This year, I received a birthday coupon from LINE. With the coupon, I could get any ramen for only 500 yen. I chose the summer limited edition cold ramen with strong seafood flavor. It had white round ice made from shellfish broth and yellow round cherry tomatoes. I also ordered side dishes of garlic gyoza and tuna flakes sprinkled rice. The cold soup was refreshing, the garlic gyoza gave me energy, and I thought of having more tuna flakes since it was free refills. It was a satisfying meal. Thank you very much.

In Hokkaido, even on a hot and humid day, you start to crave hot ramen as evening approaches. I ordered kombu shoyu ramen and gyoza. I didn't need to specify firm noodles or less fat, as they were served that way. The color is dark, but the broth is light as rumored. The seafood-based soup is easy to drink, and the small garlic-free gyoza was a perfect accompaniment. It was a satisfying meal.

There are many delicious ramen shops in Takigawa, but I recently tried the "Rich Shrimp Miso Ramen" at Kaiou-san, a shop known for its seafood-based soup. The bamboo shoots here are delicious, and the soup is rich and flavorful. The shrimp-packed chashu is so tender that it cuts easily with chopsticks, which I love. It's a dish that I always crave. I heard that they have opened a second branch recently, but since it's a dinner-only shop, I hope to find the opportunity to visit soon.

The new menu this year, the rich and creamy tonkotsu white miso ramen with black ma-yu is a great accent. It comes with bean sprouts, onions, ground meat, and miso ramen which is a classic. Toppings include bamboo shoots, diced chashu, and regular chashu, with ginger and fish powder for flavor variation. The pork bone miso flavor alone is great, but mixing in ginger and fish powder creates a whole different ramen, which was incredibly delicious. Oh no, I finished all the soup again (laughs).

I made a quick decision after seeing the menu for Maguro Dashi Tori Paitan. This combination of tuna and chicken white broth is new to me. The rich chicken white broth is quite to my liking. The wood ear mushrooms also did a great job. It was a satisfying ramen. I will definitely come back.

Had lunch at "Ramen Kaiou" in Takikawa City. Sat at the counter in the back and ordered the "Kaiou Shellfish Soy Sauce Ramen for 900 yen" and the "Monk Garlic Gyoza for 450 yen". The "Kaiou Shellfish Soy Sauce Ramen" uses soup made from Shiretoko local chicken bones, with a gentle flavor that goes well with the medium-thin curly noodles. The toppings include clams, chashu, bamboo shoots, seaweed, and green onions, but the shellfish flavor mentioned in the menu name is not really noticeable. The "Monk Garlic Gyoza" was easy to eat, but didn't have the expected strong monk garlic taste.

I used a LINE birthday month coupon to enjoy any ramen for only 300 yen, so I had the Scallop Butter Ramen. With the discount from the coupon, I also ordered Garlic Gyoza and Tamakake Gohan. The rich scallop broth and butter made me feel invigorated, while the garlic gyoza got me excited, and the tamakake gohan led me into a blissful world. I saved the scallop as the finishing touch after finishing the noodles and other ingredients. It was a satisfying experience. Thank you very much.

I had spicy miso ramen and rice. This was my first time trying the spicy miso here, so I ordered rice to help reduce the spiciness. The portion of rice was quite generous, almost like a mountain on the plate. It was a great meal. Thank you.

On weekday nights in local cities, many food establishments are closed, especially since the spread of the new coronavirus. It's hard to find places open other than major chain stores. I decided to try Haiou, which was still open and bustling. I ordered the spicy miso ramen with an extra seasoned egg. The noodles were somewhere between medium and low hydration, with a slightly chewy texture that was delicious. The bamboo shoots were tender and pointed. The soup tasted like the first time spicy miso ramen was introduced back in the Showa era, with a flavor reminiscent of miso ramen cooked with vegetables in a pot and mixed with doubanjiang. While it may not have any outstanding features, it has a comforting and nostalgic taste that brings a sense of peace to both the body and mind.

This is a relatively new restaurant that wasn't here before. The town has become quite run-down, but this place seems to attract a good number of customers. The miso ramen is quite good. The soup has a slight seafood aroma that is quite addictive. It's a bit different from the other recent places. You can tell that customers like it. They also have some unique menu items. I will definitely be back.

I used the birth month coupon to order the clam and soy sauce ramen, and used the discount to also order garlic gyoza and rice. Wow, it was amazing. The double soup ramen with chicken and clam was fantastic. The garlic gyoza made with garlic was perfect. I reached the peak with the seafood ramen. Thank you very much.

The so-called Yamagata-style cold ramen is something you can't resist once you discover it. It's different from regular ramen as it's served cold, not like cold noodles. The key is to prevent the oil from solidifying due to the cold temperature. Now, there's also a seasonal cold ramen at Kaiou-san. It features specially ordered noodles from Sagami Seimen, which are chewy and bouncy, similar to Morioka Reimen, and surprisingly hard to cut. The soup is seafood-based with a strong saltiness. The local asparagus is delicious. It seems like a well-thought-out dish, but for me, the saltiness was too strong. There's also a clever touch of using frozen clam broth ice to maintain the coldness without diluting the flavor.

I went there for the first time. I arrived around 11:40 and was seated right away, but it quickly became full. I was attracted by the limited quantity poster, so I ordered the miso-flavored beef intestine ramen. It took 15 minutes to come out. The taste was truly seafood-based, with thick broth and plenty of lard. My only mistake was not ordering the chashu topping. When I finished eating, both the counter and the raised seating area were full, with two people waiting for seats. It was indeed a popular ramen shop.

