It's been a few months. I hand over a 600 yen ticket for salt ramen. I wonder if they realize it's not my first time here. But maybe they don't remember being rude. The store is unbearably hot without air conditioning. I couldn't stand wearing a white coat anymore. Salt ramen with water dumplings, seaweed, and white leeks only? Where's the chashu, bamboo shoots, egg, and seaweed? Are they making fun of the customers? The noodles are thick and rough, and the soup has a little salt but a strong flavor. I doubt the owner's sincerity. Or maybe this is their true nature.

There was a sign saying the 3rd beer is free at 11:45 on 06/08 in 2023! I hurried to enter the store. There were 2 customers at the 4-seat counter when I entered. I purchased a ticket at the ticket machine and handed it to the owner. I ordered a set of grilled dumplings and porridge with beer. First came the beer, dumplings, and pickled vegetables. The beer was a classic in a small glass. The dumplings were small but packed with juicy meat when I took a bite. Both the skin and the filling were homemade and well-seasoned. With these, I could enjoy my beer easily. As a result, I also enjoyed the complimentary beer. Then, I asked for the porridge to finish. The owner lifted it from behind the counter and handed it to me, warning me that it was hot. There was no steam rising from the thin iron pot. I ate the porridge with a plastic lotus flower. It was lukewarm, especially on the surface, which was almost room temperature. The ingredients included eggs, carrots, and pickled vegetables, all richly seasoned like the dumplings. I thought refills were allowed, but since the owner didn't mention it, I decided to leave the restaurant. The pre-made porridge was lukewarm and not delicious. I was disappointed even though I came here on T's recommendation. I told the owner that I would come again.

I started going to a restaurant to enjoy Chinese congee and dumplings. They also started serving limited quantities of salt ramen, so I tried both the white noodles and yellow noodles, but what I enjoyed the most was the gentle soup with low salt content that still left me satisfied. Instead of chashu, there is a water dumpling sitting in the middle, adding a nice touch to the flavor. The restaurant is run by the son of the owner of China Nichiryuen in Kitago, so you can't go wrong with the taste. The owner is friendly and will chat with you about various things, and sometimes even give you a little extra when you order takeout dumplings. Unfortunately, this beloved restaurant will be closed from April, but they plan to reopen in mid-May if their health improves. Be sure to visit this place at least once! 😊

I wonder if this dumpling and porridge shop now serves ramen. They offer three types: salt, soy sauce, and spicy tan-tan noodles (limited quantity). I ordered the salt ramen for 600 yen. While waiting, they offer porridge to eat. It's light yet flavorful, and served hot. You can choose between yellow noodles and white noodles. I went with the recommended white noodles, which were flat and chewy. The soup is light but packed with flavor. The toppings include dumplings, seaweed, and chopped green onions. The dumpling filling is tasty. Next time, I might try the soy sauce ramen with pan-fried dumplings. (March 2023)

On February 15, 2023, I visited a place called "Women's Heart and Autumn Sky," which originally was supposed to be "Men's Heart and Autumn Sky," lol. In Sapporo, there are also nights of "Women's Heart and Blizzard," I thought. This time, I tried the salt ramen that the owner is researching. I think it was 500 yen? However, this salt ramen only had one water dumpling, wakame seaweed, white leeks, and felt a little lonely (^_^;) Maybe it's because of the price, so it can't be helped (sweat). Totoron doesn't eat salt ramen often, so it doesn't matter much, but I wonder how salt ramen lovers would feel. I didn't have time, so I took out some dumplings. The dumplings here are delicious even when cold (*^^*)

I came here because I wanted to try the Chinese congee, but the owner recommended trying the white tantan noodles. Even though I'm not a fan of spicy food, it was rich and creamy and very delicious!! I also got to try almond tofu as a service. It was amazing! What a delicious almond tofu!! It's incomparable to the commercial almond tofu. I've decided to order it next time too~♪(*^^*) The owner jokingly suggested trying the salt ramen next time, but I'm here for the congee (*^^*) Happy Valentine's Day!

On December 19, 2022, both Totolon and Totolon group executives love this place (*^^*). So when we come around here, this place is always the first to be mentioned. The owner remembers Totolon and treats us with various services, which is really nice. We order the potstickers dumplings set meal (pork) and the pan-fried water dumplings set meal (lamb). Also, we get the shrimp cheese spring rolls too (*^^*). Totolon is really into congee now, haha, maybe he's getting old? But the executives are still young (sweat). It's just so delicious (*^^*). The owner asked if we wanted to try the chive cheese dumplings, of course, we said yes!! It's things like this that make us love this place even more (*^^*).

