Today, I had to work overtime, so I walked towards Shibuya on Route 246 in search of a restaurant that is open late. I was in the mood for a late dinner that was close to a midnight snack, and I wanted to have a grilled fish set meal. However, it was already past 11:00 PM, so my options were limited. As I got closer to Shibuya, I noticed the sign for "Yamagata" and decided to give it a try. I think the last time I visited this restaurant was about 40 years ago. Back then, I used to frequent the one in Ebisu, which no longer exists. I entered the restaurant at 11:05 PM and there were 3 customers already seated and 2 customers who came in after me. I left the restaurant at 11:20 PM. The dim lighting inside the restaurant brought back nostalgic memories. I ordered the "miso ramen" for 1,100 yen and a bottle of Sapporo Black Label beer for 750 yen. It had been a while since I last visited, and I found the prices, including the beer, to be quite high. If I had gone to the restaurant two doors down, "Shibuya Sanchome Ramen," I could have gotten ramen and fried rice set for under 900 yen. The "ramen" arrived in about 5 minutes, served in a small bowl with a neat presentation. It was topped with slices of pork, narutomaki, bamboo shoots, wood ear mushrooms, green onions, and sesame seeds. The pork slices were plentiful and tasty, making it almost like a pork ramen. However, the bamboo shoots had no flavor and were disappointing. The noodles were cooked just right, smooth and delicious. The soup was so good that I finished every last drop. Back in the day, when there weren't many good ramen shops around, "Yamagata" must have been all the rage with long lines. It was a nostalgic experience, and I would like to visit again, but it's a shame that it didn't quite live up to the high prices. The total bill came to 1,850 yen. Thank you for the meal.

Around 3 o'clock on a regular day, I passed by a ramen shop that looked delicious from the outside. I decided to go in and ordered the salt ramen. It had a slightly unique pork bone flavor with a hint of richness that I really enjoyed. The chashu and fresh wood ear mushrooms paired perfectly with the broth. The price was reasonable considering the location and taste. Thank you for the meal.

I like Santoka's salt ramen. I rarely find myself in the area where there are stores in Tokyo, and I have been satisfied with the Santoka cup ramen from Seven Eleven. It had been over ten years since I last visited an actual store. I ordered the salt ramen, of course. The soup was rich and flavorful. The noodles were slightly firm. The familiar wood ear mushrooms and flavorful chashu were delicious. The delicate plum and naruto were fun to look at. The menma had a unique medicinal smell from the bamboo shoots, but lacked other flavors. Overall, I enjoyed my first bowl in a long time, but honestly, I feel like I can be satisfied enough with Seven Eleven's cup ramen. This is not to say that Santoka is at the level of cup ramen, but rather that Seven Eleven's soup is of such high quality. Of course, the noodles and toppings at the restaurant are on a different level (except for the menma). I would like to come back again if I have the chance.

Ramen Santoka Shibuya branch. Salt ramen for 1100 yen. This shop is located 530 meters from Shibuya Station. It's been about 20 years since I last visited Santoka. But... Oh, they raised the prices on the day I went (crying). What's up with that...? No wonder there are no customers (laugh). I tried it after a long time, but was it always this flavorless? I couldn't even smell the aroma. And for this price? No way, I definitely won't be coming back again (crying).

Delicious! Despite being salty, it has a strong flavor that pairs well with the noodles. The chashu was also delicious, a rare find. I hope they open a branch near my house...I would definitely go back. The cold tantanmen also looked delicious, so I might try that next time.

In the end, the recent technology in instant ramen is so amazing that it tasted just like eating at a restaurant. Personally, I think this is quite a problem because it might lead to being satisfied and thinking "I don't need to go out to eat anymore." It's tough being overshadowed by new establishments. It can't be helped, but when you see the decline of the restaurant or the international staff making the noodles, you start to feel a bit uncertain. Well, I guess this is the fate of ramen shops, but even in Hokkaido, "E****kiku" is thriving. Marketing strategies are really difficult. I'll keep an eye on things, though... because there's nothing else around WINS. Thank you for the meal.

