Foliage Season in Kyoto – Day 4

How long would you wait for a bowl of noodle?

When we got to Ramen Sen No Kaze half an hour before its opening, there were already a dozen people lining up at the door.

The restaurant was small, with two tables and a narrow counter.

Fortunately we made it on the first try. We ordered Shio Tama ramen with gyoza.

Ramen was good. The broth was particularly rich and creamy and the pork slices were flavorful. The gyozas, however, were no comparison to the ones we had in a small Izakaya place in Yudanaka.

It took a while for our food to arrive. People never ceased coming in – all of which were foreigners – and inquiring about the wait time, which by the time we finished our meal, had gone up to an hour and 40 minutes. Ramen Sen No Kaze claims itself “No.1 in Kyoto, No.1 in the world”, so that explains the popularity.

Was the ramen good? It was, especially on a cold rainy day in November. Was it worth the wait? You decide.

After lunch we popped into the nearby Nishiki Market

snacked on freshly roasted chestnuts

and shopped for yuzu kosho and sake lees to take home. There’s also a duty free drug store adjacent to the market with a wide selection of merchandise and good prices.

Lunch was so filling that by dinner time, none of us was particularly hungry , so I ventured out to a restaurant close to our ryokan.

Ordered the wagyu beef cutlet sandwich, ate one and took the rest home for my parents.

Surprisingly that was the BEST beef sandwich I have EVER had.

The cut was so juicy and so tender and it truly melted in the mouth.