On December 13, 2022, I visited a restaurant that I had previously enjoyed their delicious Chinese porridge. This time, I was convinced to try their set meals. I ordered the hot pot dumpling and stick dumpling set meals, as well as the pan-fried dumpling set meal. Normally, each set comes with 5 dumplings, but since I was with a friend, they kindly added an extra dumpling to each set, making it 6 dumplings each. What's more, they used three types of meat (mutton, pork, and beef) for the dumplings, giving us a chance to try two of each kind. It was an amazing service. Additionally, I also tried the shrimp cheese spring rolls and garlic chive dumplings, and everything was delicious. I'm glad I revisited this place and I will definitely be back. It was a fantastic experience.

I visited a small shop located in Hongo-dori 9-chome, Hongo-dori shopping street in Shiraishi-ku in November 2022. The shop has only counter seats. I purchased a food ticket from the vending machine. I chose a set of mini fried dumplings and porridge. First, they served the porridge. It was hot and creamy, with a simple yet flavorful taste. The fried dumplings had a soft skin and were easy to eat. The garlic flavor was strong, which was great.

It's a place in Hongo-dori 9-chome in Shiroishi-ku, and there's a new dumpling and Chinese porridge shop in the Hongo-dori shopping street. I parked my car at a nearby coin parking lot and headed to the shop. I checked the menu on the wall, ordered the "Mini Dumplings and Porridge Set" at the ticket machine, and waited at the counter. The Chinese porridge arrived first, followed by the mini dumplings. The porridge was creamy and lightly seasoned, while the dumplings were crispy on the outside and flavorful on the inside. The set was a good portion size, perfect for those with smaller appetites or dietary restrictions.

Today, Totoron opened 3 new shops, and there was one shop that opened last Saturday. The first shop was a cake shop that moved from Nakajima Park, and the second shop was opened in Shinoro. The third shop, Croissant Ozamando, is a bakery that is planned to be relocated. However, since two people have already visited, I decided to visit a gyoza specialty shop a little further away. You can order both eat-in and take-out at the ticket machine. There were a few set meals with gyoza, but I decided to go with a single order and a set meal at Totoron. There are 4 sizes of gyoza available, but when I asked if the taste was different, I was told that the filling is the same. So, I ordered 2 jumbo gyoza for 450 yen, 2 fried chickens for 300 yen, and a set meal for 300 yen. The filling of the jumbo gyoza had little pre-seasoning and a hint of acidity. I ate it with gyoza sauce and special chili oil. I think it would have been nice to order regular-sized gyoza as well to compare the sizes. The fried chicken was delicious. It was described as Chinese spice fried chicken, but I didn't feel much of the spice, but it was very tasty. The Chinese porridge they served as a service was really delicious. I might try the porridge set meal next time and ask for a refill. There was another secret service, but it was a thank you for Totoron doing a good thing. The owner is a really nice and kind person, just like Totoron.

I often go to a nearby bento shop, and one day I noticed that a Chinese restaurant had opened in a renovated space that used to be a soba shop. My wife and I were curious, so we decided to check it out. When we walked in, there was a ticket vending machine right in front of us, and we struggled to find the Zatchi (fried chicken) option. Eventually, we found it and purchased two Zatchi for 300 yen each and an Ebi Cheese Harumaki for 400 yen, totaling 1000 yen. We handed the tickets to the owner and waited in the small restaurant. While waiting, the owner served us a small bowl of Chinese congee, which had a gentle and comforting flavor. The fried chicken had a nice spicy kick to it, and the Ebi Cheese Harumaki was delicious with the perfect blend of cheese and shrimp. It turns out that this restaurant had relocated from Nango 7-chome, where it was a takeout-only shop. The owner mentioned on Twitter that they don't make customers wait outside in the snow, which may explain why they serve congee as a complimentary dish. I'm curious to try their dumplings next time. Overall, it was a great dining experience.

On a certain weekday, while heading home, I visited a recently opened restaurant called "Gyoza-ya" in Hongo-dori 9-chome, Shiraishi-ku. Since there was no parking lot, I had to think about where to park. The place used to be a long-established soba restaurant, but it has been renovated and transformed into a new, albeit small, restaurant with two counters and a total of seven seats. The background music playing was from an AM radio. From the menu that day, I was surprised by the wide variety of options available on the ticket vending machine. I struggled to understand it at first, but I decided to go with a safe choice for takeout. I ordered the "Standard Gyoza (450 yen)" first. After taking a bite, I found that the gyoza was of average size with a thin skin and a relatively light sear. The filling, which seemed to contain chives and garlic, had a decent flavor, although some people might prefer to have sauce on the side. I also tried the "Fried Chicken (Za-chi) 2 pieces (300 yen)" which were large pieces of chicken that were surprisingly tender with a flavorful coating. It had a spicy kick with a hint of sweetness, soy sauce saltiness, and umami, along with a hint of chili or curry heat. It seemed like a good accompaniment to beer. I noticed the name of the China Nichiryuen group on the chopstick bag, so I assume they provide proper dishes overall. I look forward to parking somewhere next time and enjoying a leisurely meal inside the restaurant. Thank you for the meal.