Goruya Ramen

Goruya Ramen specialises in iekei, or house-style, ramen. Originally devised by Yokohama's Yoshimura-ya ramen shop in 1974, it was essentially inspired by the notion of combining Kyushu tonkotsu and Tokyo shōyu​ styles of ramen – it's colloquially known as 'Yokohama-style' too.

Since then, a number of ramen shops have spun-off their own iekei variations, but any basic tonkotsu and shōyu​ combination, often with spinach greens and crisp sheets of nori, is still strongly associated with the original iekei style.

Ramen Empire

Goruya started out back in December 2013, opposite Kannai's Isezaki Mall, and has since grown to 3 stores in the chain, including this Noge outlet. Goruya is actually the 3rd brand in the Matsuno Gundan group's growing ramen empire, alongside its Matsuichiya and Gorumen sister chains. Leveraging this strength and know-how to evolve the ramen game, Goruya, or "No. 1 Golden Iekei Ramen" in full, aims to deliver an experience that appeals to women and families alike, not just the regular ramen salaryman punter.

When it comes to ramen, shio– and miso versions of their shoyu tonkotsu ramen are also available. Goruya has several things to appreciate – the authentic, rich tonkotsu soup is a real highlight, as is the char siu topping and medium-thickness original wheat noodles. Basic ramen options start at ¥750 and rise to ¥1,050 for zenbu-no-se (everything), stopping at soft-boiled ajitama egg, negi onions, char siu. vegetable variations in between. Several rice bowl and gyoza sets also exist, as well as many other side menu options. You'll be able to choose a free ¥100 topping too if you go during lunch time on a weekday.

Ordering your ramen is conducted completely via the touch-screen ticket machine at the entrance. Whilst completely in Japanese, you'll be able to navigate and select based on images alone, so you should find yourself quickly making an order.

The final step might be the most challenging where you'll be presented with a screen on how you like your noodles/soup/oil – you can just take the default option or opt to customise to find the right balance for you. A richer, thicker soup always appeals to me whenever tonkotsu is involved.