I revisited the restaurant for dinner because I had enjoyed the regular tantanmen before. This time, I tried the spicy version called "Fire Bear" for 900 yen, choosing the medium spiciness level. Although it looks very spicy, the sweetness of the vegetables and the mild back oil balance it out, resulting in just the right amount of spiciness. It was really delicious. While the White Bear I had before was also very good, I think the Fire Bear surpasses it in terms of addictive deliciousness. It may depend on personal preference, but I highly recommend it to those who like tantanmen or spicy ramen.

Visited on September 13, 2023! Fire Bear for 950 yen with free rice (self-service). The building next to Sapporo Ken, which used to be there until April, has been demolished and turned into a coin parking lot. The same goes for one corner around it, with this building being the last one standing. Overall, the food is delicious, but despite its appearance, it's not very spicy. I thought the rice would help balance out the spiciness, but it turned out to be just average. The noodles are thick curly noodles, more like champon than tantanmen. The self-service rice also has a slightly disappointing smell of oil.

Today's lunch was at a ramen specialty shop called "Tammenya Takauchi". I arrived at 12:03 PM and there were 2 customers already seated, as well as 2 groups of 3 customers who came in after me. The shop was run by 2 male staff members. I ordered the "Shirokuma" ramen for 950 yen. I had tried it before when I was hungover, but this time I was feeling fine. However, the texture of the noodles was not great, similar to last time. The soup had a surface-level salty and creamy taste, but lacked depth and richness. Overall, it was a decent meal.

I ordered the White Bear ramen for 950 yen. The noodles were thick and firm, with a rich flavor. It's self-service, with rice, pickles, and rooibos tea available in a corner of the shop. There's no specific announcement, so it might be easy to miss. Thank you for the meal.

Polar Bear Ramen: 950 yen Fire Bear Ramen: 950 yen The Fire Bear Ramen has a lot of chili sprinkled on top, but it lacks the balance of spiciness and flavor compared to the Polar Bear Ramen, which I preferred. The soup is rich and tasty, but it lacks depth. The noodles are slightly thick and delicious. They stay hot until the last bite. There are three levels of spiciness available, and I chose the highest level. At the counter, you can find water, shichimi pepper, black pepper, koi-me (soup concentrate), disposable chopsticks, tissues, and toothpicks. They offer complimentary iced Rooibos tea, hot coffee, rice, and three types of pickles. However, the rice is on the softer side. The service is decent.

Office workers have limited options for lunch, but on weekdays, you can try "Tammen Senmonten Kiuchi"! It's only a 4-5 minute walk from the office building. I entered around 12:01 with one customer already there and three groups of 5 people in total. There were 2 male staff members working today. Today, I ordered the "Shirokuma" for 950 yen. I noticed that the prices have increased by 50 yen overall. Since I was hungover, I opted for the normal "Tammen" instead of the spicy "Hikuma." Maybe it was because of the hangover, but I felt the noodles were a bit off and couldn't taste the umami in the soup. I think it was just because of the hangover. Thank you for the meal - I will come back again!

I visited in the early evening on a weekday. I was the first customer! It's a ticket system, but you can also use PayPay which is convenient. I hesitated on the toppings, but decided to go with the normal one. I chose the medium level of spiciness because I didn't want it to be too spicy. The ramen was served in about 5 minutes. It looked very spicy, but the chili pepper didn't make it spicy at all! The ramen had a strong salty flavor. The vegetables and noodles were delicious. The portion size was a bit small for the price, but it was just right to satisfy my hunger. Next time, I'll try the vegetable toppings of the polar bear ramen!

There used to be a yakitori restaurant in this location. I came once before but it was closed. They offer two types of noodles on the menu: tanmen and tsuketanmen. The flavors available are shirokuma and hikuma. I ordered the normal tanmen shirokuma for 950 yen. It was served quickly without much wait. The ingredients included pork, cabbage, bean sprouts, leeks, and carrots. However, there are no wood ear mushrooms as shown in the photo. Deducting points for that. The hot creamy soup had a good saltiness and was delicious. The curly thick noodles are the chewy type. It's not very filling though. They offer free rice as a service. Also, they provide pickles, coffee, and rooibos tea as additional services. No announcement made. (May 2023)

I like spicy food, so I was interested in this restaurant that I saw on TV. I arrived after 1 pm, so I didn't have to wait to be seated. I ordered the "Fire Bear" ramen, which you can choose the level of spiciness from small, medium, to large. Since it was my first time, I chose small. The ramen had red chili peppers on top, but it wasn't as spicy as it looked. I think I could have handled the large spiciness level. The stir-fried vegetables on top were also delicious. However, I was disappointed that there was no meat in it. Maybe you have to add the extra meat for 200 yen? That was the most concerning part for me. I also found it a bit salty, so I think adding a raw egg on top might be a good idea. Next time, I want to try the regular ramen, so I'll go for the "White Bear".

