あやぱぱ2
Wandering rookie curry mania/rookie ramen mania, a solo middle-aged man. This is a memo-like review from the old man. If you want concise information about the restaurant and dishes, please move on to other people's reviews around here. After eating at a nearby "tonkatsu shop," I decided to visit this place as well, as it is an area I rarely get to. The location is in Shiroishi-ku, Kawashimo Sanjo 4-chome. You can find it by heading towards Atsubetsu-ku on "North 13th Street, Kitago Street" past "Coop Sapporo." Once you enter the residential street between the "other ramen shop" and "Hokkaido Bank" a hundred meters ahead, you will find the restaurant. I arrived around 1 pm on a Saturday, and luckily there was no line outside. The other ramen shop I passed by on my way there and back had a full parking lot, so I wonder what happened there... The entrance is equipped with a ticket machine. By the way, the "exit" is on the backside. This is probably to prevent confusion/trouble as it is a shop where "waiting outside is common," so it operates as a one-way street. Inside the restaurant, there are about six counter seats on the right side with the kitchen, and about four tables on a raised platform on the left side. The first impression is that it is not as spacious as expected due to being a store using a detached house. This explains why it is common to have to wait outside. The previous reviews mainly mentioned "Chicken Paitan" or "Nagoya Cochin Shoyu/Shio." Being a bit of a contrarian, I chose something with fewer reviews. Since it was my first time, I followed the "upper left rule," but noticed a sign on the ticket machine. The "recommended by the owner" options were "Shoyu" or "Nagoya Cochin Shoyu/Shio." So, I went with the Shoyu Ramen, which cost 880 yen including tax. It arrived ten minutes after ordering. As I sat in the middle of the counter seats, the bowl was handed to me from a high position near the kitchen, which was a bit dangerous due to the heat. The bowl was simple, with one piece of thin pork thigh chashu, about three pieces of bamboo shoots, and chopped green/white onions. The soy sauce soup was surprisingly clear, almost to the point of being "light-tasting." There was almost no off-flavor, and it was light but with a hint of "umami." It was a start that made me think, "Can I keep drinking this soup forever?" It was quite an experience, as I had never tasted such a soup before, being a "rookie ramen mania." The noodles were thin, thinner than the neighboring "tsukemen" noodles. It seemed even thinner than "medium-thin." It was quite long, which felt longer to me as I have been eating relatively short noodles recently. The low hydration noodles had a firm bite, which I didn't mind as I'm used to it from Asahikawa ramen. There was a slight wheat aroma as well. Oh, there was a faint ammonia smell again, but it wasn't a big issue as it wasn't present with every bite. The bamboo shoots were very tender and elegantly cooked, not overpowering the soy sauce ramen. However, the portion was a bit too much as I think it was about three pieces. Similarly, the pork thigh chashu was thinly sliced and very tender, with a subtle seasoning. It was quite large, so I think the amount could be reduced.