Visited a restaurant on April 10th, 2021 for dinner that I had been curious about. Upon entering, the hostess asked me, "Do you have a reservation? Are you from out of town?" I replied, "I don't have a reservation. I'm from the local area." and was then shown to a table marked for reservations. Probably they are restricting entry for customers from out of town due to COVID-19 precautions. They are very thorough with their infection control measures. - Draft beer (500 yen) & Oolong tea (270 yen) - Shoyu ramen (650 yen) - Gyoza (500 yen) - Lamb teppanyaki (880 yen) - Grilled salmon from Kushiro (550 yen) - Whiskey highball (440 yen) Lamb teppanyaki: Tastes like the usual sweet and savory sauce with lamb meat. Feels like something you could buy at a supermarket as Genghis Khan style lamb. Grilled salmon from Kushiro: Oily but the meat is thin. Probably typical for an izakaya in a residential area, where they probably don't source directly from a fish market. Gyoza (ordered by my wife): Nothing special according to her. Shoyu ramen (ordered by my wife): It's Kushiro ramen. Light and fairly tasty according to her. There were three regular customers at the counter, quietly enjoying their food and drinks. Although they didn't explicitly turn away new customers, there was a sense of being out of place. Maybe we were just being overly sensitive. (^_^;)

There is a restaurant with a sign that says "Ramen". When you enter, it's actually an izakaya, with a cozy and welcoming atmosphere. It seems like during the day it operates as a ramen shop. The menu includes traditional skewers, pickles, cold tofu, fried food, salad, and more. There is also a variety of seafood dishes, typical of a port town. I couldn't finish everything, so this time I stuck to classic izakaya dishes. However, there were eye-catching items like marinated squid and tomato pickles on the menu. As for drinks, they offer shochu highballs with lemon, grapefruit, and even melon and mango flavors, among other unique options. I tried the melon shochu highball, which the owner even commented on as having an "unhealthy-looking color". But it was delicious! The atmosphere was relaxing and easy to enjoy!

Kushiro city, next to the surprising Donki of Ashino, is located directly across the road from Aichou (wholesale supermarket)!! It turns into an izakaya at night and operates as a ramen shop only during lunchtime. Recently, word of mouth has spread and during lunchtime, quite a few cars can be seen parked outside. The parking lot is small (can fit around 3 to 4 cars), and the interior is cozy with a raised seating area for 3 and a counter for about 10 people. The husband and wife who run the place create a warm atmosphere, and their responses and consideration are very pleasant. The miso ramen is very popular for its rich flavor, but the spicy miso (for those who like it hot) and soy sauce ramen are also delicious with a simple and tasty Kushiro-style taste!! The chashu pork is not fatty and melt-in-your-mouth, but rather thick and without much fat, giving it a seemingly firm appearance. However, it is incredibly tender, not overly sweet, and has a pleasant texture. The gyoza dumplings are also delicious and satisfying!! The soy sauce ramen has a refreshing and simple taste with thin noodles typical of Kushiro. The miso ramen, based on white miso, is rich and savory. The spicy miso may look very spicy with its red color, but it is also rich in lard, so while it has some spiciness, it is a delicious level of heat. You can choose from level 1 to 3 of spiciness, making it suitable for those who like spicy food or those who want something a bit richer! Next time, I might try the salt ramen as it looked delicious too!