Special miso ramen with less fat, ¥1,190 Rice ¥180 Total: ¥1,370 Hmm, it was delicious. The miso was spicy and flavorful. The noodles were smooth and chewy. The chashu had a slightly sweet seasoning. The gyoza was delicious too. Just the right size, thickness of the skin, and perfect level of crispiness. The cola was tasty.

My son wanted to eat ramen from Yamakoya, so we went to the Yamakoya in Otaru!! I ordered the usual spicy miso chashu ramen. I had it with medium spiciness, firm noodles, normal oil, and normal richness. We also ordered gyoza with a service voucher! It was delicious. Thank you for the meal.

August 2023, Unknown number of visits. Yesterday, my daughter, who had ramen at "Isono Kazuo," expressed her desire to have ramen at Yamaoka Family, so we visited at 6:30 am. Normally, my daughter always chooses "Pre-salt" ramen, but she enjoyed the Sapporo Black ramen the day before and was curious about the limited-time "Charred Soy Sauce" here, so she opted for that. - Charred Soy Sauce Ramen (880 yen) This ramen makes a comeback after 6 years, and I chose to add garlic paste (JAF option) and extra lard. However, starting from the 21st of this month, the previously free lard change will become charged (50 yen), which may be unfortunate for lard lovers. Now, about the Charred Soy Sauce ramen, if "Isono Kazuo's" Sapporo Black is salty and delicious, then this one is salty, fragrant, and sweetly delicious. The sweetness may be partly due to the lard as well. While Yamaoka Family's limited-time items are often hit or miss, I hope they regularly offer the Charred Soy Sauce, Spicy Stamina, and Pre-Soy Sauce ramen.

I had the limited-time charred soy sauce ramen. I ordered a large ramen with half rice and extra chashu topping. I also used 5 service tickets to order gyoza. Since the back fat became an extra charge starting from 8/21, I changed it. The soup has a nice flavor. It goes well with the thick noodles. It's so delicious and I couldn't stop eating. The fried onions added a nice texture and flavor. Please try it out.

It's a classic, but I recommend the negi ramen, chashu don, and gyoza. I prefer my noodles soft and with less oil. JAF members get a free korochaa as a service. The restaurant is open 24 hours, has a spacious parking lot, and a wide counter making it easy to dine in.

In July 2023, I realized it had been over a month since I last visited the Yamagata family, and I was experiencing withdrawal symptoms with trembling hands affecting my work. So, I decided to visit them suddenly, only to find that the Asari store had also introduced a cashless ticket machine. I ordered the classic soy sauce ramen with seaweed and white leek, with a side of small rice that I don't remember ordering in the past. Although I usually don't pair rice with Yamagata family's ramen, wrapping seaweed soaked in soup around the rice was surprisingly delicious! Normally, I would order 1.5 servings of noodles and eat the ramen alone, but having 1 serving of noodles with extra seaweed and small rice was also a nice change. I thought my hand tremors would subside after eating Yamagata family's ramen, but interestingly, just sniffing the Saki Ioini upon entering the store was enough to calm them down. Quite a dilemma indeed!

I had the initial period ramen ♡ It was all normal, and I added spinach as a topping with a white leek using a LINE coupon! The flavor seemed a bit strong! I could slightly taste the shrimp with the shrimp oil? haha I wish it had more shrimp flavor though! It was my first time in a while at Yamagoya and I got really excitedヽ(*´ｪ｀*)ﾉ Thank you for the meal.

I had a good impression of the grilled leek ramen I ate before, so I ordered it with soy sauce flavor, firm noodles, normal amount of fat and flavor, and a Colochart topping using the order LINE coupon. The ramen comes with a flavored egg by default. There are plenty of grilled leeks in it, but the thinly sliced chashu lacks presence, so adding Colochart was the right choice. The oil from the grilled leeks makes it a bit less fatty, giving it a normal taste. Drinking the soup, slurping the noodles, and biting into the leeks was violently delicious! Yamakaya knows how to use leeks well. However, maybe due to the oil or the seasoning of the leeks, I felt it became a bit too heavy towards the end, so I felt like having rice. Next time, I'll order it firm, with less fat, and lighter, and if I have room in my stomach, maybe I'll add half a bowl of rice. If you ever come to the Otaru area, the grilled leek ramen that can only be eaten here is worth a meal.

