On December 23rd (Friday), I had some errands in Ibaraki again. On the way back, I had dinner at my mother's favorite place, "Satsumakko Ramen Yao Gaikan-ten." Our order was as follows: - Mother: Ramen, small rice - Me: Ramen (with a little garlic), medium rice The soup, noodles, chashu pork, green onions, and garlic were all of the highest quality! The rice was delicious, and the light kimchi was also good! I feel like the main store started serving three pieces of chashu pork at some point, but this "Yao Gaikan-ten" has always served four pieces! My mother was completely satisfied with the taste! Thank you for the meal!

It's a chain store, but the Yawata-gaikan store is the best! In my personal opinion (lol) the Char siu ramen has an incredible amount of Char siu in it, even after finishing the noodles, there's still Char siu left. It's delicious every time I go, and even on weekdays, I find myself saying "Add garlic!" in the heat of the moment!

Ramen large 1,250 yen. The noodles were curly and slightly soft. The chashu was consistently delicious. The portion size was very satisfying. The soup was a bit rich and had a addictive taste. As someone with high blood pressure, I found it a bit salty. Overall, for 1,250 yen, the cost performance is excellent.

I ordered the ramen for 1030 yen on my second visit, along with a side of small rice for 220 yen. The rice came with kimchi. The pork bone ramen had a good aroma. Just for reference, the large ramen was 1250 yen, the chashu ramen was 1400 yen, and the large chashu ramen was 1650 yen.

Satsuma locals were babies when this place was open late at night. Maybe it's because I was always hungry when I was young, but this garlic-infused rich soup seems to have ingrained itself into my DNA. I love this ramen. The soup can be described as pork bone salt flavor, a common soup you encounter in Kagoshima. The char siu is excellent, with fatty parts melting in your mouth and the meat having a delicious salty taste. This ramen shop is definitely in my top 10. I hope they open a branch in my hometown again.

I was struggling to decide on lunch and ended up entering this place. The old-fashioned Satsuma-style ramen brought back nostalgic feelings, but I felt like it was a bit overpriced for the quality. Lately, ramen shops seem to be divided into two categories: those that strive to stay under 1000 yen regardless of quality, and those that easily go over that price point. Just because it's expensive doesn't mean it's delicious.

Satsuma Ramen Yao Sotokan Store. I visited because I had a day off from work tomorrow and wanted to eat garlic. I have been to the Kitashinchi store a few times on my way home after drinking, but I don't remember the taste clearly, maybe because I was drunk. So I visited this store after a long time. Was it this light last time? I ordered garlic as (normal) amount, but the taste felt unreliable, so I asked for additional garlic. With a generous amount of pepper, it finally came together. Chashu Ramen 1400, Water Dumplings 500, Rice (medium) 270.

I visited "Satsumakko Ramen" along the outer ring road in Yao for the second time. The chashu pork was still tender and delicious. This time, I added a bit more garlic for a challenge. It turns out that adding more garlic makes it even tastier. I can only eat it on the day before my day off.

Meshiuma's Delicious Dish (85th dish in 2023): While driving along the outer loop, I noticed "Satsumakko Ramen" in Yao and was drawn in by the garlic. Upon further research, it seems to be a chain restaurant. The main store is located in an area once known as Karahori, near Osaka Tenmangu Shrine. The price is a bit high, exceeding 1000 yen. Let's see what it has to offer. The soup is a beautifully cloudy tonkotsu broth, not as rich as it looks but still delicious and easy to drink. The crunchy green onions add a nice touch to the ramen. The standout feature is the chashu, with just the right amount of fat and tender texture. It would be irresistible with a generous amount of garlic added.

I visited this restaurant near Yao-gaikan for the first time in a long time. The last time I visited was 10 years ago. The exterior signboard looked clean and the interior had been nicely renovated. It was a weekday afternoon around 2 pm and there were only 4 customers inside. I ordered char siu ramen with garlic and extra green onions. The bowl arrived in 5 minutes. The taste was still as good as before, with a mellow tonkotsu flavor. The seasoning was just right, and there was plenty of char siu in the bowl. The background music in the restaurant was nostalgic Showa-era songs, reminding me of the good old days. I reminisced about eating in Shinchi and Dotonbori after drinking, but both places are now closed. Times change, I guess.

Satsuma-ko Yawata-gaikan store I have known this store for a long time, but for some reason I never had the chance to visit until now. The menu offers only two choices: ramen and chashu-men. This time, I ordered the chashu-men for 1,300 yen. The soup is a blend of chicken and pork bone broth, and the noodles are medium-thin curly noodles. The garlic flavor is very strong, giving it a stamina-boosting quality. The pork belly chashu is generously portioned. The addition of bean sprouts and cabbage provides a nice texture. Despite being a roadside chain store, it was a delicious bowl of noodles. Considering the price, I might try the ramen next time.

