DEATH13
On this day in February 2020, I had a late-night job that took me to Wadayama on the JR train. It was supposed to last until dawn, but it ended in an instant haha. There were no simple accommodations near Wadayama, and I had plans in Osaka the next morning, so when I mentioned this to the person I was with, they kindly offered to drive me to Fukuchiyama. I decided to rest at a capsule hotel near the station, but before going to bed, I searched for a place to eat. There were hardly any options available at that time, except for this restaurant. KAKUBETSUYA is a ramen shop operated by a local company called Hirose Sangyo, and it is a different brand from the famous Kyoto ramen shop "Daiichi Asahi." There used to be stores in areas within my range like Kobe's Kita Ward and Sanda, but now there are only three stores in Fukuchiyama, Wadayama, and Higashi-Maizuru. The shop mainly focuses on their signature tonkotsu shoyu ramen called "KAKUBETSU Ramen." They also offer variations like Akamidare Ramen, Kurokotteri Ramen, as well as miso, shio, and Hakata-style tonkotsu ramen. The side menu is also quite extensive. I used to order the Akamidare Ramen frequently when there was a store nearby, so I ordered that again this time. The noodles are medium-thick straight noodles, a bit soft maybe? The toppings include chashu, green onions, bean sprouts, and an egg. The Akamidare Ramen is said to have spicy garlic on top of the tonkotsu shoyu soup. However, at first glance, it looks like they just sprinkled red chili powder on it. The garlic is already well blended into the soup, so you can't really see or taste it haha. Even when you slurp the soup, the garlic flavor is not very noticeable. Although the red chili powder adds some impact, the spiciness is not that strong. It feels somewhat similar to the red ramen at "Tanpopo" or "Menya Goku Tori" in Kyoto. Overall, the quality is consistent with what I had before, but for some reason, I feel like the depth of flavor is lacking haha. It's like I can't quite decide if it's delicious or not. On a side note, KAKUBETSUYA often distributes half-price coupons for their promotional activities. They usually give you one for your next visit at the register, and I've also seen them placed in nearby convenience stores. After finishing my meal and checking into the capsule hotel, I found half-price coupons at the front desk haha. If you include the half-price coupon, it would be a satisfying meal.