Limited time offer from March 17th, "Wafu Tonkotsu Shoyu" is a collaboration between Gokuboshi Honpo and Yamaokaya. The soup is a blend of Yamaokaya's premium soy sauce tonkotsu with a Japanese twist, slightly salty with a hint of bitterness. The noodles are medium-thick straight noodles made from whole wheat flour, delicious. Toppings include chashu, green onions, chopped onions, spinach, and seaweed with fish powder. Overall, it is a safe collaboration between Gokuboshi Honpo and Yamaokaya. Additionally, they also offer tsukemen, which might be better than the ramen itself. This concludes the introduction of the limited-time (new) menu.

January 10, 2023. A limited-time aged miso bean sprout ramen made its debut today, but unfortunately, it was also the day with the heaviest snowfall in Otaru's recorded history (48cm in 24 hours). I was busy shoveling snow at home and work all day, so I had to reschedule my visit for another day. The aged miso bean sprout ramen was priced at 910 yen. As usual, I ordered the noodles firm and the seasoned egg was provided by JAF. The soup was a blend of two types of miso, one of which seemed to be Haccho miso. The other one was unknown to me, but it was quite salty and made me crave rice. The noodles were thick and made specifically for this ramen, boasting a rich wheat flavor. However, the soup was so salty and thick, with a hint of spiciness from the chili oil, that the wheat flavor was barely noticeable. The default toppings included chashu pork, bean sprouts, green onions, garlic chives, shredded red chili pepper, and grated garlic on top. Mixing them all together intensified the bold flavors, but honestly, it was overpowering. Perhaps skipping the grated garlic and using fried garlic instead would be a better option. Despite the anticipation for its debut, I was left unimpressed this time. Looking forward to what they offer next, if there will be a next time.

I ordered the ramen with a light flavor. When it arrived, the visual was completely different from the usual Yamakoya. The soup was so thin, it was disappointing. I'm not sure if it was the fault of the person who made it or if it's just normally bland, but it was way too thin and my excitement dropped. I should have just ordered a normal ramen like the other customers. I regret it. I won't be coming back. Sorry!

December 2022. It's been a while since I had morning ramen at the Yamaoka family's house. I ordered the Premium Soy Sauce Tonkotsu Ramen (910 yen), which for some reason is a limited-time item at locations outside of Niigata, Hokuriku, and Tohoku regions, and will end on December 25th. I visited at 5:30 am on the 25th, with one customer ahead of me and no customers behind me. I like my noodles firm, with extra seaweed, and used a LINE coupon for a discount. Since I probably won't be able to eat this until next fall, I savored every bite. The rich soy sauce broth with pork bone and dried fish had a layer of lard on top, paired with medium-thin, almost straight noodles. The toppings included the usual crunchy onions, seaweed from Sanriku, bamboo shoots, chashu, and nori, all of which are essential for the perfect balance of this ramen. Before I knew it, I was almost finished with the broth, but I stopped myself just in time for the sake of my health. Alright, with this, it seems like I'll be able to cross over to the new year in good health (laughs).

I ordered the limited edition Shoyu Shoyu Ramen with extra char siu, seasoned egg, and black seaweed at the ticket vending machine at Asasato Store. The soup had a delicious flavor with the fried onion oil adding a nice touch. The charred onions were incredibly tasty and I couldn't stop eating. Despite being a bit intimidated by the strong flavor of the onions, I managed to finish the bowl. It was so good that I will definitely come back for more. Thank you for the meal!

Ignoring the dried ramen, I chose the Premium Salt Tonkotsu ramen. I also ordered half rice, and topped my white rice generously with garlic, doubanjiang, extra white negi, and JAF's korochaa. It was really delicious when I dipped the soup a little and ate it! I was worried about ordering half rice, but it was just right. Even with half rice, the portion was good at Yamaokaya. I arrived around 1:30 pm on Sunday, and it was quite crowded with families and couples. Ah, I'm satisfied. Thank you for the meal.

I had heard about the reputation of the Asasato restaurant for a while, and finally got to visit. In addition to the regular menu, they have a limited menu exclusive to the Asasato store. The Chitose and Tomakomai stores have fried rice that is completely different from others. The Asasato store has a limited edition Yakinegi Ramen for 860 yen. It comes with a flavored egg, dumplings, and rice. The default flavor is not soy sauce-based, which I think is good. The addition of grilled leek flavor makes it really delicious. The char siu is thinly sliced, and there are 3 sheets of grilled seaweed. I have had the limited edition Spicy Stamina Tsukemen 3-4 times, and it is not only delicious, but the dipping soup is made with pork bone white broth, so even when you add it all in, the ramen soup is delicious. The spiciness is milder than the original, enveloping a level of pork smell in a rounded mountain-like flavor that is irresistible.