This was my first time visiting. I was curious about Tenjo Tenka Yui Gaku Dokuson's Akatan at Sanno no Yamazan, so I wanted to try it once. I ordered the Koguma's Koshin. It wasn't too spicy, but I did break a little sweat. The spiciness isn't much different from Sanno no Yamazan, but Sanno no Yamazan has a more impactful appearance with the red peppers. The taste is delicious, but personally, I prefer Sanno no Yamazan. The free rice, coffee, and rooibos tea offer good value. It's not as crowded as Sanno no Yamazan, so you can eat quickly. However, there is no parking lot, and if you park in a paid parking lot in the city, it can be expensive, so the overall cost doesn't differ much. Thank you for the meal!

Challenged the extra spicy level. The extra spicy flavor is delicious. The spiciness may not be a problem for those who are good at handling spicy food. It has a good aroma and a sweet taste, making it a delicious chili pepper. The vegetables in the tantanmen are tasty as well. The pork is also delicious. The chewy noodles go well with the rich soup, and the complimentary rice is also good. Recommended for when you want a hearty meal.

Arrived at noon on a regular day. Three customers already inside, and more coming in filling up the seats. Located at the end of Tanuki Koji, near Chuo Ward Office, this ramen shop opened two months ago in a space previously occupied by a yakitori restaurant called "Torijuu" (which I have not visited). It's interesting that it shares the same address as the ramen shop "Sapporo Ken" in a separate building. There seems to be a trend in Sapporo with specialty shops like "MEN-EIJI" focusing on tantanmen. The interior is counter seating only, with AM radio playing in the background. The staff, two young men with piercings, are friendly. The place may feel a bit smoky due to poor ventilation. Rice, pickles, coffee, and rooibos tea are self-service and free. The menu offers two types of tantanmen: the regular "Shirokuma" and the spicy "Hikuma." I ordered the "Shirokuma Zenbu Nose" (1100 yen) which includes all toppings, normally priced at 900 yen. It's a good deal considering the individual toppings would cost 1350 yen. The ramen arrived in about 15 minutes, following orders for other customers. The presentation of the all-toppings version is delayed due to the arrangement. The pork bone broth has no unpleasant smell and is flavorful with vegetables. It's slightly salty, which might be too much for some. The thick noodles give a Jiro-style chewiness, especially when mixed with the raw egg. The pork belly slices are tasty and not overpowering. The cabbage adds a sweet touch, and the bean sprouts have a good crunch. Overall, a satisfying and filling meal. I look forward to trying the "Hikuma" next time!

Today's lunch was at Tanmen specialty restaurant "Takauchi". I arrived around 12:03 with no customers inside. There were 2 groups of 3 customers each, with 2 male customers. The order for today was the "Hi-Kuma" (medium spicy) for 800 yen. Last time, I made a mistake by ordering all the toppings, so this time I chose the medium spicy level 3 with no toppings. Even though I'm not good with spicy food and ended up sweating, I enjoyed the soup, noodles, and vegetables. It was delicious. Thank you for the meal! I will definitely come back again!

Opened in February of the 23rd year. A sister restaurant of the "Yamaarashi Tenjoutenka Ryugadokuzon" operated by the Yamaarashi group, which has several locations in Sapporo. Visited at 12:20 on a weekday with 3 customers already seated and 3 customers arrived later. It seems to be a yakitori restaurant, as the sign was still there. The restaurant operates with a ticket vending machine system where you purchase food tickets. However, when using PAYPAY, you scan the QR code on the vending machine for payment and show it to the staff to place your order. The menu consists of two types of ramen: the traditional "Shirokuma" and the spicy "Hikuma". I ordered the "Hikuma" (900 yen) with medium spiciness. First, you help yourself to free rice and pickles, then you wait at the L-shaped counter while watching the flames in the wok, and the ramen is served in about 5 minutes. Coffee and Rooibos tea are also complimentary. The visual of the dish is impressive with a wide variety of chili peppers displayed on the table. The soup is delicious with the umami of pork bones and vegetables. However, the spiciness is only from the chili peppers, lacking in visual spiciness. The thick curly noodles are tasty and mix well with the soup. The curtain is made by "Sagamiya Seimen". The ingredients include cabbage, leeks, bean sprouts, carrots, and thinly sliced menma. There seems to be fewer vegetables for a ramen dish. While the ramen was tasty overall, it reminded me of "Sapporo Ramen MENEIJI" which also had few vegetables. In general, it was enjoyable. The complimentary rice makes the value for money reasonable. However, as someone else mentioned, in my opinion, it felt more like eating champon with pork bones, thick noodles, and vegetables rather than traditional ramen. I believe you would feel the difference more with "Shirokuma". If "Hikuma" prides itself on spiciness, I would prefer more intense spiciness from the chili peppers. Probably, the difference in spiciness is due to the amount of chili peppers used. My image of ramen is still the vegetable-filled "Tangiyoh" with gyoza.