This year, in search of delicious ramen, I visited a ramen shop I had never been to before. It was a roadside shop located in the outskirts of Osaka, with its main branch in Osaka city. I was not familiar with Satsuma ramen, but I had expected a rich tonkotsu broth similar to Kumamoto ramen. However, the soup served was surprisingly light despite its color. Being born in Osaka but accustomed to the rich ramen flavors of Tokyo, I found the Kansai-style light tonkotsu broth to be lacking in depth. The noodles were quite ordinary, with a standard curly texture that felt uninspiring. It wasn't until later that I realized the toppings were the highlight of this chain. Indeed, the toppings included bean sprouts, chashu, and chopped green onions, with about 5-6 slices of flavorful roasted pork adding value to the slightly high price of 950 yen. The roasted pork had a pure salty flavor that was quite delicious. After reading reviews on other sites, I learned that some customers at this shop order a topping assortment with rice (or sake) instead of ramen. This flavor profile would indeed pair well with sake or rice. Although it may not be a place for heavy drinking due to its roadside location, I would definitely consider trying this combination if given the chance.

Today, I had some errands in Yao and decided to have lunch along the outer ring road. I found a sign for "Satsuma Ramen," a place I had never been to before. The parking lot had a few empty spaces, so I entered the restaurant after using the hand sanitizer at the entrance. The small restaurant had a counter and a few tables, and the staff were very friendly. The customers seemed to be mostly older regulars. We ordered the Chashu Men for 1300 yen including tax, Ramen for 950 yen including tax, and two orders of boiled dumplings for 480 yen each including tax. The Chashu Men had plenty of green onions, Chashu pork, and noodles, all in a delicious broth. The soft Chashu pork had no unpleasant smell and was very tasty. The boiled dumplings were also delicious, filled with plenty of vegetables. We were surprised by how filling the ramen was. My husband even said it reminded him of the ramen he had in Tenmonkan. We were glad we stopped by "Satsuma Ramen" along the outer ring road. We will definitely visit again. Thank you for the meal!

Today for lunch, I went to Satsumakko Ramen in Yao. It felt like it had been decades since I last visited. When you think of Satsumakko, you think of garlic ramen, right? The menu was not on the table, but rather written in the back of the kitchen where you place your order. I was surprised by how few items were on the menu. Well, I came for the ramen, so it didn't really matter. The menu had ramen and chashu noodles. I ordered the chashu noodles in a large size. My thoughts? I was so full! It felt like there were about 3 servings of noodles in there. The chashu was incredibly tender and delicious, just the way I like it. It had been a while, but I enjoyed it. Thank you for the meal.

Today's dinner. I wanted to enjoy garlic as a pre-holiday tradition, so I visited this restaurant. When it comes to garlic, it's Satsuma Ramen! I haven't been to the Yawata-Gaikan store, which I used to visit the most, for a long time. Since the Ishikiri store opened, I haven't been coming here as often. When I arrived at the store, I noticed that the yellow tent sign that used to take up two-thirds of the exterior had been changed to black. I think the yellow one stands out more and looks more like a ramen shop, but that's just my amateur opinion. Inside the store, there was one customer already seated. I chose a table near the entrance that was available. The menu only had two options: Ramen for 950 yen and Chashu Ramen for 1300 yen. I ordered the Ramen as usual. When asked about garlic, I requested extra garlic. Shortly after, the ramen arrived. I thought, "Huh, there's no garlic??" but then the garlic arrived in a small dish. I was told to add as much as I liked. First, I tried the soup without adding garlic. It was delicious! A mild soy sauce flavor with a creamy texture and a moderate thickness. The soup had a strong umami flavor from chicken and pork bones, without any off-flavors. When I added the garlic, the deliciousness increased dramatically. The garlic had a mild spiciness and was easy to eat. The garlic used seemed to be from Aomori Prefecture. The noodles were medium-thin curly noodles with a chewy and slightly soft texture. They were simply delicious. The pork belly chashu had a rich soy sauce flavor on the surface, with fatty parts melting in your mouth and lean parts being moist and tender. It was a classic chashu, but the effort put into making it was evident in its exquisite taste. It was delicious. Thank you for the meal!

I don't usually go for ramen, but on this day, it was late and there weren't many options, so I ended up at this ramen shop near my new place. They had Satsuma-style ramen, which is also available in Shinchi, and it's an old, established ramen shop. It was my first time there. The ramen had a clean tonkotsu soup. They asked if I wanted garlic, but I decided against it thinking about tomorrow. They only had boiled water dumplings for gyoza, and I also got a side set of chashu and bean sprouts. I had it with a beer. The chashu was delicious.

Visited at 11:30 on a holiday, with 2 customers already present. Ordered the chashu ramen. The ramen arrived shortly after. The chashu had a lot of fat and the soup was not great today. For 1400 yen, the cost performance is not good.

I used to visit this place late at night and the ramen was really delicious back then. However, the taste has completely changed and it's disappointing. The sign is still the same, but I wonder if the management has changed. I won't be visiting again.

The garlic flavor was quite strong but well-balanced and delicious! The chashu was melt-in-your-mouth and very tasty. However, overall it was on the salty side, so it might be tough for those who don't like strong flavors.

There are only two options on the menu: regular ramen and chashu ramen.

I also tried Ichiran, but I personally love this garlic ramen the most ^_^ Since the smell lingers, I choose when and where to eat it haha. The main chashu is quite popular among fans, but I'm satisfied with just 2 slices ^_^ It's so rich that if you don't eat it first, you won't be able to finish it haha. I usually order the garlic ramen with extra garlic and add some water dumplings too ^_^ It's good for your health!