GOOD

I've been to the Nara Yatai head office and the Myanmar franchise store, but this is my first time at the Kosaka branch. The worn-out signboard gives it a sense of history and good flavor, which is nice. Ordered the Tenri Stamina Ramen and fried rice set. The stamina ramen, loaded with vegetables like Chinese cabbage, has a punchy soup packed with garlic and a reliable deliciousness. Although the flavor is on the heavier side, the sweetness of the vegetables makes it surprisingly easy to eat. It pairs well with the fried rice, making it a highly satisfying set when you want a hearty meal. The portion was also plenty. Said to be the ultimate cure for a hangover. A flavor you suddenly find yourself craving every now and then. I'd like to drop by again if I'm in the neighborhood.

Today I was in the mood to eat some ramen with a sharp kick. What popped into my head was Tenri Ramen, featuring a soup with plenty of Chinese cabbage spiced up with doubanjiang. "Saika Ramen Fuse Branch" near Kintetsu Fuse Station. "Tenri Stamina Ramen Kosaka Branch" near Kintetsu Kawachi-Kosaka Station. You can eat Tenri Ramen at either of these two places. I decided to try "Tenri Stamina Ramen," which I had never experienced before! Tenri Ramen This is a local ramen originating from street food stalls in Tenri City, Nara Prefecture. It is characterized by a soy sauce-based soup made from pork and chicken bones, packed with a punch of garlic and the spicy kick of doubanjiang, topped generously with stir-fried Chinese cabbage, pork, and chives. There are various theories about its origin, but it is said that around the late 1960s, a street stall named "Saika" served ramen topped with stir-fried Chinese cabbage, which gained popularity and evolved into a stamina-style ramen by adding garlic and doubanjiang. Both starting as street stalls, "Saika" and "Tensuta" are called the two major giants. - Stamina Ramen + Fried Rice Set In terms of volume, a single bowl of ramen is plenty, but in terms of satisfaction, you also want to eat fried rice, right? So, I pressed the Stamina Ramen + Fried Rice Set button on the ticket vending machine! Stamina Ramen I feel like the bowl is a bit bigger compared to other shops, but is that just an illusion? The surface of the bowl is covered with plenty of Chinese cabbage, pork, carrots, and chives simmered together. Compared to the chicken bone soy sauce soup of "Saika" that I am used to, the soup of "Tensuta" has a cloudy appearance, hinting at a pork bone base. The spiciness and punch were gentler than I expected, so even though I was on duty, I ended up adding extra garlic and doubanjiang from the table! The noodles are thin, but they retain a firmness and chewiness to my liking, and they pick up the soup well, making it easy to slurp down. The main ingredient, Chinese cabbage, still had just enough crispness left and was very filling. Ramen with lots of vegetables is delicious, isn't it! Fried Rice I assumed it would be a half portion, but it's a full single portion, and furthermore, it's shaped like a 3D dome, looking quite voluminous. A simple fried rice with plenty of egg, finely chopped charsiu, and green onions. It has a light finish with modest oil, achieving a coexistence of fluffy and moist textures. The saltiness and burnt soy sauce flavor are subtle, with black pepper giving it a nice kick. It's also delicious when dipped in the spicy-tangy soup. Vegetable-packed ramen and generously piled fried rice. I somehow managed to finish the fried rice, ramen noodles, and vegetables, but I left all of the abundant soup behind. I ate "Tenri Stamina Ramen" for the first time. I love ramen with lots of vegetables, especially stir-fried ones, so I enjoyed it deliciously. Even as the same Tenri Ramen, compared to the chicken bone-based "Saika," the soup is richer being pork bone-based, and the cabbage has more of a remaining crispness compared to the thoroughly boiled-down cabbage at "Saika." It's hard to decide which one is better...

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Working in Higashiosaka has really left me exhausted... Wanting to clearly refuel my stamina, I dropped by "Tenri Stamina Ramen Kosaka Branch" ((´∀｀) I ordered my usual favorite, "Stamina Ramen + Raw Egg" ♫ By maintaining an invincible state of trying not to let the delicious-looking fried rice in my field of vision get to me from any angle, the bowl was served in about 10 minutes (*´ω｀*) With a faint aroma of sesame oil, the soup is a pleasantly spicy, junk-food-style reliable flavor. Being at my level, I top it with extra garlic and doubanjiang from the table to make it even more junk-style ♡ Chinese cabbage, pork, and chives—see ♪ I've got my energy back ( ´θ｀) Sliding the medium-thin noodles with a firm texture through the raw egg, stamina refueling is officially complete ♫ I'm so glad I can get Tensuta right here ((´ε｀ )

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It was my first time eating Tenri Stamina Ramen outside of Tenri City. I felt the seasoning was a bit different, perhaps due to a lot of sesame oil, but it was delicious 🍜😋 I dropped by for a late lunch when visiting Higashiosaka on business. Since there was no parking lot, I used a nearby coin-operated parking lot. The restaurant felt like an old-school ramen shop, cozy and compact with counter-only seating. This time I had the stamina ramen and a refill of noodles (kaedama), and it was delicious. Thank you for the meal ~ ✨