Wandering rookie curry mania/rookie ramen mania, a solo middle-aged man. This is a memo-like review from the old man. If you are looking for concise information about the restaurant and food, please move on to other people's reviews around here. It was still midwinter. As I walked west through Tanukikoji towards the Prince Hotel, a signboard advertising "Tammen" caught my eye. Oh, in Sapporo, which has a different ramen culture from Tokyo/Kanto region, it's not easy to taste "Tammen/Tanmen", but to have a "specialty store" here, it's quite surprising! I'll plan to come when the snow melts. About 30 years ago, when I was working in Tokyo. I often heard about "Tanmen" when dining at Chinese restaurants. It was a word I wasn't familiar with, but I heard it in various places, and it made me curious. I would discreetly watch it being served to other customers, or watch my friends eat it, and it seemed to have a lot of vegetables in a "golden, almost transparent soup". And I remember that "there's no chashu in it". At that time (before going to Tokyo), I was a "miso fan". However, even in "Sapporo Ramen" restaurants in Tokyo, the noodles and soup were quite different. So, even when I was young and swayed by "meat and fried foods", I was also hooked on "soy sauce" in Tokyo. Now, what is this "Tammen"? I'm looking forward to it. The location is in Chuo Ward, Nishi 10 Jo Minami 3-chome. As mentioned earlier, even without the Tanukikoji arcade, just keep heading west and it's before Ishiyama Street. (Turn from Ishiyama Street into Nakadori and go east about 70m) I entered the store around 12:15 pm (Thursday). It was a warm day, about 15°C, so I didn't need to wear a coat. The store only has counter seats surrounding the kitchen in an L shape. There was also a table for two, but I wonder if they use it? The first customer was a solo young woman. The following customers were three young men and women, and a couple. There was also a Westerner dining alone. Is it a ramen boom? I was prompted to choose a menu at the ticket machine located to the right after entering. There are only two types of "Tammen" (Shirokuma/Fire Kuma). "Fire Kuma" is full of red chili pepper, but according to previous reviews, it's not as spicy as it looks. Well, I'm a "medium spicy" guy. I was a bit indecisive in front of the ticket machine, but if I could get "everything" for an additional 200 yen, I decided to go for it. The menu is Pure and Pure Tammen Shirokuma. With everything added, it costs 1,100 yen including tax (900 yen + 200 yen). By the way, it was after purchasing the ticket that I found out the details of "everything". I'm still curious about the "raw egg" in the ramen menu. I've had instant noodles with raw egg before, but never in a ramen restaurant. I'm also curious about "Tokushima Ramen" that I haven't tried yet. Oh, so "Menma" is a separate order. Looking at the pictures, "extra meat" is nice, but if it's "Tammen", maybe I should have chosen "extra vegetables"... And there's something placed on the table in the empty seat at the counter. A rice cooker (white rice), three kinds of pickles, Rooibos tea (iced tea), and coffee are placed there. And they are all "free". So, I decided to have white rice and pickles. The ramen was served in about 5 minutes. The ramen bowl is shaped on the sides, so not much soup or noodles are included. Oh, the soup is "cloudy white". It's like "tonkotsu soup" in "Chanpon" or various ramen from Kyushu. The waitress mentioned it as "tonkotsu soup".