The autumn limited menu "Creamy sardine ramen" boasts a harmony of pork fat and fish oil. With yam as one of the ingredients, it creates a harmony of sea and mountain flavors. Personally, I prefer the solo performance of fish oil, so I added all of it after taking a sip of the soup. The rich soup may be too intense for some, but I don't mind it being even richer. In fact, I wouldn't mind if it was as rich as a thick sauce for yakisoba! Since it's a seasonal item, it will disappear like a fleeting dream, quietly waiting for the next autumn.

Today's lunch was at Kaiou in Takikawa. This restaurant, which has been a topic of discussion on social media, is known for its focus on seafood. They source their seafood ingredients from fishing friends in their hometown of Wakkanai. The restaurant is conveniently located just a 2-minute walk from JR Takikawa Station, with parking available in front of the store and at a nearby affiliated parking lot. Upon entering the restaurant, you pass by the kitchen and are seated at the back. The interior layout is a bit unique, with counter seats facing the wall, table seats, and a raised seating area. During lunchtime, the restaurant was quite busy. The menu features a variety of options, with the "Kombu Shoyu Ramen" being a popular choice. I decided to try their specialty menu item, the "Kaiou Kanimiso Ramen" priced at 950 yen. The ramen arrived in a square bowl, with a side of crab meat on seaweed. The soup, made from a blend of fish broth, pork bone, chicken, and crab miso, was surprisingly light in flavor. The Sapporo-style medium-thick curly egg noodles paired well with the soup. The toppings included bamboo shoots, green onions, onions, bean sprouts, and seaweed. The large, thick slices of chashu were slightly disappointing as they were served cold. Towards the end, I enjoyed melting the crab meat into the soup for an extra seafood flavor. Overall, the ramen was delicious, with a distinct crab flavor. While the crab was tasty, the price may be a bit high. I look forward to trying their seasonal limited-time menu items in the future. It was a satisfying meal. (Visited on October 30, 2020, 136th bowl of ramen this year)

I ordered the salt ramen for 750 yen this time, after trying the Rishiri kombu soy sauce ramen last time. The appearance is similar to soy sauce ramen. It comes with stir-fried onions and bean sprouts, bamboo shoot tips, and thick, tender chashu. The soup has a noticeable oiliness, but I believe it is free of chemical seasonings and has a good flavor balance. It pairs well with Sagamiya's noodles. It would be even better if there were seats available at the counter near the entrance.

I visited for lunch. I came to Takikawa for work. I searched on Tabelog and found this place. It seems to be a popular restaurant. It's quite crowded. This time, I ordered the "Kombu Shoyu Ramen" and the "Chashu Don". It's taking a while for the food to come out, probably because it's so busy. Finally, the dishes arrived, but the ramen was just okay in taste. Maybe I chose the wrong flavor! However, the Chashu Don was delicious. I might come back to try a different flavor next time. Thank you for the meal.

I visited "Ramen Kaiou" in Takikawa City for the first time. The location used to be a yakiniku restaurant called "Kurobeko". The interior has counter seats, table seats, and a raised seating area, where we were seated. I ordered the "Kaiou Konbu Shoyu Ramen for 850 yen," and my companion ordered the "Kaiou Crab Miso Ramen for 950 yen." The "Konbu Shoyu Ramen" has a delicious soup with the umami and aroma of Rishiri konbu, paired perfectly with medium-thin curly noodles. The toppings include chashu, green onions, onions, menma, wood ear mushrooms, nori, and tororo konbu, which gradually melt into the soup as you eat, making it even more delicious. The "Crab Miso Ramen" has a light and easy-to-drink soup with a blend of crab miso and miso flavors. The toppings are almost the same as the "Konbu Shoyu Ramen," but instead of tororo konbu, it has shredded snow crab meat. Highly recommended for crab miso lovers.

Hmm, Takikawa... Northern ramen doesn't usually suit my taste buds. Oh, what's this? "Kombu, tonkotsu, and chicken broth"? That sounds interesting. But then I changed my mind after looking at the menu. "Spicy miso ramen Shura". Shura... that's intriguing. (Bring it on!) Well, if it's too spicy, the broth flavor might be lost. Ah, the broth is bright red. The attack of the chili peppers hits my nose. Tentatively... slurp. Huh, it's not as spicy as it looks. It's edible. (This is just my personal opinion.) Huh? I can smell the tonkotsu broth... (It reminds me of Yamagoya's smell.) Another bite, and I don't notice it this time. It's hard to taste the broth due to the spiciness, but I can tell there's pork in it. (Where's the kombu? Where's the seafood?) The noodles are regular medium-thin curly noodles, with just the right firmness. Huh? I smell tonkotsu again. Ah, I forgot to eat the chashu. Oh, it's a melt-in-your-mouth type, falls apart when picked up with chopsticks. Ah, I see, the tonkotsu smell was coming from the chashu. (I wish they would handle this smell better, as many people are sensitive to it.) It was spicy, but I finished it all. So, this review is tentative, and next time I'll try the soy sauce ramen.

This is a restaurant that opened in June and serves ramen using kelp broth. The menu seems to recommend the miso ramen, but I ordered the seaweed soy sauce ramen and fried rice. You can't judge everything after just one visit. That's how it is.