In June 2022, for the 43rd review this year, the busy season has arrived once again. It seems like the non-stop work since Golden Week will continue until the Bon Festival. Amidst this, a new spicy stamina ramen was introduced on the 24th of this month, so I visited to boost my stamina. - Spicy Stamina Ramen (920 yen) I used a Menma TP coupon from LINE. This popular seasonal item that comes out every year is one of my favorite limited-time ramen dishes. The rich and spicy miso-based soup is topped with fried garlic, kimchi, thick pork belly chashu, giving it a visually junky impression, but the flavors come together perfectly. If I had room in my stomach, I would order rice with it. If they could offer it until the Bon Festival, I feel like I could get through without getting tired (laughs).

It's been a while since I visited Yamagoka family ♡ Today I'm going to eat a lot! I entered the restaurant with determination... and there it was! That aroma~ I ordered the special miso ramen with extra spinach and a JAF egg on top! Plus a char siu bowl. The taste of all of them was delicious even though I asked for them to be made normal. The first bite was amazing! Oh, it's here... Towards the end, I felt the saltiness a bit strong, so for the special miso, it might be better to have the soup a bit lighter. When will I be able to go again... Thank you for the meal.

On the way back from visiting the grave, I visited a shop that had a limited menu item called grilled leek ramen. Although I often visit the Yamaoka family, this particular shop was a first for me. I couldn't find the grilled leek ramen on the ticket machine, but luckily there was no one behind me so I took my time to look around and finally found it in the category of special miso flavor with firm noodles. I received my order in about 10 minutes and started eating. The aroma of the grilled leeks stimulated my appetite. The savory and sweet flavor of the leeks spread in my mouth and it was delicious. However, I felt that the noodles and soup didn't quite match... I thought the regular white leeks might be better. Nevertheless, I accepted it as a good experience and finished my meal with satisfaction.

In April 2022, I visited a restaurant that had previously introduced a limited-time "exquisite shrimp salt ramen" in March 2019, which sold 230,000 servings. This time, on the 25th, they upgraded it to "luxurious shrimp salt ramen." I celebrated the holiday by having ramen for breakfast. The luxurious shrimp salt ramen costs 910 yen, and the seasoned boiled egg is available with a JAF card. Compared to the previous version, the soup this time had a color closer to soy sauce than salt. When I tasted it, I could feel the essence of shrimp, and the initial taste was appealing, especially to younger people. However, I personally started to feel a bit bored or overwhelmed as I continued eating. The whole wheat noodles didn't pose much of a difference when slurped, but drinking just the soup was a bit intense for me. I felt like the upgrade from the previous version was a bit too much for my liking. If I were to try it again next time, I might prefer the soup to be a bit lighter. That's all for my review. Thank you for the meal.

This month's limited-time offering starting on March 23, 2022, is the first appearance of "Niboshi Tonkotsu Ramen," a collaborative development with the Yamakoya group's "Goku Niboshi Honpo." The special niboshi sauce combined with pork bone soup is the highlight of this dish. I visited in the morning to try it out with some expectations. The Niboshi Tonkotsu Ramen (850 yen) came with toppings like menma, and for me, the appearance was appealing. The chashu, bamboo menma, green onions, crunchy onions, yuzu peel, and seaweed were all topped with niboshi powder. The soup had a flavor reminiscent of "Premium Shoyu Tonkotsu," with added niboshi sauce, leaving a slightly heavy aftertaste. I tried mixing the niboshi powder with the crunchy onions and had another sip, but the base heaviness didn't go away. The noodles were slightly thinner than regular ramen, but still had a good thickness and chewiness, matching well with the soup. My expectation of niboshi tonkotsu was different from what was served, feeling like a simplistic approach of adding niboshi sauce to a shoyu base. It's a bit disappointing compared to previous limited-time offerings from Yamakoya that I've enjoyed. Overall, I'd say I liked about 30% of this dish, so it's just okay. That's the review of my beloved Yamakoya.