On a certain holiday, I planned to have lunch at a casual sushi restaurant in Susukino, but for some reason it was closed and the surrounding area was not open yet. So, I decided to go to Yamazan's ramen shop located at Minami 2-jo Nishi 10-chome in Chuo Ward. The interior of the shop is compact with an L-shaped counter and two seats at the counter across a walkway. In one corner, they offer free rice, Rooibos tea, and coffee as a service. The background music is playing on FM radio. That day, I chose the "Fire Bear (900 yen)" from the menu using the ticket vending machine. I selected the "mild" level of spiciness. The kitchen staff could be heard stir-frying vegetables in a wok, and soon the dish was ready. Wow, even the mild level looks quite red! I took a bite... The bowl is deep, with thick curly noodles that have a chewy texture. The soup seems to be made from well-cooked pork bones, with a rich flavor that also includes a hint of marrow. It is slightly oily but not heavy, and the spiciness is not as strong as it looks. Even though I'm not good with spicy food, the mild level was fine for me. If I had to nitpick, I would say that I wish the soup had a bit more depth to it, knowing it's from Yamazan. The ingredients included crunchy cabbage, leeks, carrots, bean sprouts, Chinese cabbage, and small pieces of pork. After finishing the meal, I drank up the Rooibos tea. Overall, I enjoyed the delicious and moderately spicy ramen at Yamazan. Thank you for the meal.

Hinuma's medium-spicy ramen is delicious. The chewy noodles and rich soup with a sweet and fragrant chili flavor are satisfying. The vegetables are also very tasty. During lunchtime, they offer rice and a drink (coffee or tea) for free. Even big eaters will be satisfied. The chili used is not too spicy, so next time I want to try the extra spicy option. They used to have a promotion where if you mention the restaurant on Instagram, you could get ramen for 500 yen, but it seems like they don't do that anymore. It was a bit confusing for the staff, haha.

Sapporo original that doesn't feel like Sapporo ramen! Went to try Shirakuma-chan... To cut to the chase, it's delicious ('◇'). What makes it delicious... Well, the charred vegetables heated in a high-temperature pot have a fragrant burnt taste in some parts. The rich tonkotsu soup pairs well with the shrunken thick noodles, giving it a Chanpon-like feel, and the sweetened vegetables that were nicely stir-fried. Despite the flames being high and the pot being heated, the noodles were served in about a minute, so piping hot and delicious. The self-service options are also quite satisfying for a ramen shop! The menu is straightforward with "Shirakuma" and "Bear (Fire Bear)", but how about a limited edition "Sea Bear" with ingredients like shrimp and squid added!? The staff was young, energetic, and pleasant. ξ § ζ◥██◤ Thank you for the meal! <(_ _)> ===========

The lunch options for office workers are limited, but on weekdays, you can try Tansho Tenshotei Takauchi. This is a new restaurant located just a 1-minute walk from the office. Upon arrival at 12:01 PM, the restaurant was almost full with 5 groups of 6 people already seated and 2 groups of 5 people arriving later. There were 2 male staff members working. Today's order was the Shirokuma ramen with all toppings for 1,100 yen. It took 15 minutes for the ramen to be served. Surprisingly, it came with a raw egg, which was unexpected as the menu only mentioned "egg". Without the egg topping, the ramen would have been rated 3.5 out of 5. Next time, I will try ordering the ramen without the egg topping. Thank you for the meal!

Recently, a new restaurant opened in Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido. It seems to be part of the famous "Yamaran" series. They are currently running an Instagram campaign, so I decided to check it out. I ordered the "Fire Bear" (medium spicy) for ¥500, which is usually ¥900. By showing a specified screenshot on your Instagram stories, you can get this discounted price. The appearance of the dish was impressive, and although it looked very spicy, the actual spiciness was not overwhelming. The umami flavor of the ramen came through nicely. What's great about this place is that you can enjoy unlimited rice and pickles, and even have complimentary coffee or rooibos tea after your meal. It's a rare deal! The restaurant was bustling with customers, and it's no surprise considering the quality of the food and the promotion they have. I would definitely want to go back if I have the chance. Overall, it was a satisfying experience.

2023/2★Fire Bear 900 yen Located in the area near Chuo Ward Office, on Tanuki Koji Street with no roof, new open on 3rd February 2023. Part of the "Yama Arashi" series, specializing in tanmen (noodles in soup). There is no parking lot, but plenty of coin parking nearby, with the cheapest being 100 yen for 20 minutes. The restaurant has a quaint atmosphere, maintaining a retro Showa era feel inside. You purchase your meal ticket from a vending machine, and seating is limited to a counter facing the wall, suitable for small groups. There are two menu options available: regular tanmen and spicy tanmen. I chose the "Fire Bear" in large spicy, which was bright red with plenty of red chili peppers. The pork bone soup had a strong umami flavor with a mild red chili pepper taste, no bitterness. The smoky flavor of the charred vegetables and the fiery taste of the spice were a perfect match. The dish was loaded with vegetables and thick slices of pork, served with slightly shorter, thick noodles that soaked up the broth well. It was a delight to enjoy the complimentary side dishes such as rice, pickles, rooibos tea, and coffee. It was incredibly delicious! Thank you for the meal.