Krish's Veggie Travels

Tag: ramen

  • Kyoto (Dec 2024)

    *Alexa, play Kyoto by Skrillex*

    Unlike the track above, Kyoto is the most peaceful of the 3 big cities in Japan, and I feel like the food and drinks reflect this. Kyoto is considered the matcha capital of Japan, and there’s also a lot of focus on traditional Japanese food, as oppose to maybe the popularity of street food in Osaka.

    On this short trip to Kyoto I was able to enjoy Japanese food, as well visit an Indian and a Thai restaurant which I first checked out in January 2023, and loved so much that I had to go back. After all, Indian and Thai are my two of favourite cuisines 🇮🇳 🇹🇭 🇯🇵 

    Ramen Katamuki (Vegan)

    This restaurant offers both meat dishes as well as vegan. I had the vegetable gyoza alongside the vegan tantan noodles, which I decided to upgrade to a large because I was hungry and got overexcited 😂. This was a mistake as the portion was large enough for 2 people which is probably why the upgrade exists haha. This wasn’t my favourite of the ramen bowls I’ve had in Japan, but I did enjoy the minced soy meat on top. Unfortunately as I’m writing this a couple months after my visit, I can’t remember what it was that I didn’t love about this bowl. 

    Tousuiro Gion (Vegetarian/vegan)

    This is a traditional restaurant in Kyoto that offers a 10 course vegetarian/vegan meal (alongside non vegetarian options) consisting of dishes mainly compromised of tofu, yuba and vegetables. I visited with a friend who had the non vegetarian course which was actually half the price of my vegetarian course – I’m assuming this is because of the cost of the vegetarian ingredients. It’s a bit on the pricey side (10,000 yen), but I was happy to spend that money on a one off experience that would allow me to enjoy authentic Japanese dishes in a traditional environment, despite being a vegetarian. Personally I didn’t love the food, maybe because I’m not a big fan of some of the mushy/bean textures in Japanese dishes, but I’m glad I got to have this experience.

    Veg Out (Vegan)

    I had to return to this vegetarian/vegan cafe that I visited just under a year ago. I remember getting the vegan tempeh BLT last time and absolutely loving it, so I played it safe and got the same this time round. I got this alongside a smoothie and a soup that was served alongside the BLT. The soup was SO good that I had to ask for a second serving! Also pretty wild that I’ve never come across a plant based BLT in the UK or other European countries but I did in Japan!

    This is a must visit spot for vegans and vegetarians in Kyoto imo!

    Inari Sushi at Fushimi Inari Station

    I LOVE inari sushi. It’s my go to snack from Japanese kombinis and it’s my favourite part of vegan sushi boxes in the UK. So you can imagine how excited I was when I saw a store at the Fushimi Inari Station in Kyoto specialising in inari sushi. Unfortunately I spotted it when I got to the station before climbing Fushimi Inari (must do activity in Kyoto) and it was closed when we were leaving to get back into central Kyoto (we did Fushimi Inari in the evening).

    I decided to come back the next morning before my train to Tokyo and grab it as a snack for the journey. Up until then I’d only had plain inari sushi (vinegared rice wrapped in a sweet tofu pouch), but this shop had 5 variations that I was super excited to try. I enjoyed all of them but I think the wasabi flavoured one was my favourite. It was also interesting to read the story behind inari sushi. Would highly recommend this to anyone visiting to Kyoto.

    Bhavani

    Shamelessly, my first meal on this Kyoto trip was actually at this South Indian restaurant in Kyoto called Bhavani! I came to this restaurant in Jan 2023 with two European friends, both of whom, including one who was having Indian food for the first time, loved it! I had the masala dosa and chilli paneer, two of my favourite dishes and the food was very flavoursome and enjoyable!

    Krua Geang Thai

    Like Bhavani, I decided to return to this Thai restaurant in Kyoto. I really love Thai corn fritters, which isn’t always on the menu in Thai restaurants, which I got along with a thai red curry, rice and milk tea – all of which were delicious! Aroy mak! As with Indian restaurants, Thai restaurants are famously vegan/vegetarian friendly.

    Gong Cha

    Gong cha is a global chain of stores that specialise in bubble tea, so although not unique to Japan, I did try something I hadn’t tried before – matcha and brown sugar milk tea. I’m not a huge fan of matcha, but the brown sugar really complemented the matcha making a delicious drink. I’ve no idea if this is something available in UK gong cha stores too but I’ll be sure to look out for it!

    Scene Factory Coffee and Space

    The reason I’m mentioning this spot isn’t because it’s necessarily more vegan/veg friendly than other cafes, but because I really struggle to find cafes that serve bakery items like a plain croissant in Japan, which is what I like to have with my coffee for breakfast. Most cafes I’ve come across in Japan seem to be centred around serving cakes, cheesecakes etc. 

