![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.hyogoajet.net\/hyogotimes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/Outisde-300x224.jpg\" "\\"Outisde\\"")
Ramen Tarou is easily my favorite and most frequented ramen shop. It has everything that a diner looking for a quick casual eat could want in the search for ramen goodness\u00e2\u20ac\u201da bright space, a menu with large pictures, satisfying ramen with amazing ingredients, and of course, FREE kimchi to snack on before your meal or to add to your dish.<\/p>\n
My first venture into Ramen Tarou came at the recommendation from a woman that I had met at church. It was my second weekend in Kobe, and a friend and I wanted to avoid the anxiety of navigating the countless restaurants, fast food joints, and konbinis nearby Sannomiya station. I enjoyed it so much that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s become one of my regular restaurants, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not difficult to see why. At first, the menu was slightly intimidating with its many pictures of different bowls and prices, but upon further inspection one can decipher the components of the different dishes pretty easily. Like many ramen shops, Ramen Tarou offers your standard salt, soy, and miso ramen, as well as vegetable and curry varieties. From my experience, the dishes come with less soup and noodles than one might expect, though every bowl comes with plenty of toppings.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.hyogoajet.net\/hyogotimes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/Ramen-1-300x224.jpg\" "\\"Ramen")
What makes Ramen Tarou special, however, would have to be its Tomato Ramen, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Top\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Ramen (\u00e4\u00b8\u0160\u00e3\u201a\u2030\u00e3\u0081\u0081\u00e3\u201a\u0081\u00e3\u201a\u201c), and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Tarou-san\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (\u00e3\u0081\u0178\u00e3\u201a\u008d\u00e3\u0081\u00a1\u00e3\u201a\u0192\u00e3\u201a\u201c \u00e3\u201a\u2030\u00e3\u0081\u0081\u00e3\u201a\u0081\u00e3\u201a\u201c) Ramen. The Top and Tarou-san Ramen are my two favorite ramen dishes, the former seeming to be a smaller version of the latter (i.e. including one half of a soft boiled egg as opposed to a whole soft boiled egg). The cubed stew meat in both of these dishes adds tender and flavorful salty-sweet bites, bringing these dishes to a level of quality that I have yet to see at most other ramen restaurants. It never fails to make me feel as though I am indulging myself.<\/p>\n
And tomato ramen, you say? Yes, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s right. For any soup enthusiasts that aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t in the mood for a heavy meal, I say definitely give tomato ramen a try. Not knowing what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was something like a vegetable stew, tomato soup, and pasta all mixed together. In addition, almost all of the dishes come in different sizes (as noted by the smaller sized lettering). I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d recommend getting the smaller size if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not excessively hungry, or if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d like to have a side of gyoza with your meal. The larger size looked like it came with more soup and more noodles, but the same amount of toppings.<\/p>\n
So next time you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re looking for a quick and easy eat in Sannomiya, I definitely recommend Ramen Tarou. During some busy periods such as lunchtime on weekends, you might find a line waiting for a place to sit. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be intimidated, the most I ever had to wait was 15 minutes (though for a larger party might take longer), and the food will be worth the wait.<\/p>\n
Ramen Tarou<\/strong> <\/strong>(<\/strong>\u00e3\u201a\u2030\u00e3\u201a\u0081\u00e3\u201a\u201c\u00e3\u0081\u0178\u00e3\u201a\u008d\u00e3\u0081\u2020<\/strong>)<\/strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n