For lunch today, I had yakisoba at Asakusa-ken in Bihoro Town. Their recommended dish is the sauce yakisoba with finely chopped nori and scrambled eggs. The sauce is thick and flavorful, coating the noodles nicely.

In December 2013, when you eat at the main branch of Asakusa Ken and then at a branch, you may taste a soup (chicken broth) that is "so thin~~~. It seems like they watered it down lol. Are they being stingy with the chicken broth lol."

I order soy sauce ramen anywhere I go. The soy sauce ramen here is too bland for my taste. Disappointing.

It's noon in Bihoro, and the ramen level here is low, just like in Abashiri. Bihoro's ramen level is also low. I'm not aiming to conquer all the ramen shops in Bihoro, but there aren't many left that I haven't been to. I checked on Tabelog, and there are a few shops, but I think some of them may have closed down. I visited three shops, but two of them were nowhere to be found. The last one didn't have its curtain up even though it was close to 12 o'clock. So, I decided to go to "Asakusa-ken," which is recommended by Dekachan. I've been there a long time ago, and I remember going to the other branch recently. I think I had the salt ramen there, so today I'll try the soy sauce ramen. But I'm a bit scared of soy sauce. It's located near the station, next to a famous soba shop called Kanekyu. There were no customers inside, just one lady. I ordered the soy sauce ramen for 550 yen, which is a good deal. The L-shaped counter has about 11 seats on the long side, and I'm not sure about the short side. There are two tables in the raised area. The TV and the clock's ticking are the background music. There are old cigarette packs displayed, which is in bad taste. The ramen was ready in 5 minutes, and a different lady brought the bowl to the counter and disappeared. She only does the serving, a luxurious arrangement. The toppings include salt-free menma and two thin slices of wheat gluten. The green onions were scarce, and the thin noodles were unremarkable, a bit cheap. I'm not a fan of the thick chashu, so I just tasted it and left it on the side. It was salty with a soy sauce soup base. As soon as I put the soba in, it turned into soba. It lacks a rich seafood flavor, maybe because it's next to a soba shop. I guess this is what it is. I wonder if there's any other lunch option in Bihoro? There were four other customers, and one group of three sat at the counter, leaving only one seat. The mother asked if they wanted anything else, but the old man insisted on sitting at the counter. When asked if he wanted a large portion, he hesitated for 3 seconds before saying it's fine as it is. The mother asked if he wanted vegetables, and after another 3-second pause, he said he didn't need it. The mother tried to engage in conversation, but the old man's response was dismissive. The service was average, but the change was dropped from a slightly higher place, so the rating drops by 0.1.

I'm sorry, there was a difference between the main store and the branch. It seems like this restaurant has been around for a very long time (there was a black and white photo from when it first opened in the menu). I have been here before the renovation. Before the renovation, they used to serve rice balls and pickles (girls would get full). But it seems like they don't serve them anymore. The chicken broth soup has a simple taste and you can finish the whole soup. I love soy sauce and salt ramen, but the miso ramen doesn't have much flavor. After the renovation, the parking lot has become decently spacious (it can be tough when it's crowded), and it looks clean and nice. I have been to the main store (near the station) as well, but it's completely different. The one in town is tastier. The main store's soup is too thin and gives a feeling of "chicken broth water." The dumplings were also delicious.