    I really enjoyed my coffee and croissant at this cafe, also because I loved the minimalistic but also futuristic vibe of the cafe. The server I had was also extremely friendly. 

    Until I wrote this post, I’d forgotten how much great food I had in Kyoto on this trip, and I feel extremely lucky that I was able to 🙂

  • Osaka (Dec 2024)

    Clearly I fell in love with Japan that I had to return so soon after my first visit, but I didn’t realise how much I missed small things such as the aroma of Japanese cuisine and the sounds of the doors to Family Mart opening, until I was walking the streets of Osaka to get to my hostel.

    Curry House CoCo Ichibanya (Vegetarian)

    One place I could rely on for great Japanese curry is Coco Curry Ichibanya – a chain of casual restaurants serving Japanese curries including a dedicated vegetarian curry. At least in the 3 big cities, I’ve usually been able to find a branch no further than 20 mins away from me wherever I am, and many of these branches stay open till pretty late, making it a reliable spot for all times of the day, even after a night out.

    The great thing about Coco Curry is how customisable it is. From the spice level to the sweetness to the toppings – you can choose your curry to be exactly how you like it. You can choose from level 1 to level 20 for the spice, and after my visit I realised that even as an Indian person who prides myself on being able to tolerate the spiciest of foods, a spice level of around 5 is probably the max I could go without shedding a tear or two. I usually go for spice level 3 because I like to get a portion of spicy garlic with my curry which provides its own garlicky kick. I’m a HUGE cheese lover, so I also love being able to add not just a single, but a DOUBLE portion of cheese to my curry! 

    Vegan Ramen by Playpen Friends

    I have to be honest and say that on my last trip to Japan, I didn’t exactly love the ramen I had. I thought this may be a combination of the fact that I prefer dishes that are more rich in flavour, and the bowls of ramen I’d had definitely lacked that, and also the fact that maybe ramen is a dish that is meant to be enjoyed by meat eaters. This was until I had a bowl of vegan ramen at Wagamama’s at Gatwick Airport before my departure to Vietnam in Nov ’24. And I know chain restaurants get a lot of flack for not being authentic, but it was a really tasty and hearty bowl of ramen, which I think made me more open to trying some more ramen on this second Japan trip.

    I came across this restaurant on Happy Cow, which seemed highly popular for vegans. There were maybe 3 vegan ramen options on the menu and I chose Syoyu Tonkotsu Ramen. It was absolutely delicious – oishi katta des! It was creamy, rich in flavour and loaded with both tofu and minced soy meat. I really appreciate when there’s soy meat or something similar in a vegan/veg alternative of not just Japanese dishes, but any dish that is typically not vegetarian or vegan friendly, as it feels like effort has gone into actually creating a dish with a good level of protein and something a bit more filling. It also helps to make me feel like I’m eating something closer to the traditional cuisine. Like most places I’ve visited in Japan, customer service was also excellent here, and I’ll be sure to return on my next trip!

    Yabar – Chiangmai Curry Ramen

    One of my all time favourite dishes is Chiang Mai Khao Soi – I fell in love with the dish when I first had it in Chiang Mai, Thailand a couple of years ago, and since then, its a dish I actively seek out wherever I’m travelling. On this occasion, I did not seek it out and I stumbled across a sign for a Japanese take on Chiang Mai Khao Soi – it’s like the heavens were calling out to me!! Of course I had to go inside and check out this bar/cafe. I was greeted by the friendly chef/bartender who was happy to make me a bowl of vegetarian Chiangmai Curry Ramen – which just meant without chicken/meat. In a Thai restaurant that serves Khao Soi, occasionally you can have it with tofu, but even when you can’t, the dish is still delicious.

    In this case, the difference between Chiangmai Curry Ramen and typical Khao Soi was that the egg noodles were replaced with ramen noodles. The broth was still very creamy and rich, which is what makes Khao Soi so yummy to me, and of course complemented by a garnish of crispy noodles. This was unexpected and a real treat – my favourite dish in my favourite city!

    Khao Soi is typically vegan like many Thai dishes, but I’m not sure if at this specific place it was vegan or just vegetarian.

    Osaka is famous for its street food, which you’ll find plenty of in Dotonbori. I didn’t get to try much street food on this trip, but I did on my last, as well as a few more vegan/vegetarian restaurants and cafes. I’ll try to write about that at some point too. Overall, Osaka is a vibrant and friendly city with a very edgy vibe and a fun shopping district. I had great culinary experiences on both of my trips to Osaka, and I can imagine it would only get better for vegans and vegetarians in the future!