finding Kyushu Men Master's Taste Yamagoya Yoshida Store, as it didn't look like the usual mountain hut ramen place. I wondered if they had moved. Using an outdated navigation system, I ended up in some unexpected places, passing by the store without realizing it. However, once inside, I found a stylish interior that set it apart from other shops. The ramen was rich and flavorful, just like the taste of a mountain hut. The ramen and karaage set was only ¥910, or ¥500 with a lunch pass. It had been a while since I had tonkotsu ramen, and the taste was just like I remembered. I also enjoyed changing up the flavor with the pickled vegetables and red pickled ginger on the table. The karaage was also a fun experience, as each piece had a different level of flavor. I was surprised to see that they offered lunch sets until 5 pm, not just ramen. I was also intrigued by the gyoza that customers were ordering along with their beer. Overall, I had a great time at the restaurant. For more information, you can check out their website at http://yamagoya.co.jp/ or contact them at 093-475-2578. Lunch Passport website: http://kitakyushu-guide.sun.bindcloud.jp/lunch.html, https://www.facebook.com/lunpass.kitakyushu/?fref=nf