In the early 2000s, I was taken to a trendy restaurant by a stylish friend from school for the first time. The fact that this place has been in business for over twenty years must mean something. I was surprised to see that a bowl of salt ramen cost 1000 yen. The taste felt just like it did back then, and the classical music playing in the background of the restaurant made me reminisce about that time. I even remembered where I sat twenty years ago. The taste may not be anything new compared to the ramen trends of today, but it felt oddly nostalgic. I couldn't help but take a picture of the counter, covered in small scratches...

It's a ramen place called Santoka located near the Namiki Bridge intersection, a little far from Shibuya Station. I finally got to try it after being curious every time I passed by. You buy a meal ticket first, and the first floor has only counter seats, while there is also a second floor that I couldn't see. You can't make reservations, so you just go there directly. It originated in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, and their main dish is the shio ramen. I chose the recommended shio ramen over miso and shoyu, and it was delicious. The small size was satisfying, with a light and tasty pork bone soup. My friend ordered the spicy miso, and I tried a bite. It wasn't too spicy, and the miso soup was delicious. I was really intrigued by the special fatty pork ramen and they also had tsukemen, with quite a variety on the menu. It's worth trying different options to find your favorite flavor. They also offer set meals with choices like chashu rice and takana mentaiko rice. If you're hungry, you might want to try those too!

Tonkotsu salt ramen! It was quite spicy with the addition of green onions. A good level of stimulation. The chashu pork is delicious, even though the recipe hasn't changed in decades. Adding extra chashu pork on the side is also a good idea. Thank you for the meal! It's close by, so I will definitely come back again.

Long time no see, my favorite salt ramen. The thick char siu, thick soup, still perfection. It has become less rare these days, but I recently had Yamagoya Ramen after a long time since the Shinjuku and Ebisu stores closed due to Corona. It is very delicious, carefully made tonkotsu ramen.

This was the famous Santoka ramen. I wonder why I hadn't come here before. The taste was like, "Why didn't I come here sooner?" I happened to visit on 3/10, which was Santoka Day, and received a very good coupon! What a happy coincidence! It's a bit of a walk from the station, but I definitely want to go back to this restaurant.

After a long time, I had the Tantanmen without soup for 1000 yen with rice, which is essentially a mixed noodles dish. It comes with vinegar, so I poured a lot on top! It had a strong Chinese flavor. Thank you for the meal! Next time, I'll try ordering miso or shio flavor!

I was in Sapporo in the 90s. At that time, there were no variations of ramen other than Sapporo ramen, and it could be said that it was a ramen barren era. During that time, a new star appeared and changed the conventional concept of Asahikawa ramen, becoming very popular, and I visited many times. Since then, Sapporo ramen has continued to evolve. It has been over 25 years since then. I have never been to Yamagata in Tokyo. I have never even thought about wanting to go. On a Wednesday in Shibuya, after 12 o'clock, every place had a line. I found this place. I didn't have much time. I was drawn by nostalgia and went in. Shio ramen for 1000 yen, with an additional 300 yen for a set with rice, it looked nostalgic. The low hydration noodles, umeboshi. Was it like this before? Of course, there was no excitement like in the past. The soup was thin and flat. Tasted like a good cup noodle. The negi rice had more kaiware than negi, and there were pickles on top. I think both are good value for this price, but that's about it.

I ordered the shio ramen (firm noodles) with a negi meshi set. I had heard of Yamakawa before, but didn't know much about it. The noodles were thin and straight, which was good, but I didn't quite like the depth of the soup. It may just be a matter of personal preference, but maybe I had set my expectations too high because it's a chain restaurant. Overall, it was okay. Thank you!

I had some business in Shibuya, so I went to Santouka on Meiji Street. It seems like it was really popular not too long ago. I arrived on a weekday afternoon, and there were a decent number of customers. I was seated on the second floor, which was quite spacious and could easily accommodate 5-6 people. Looking around, I noticed a few people ordering soy sauce ramen and one person ordering tantanmen, so I decided to order the soy sauce ramen and the spicy pork rice set. This turned out to be a huge mistake as I completely overlooked the keyword "Santouka is known for its salt ramen". Oh, what a mistake! The soy sauce ramen arrived, and it had a slightly strong soy sauce flavor with a deep and rich taste, not too heavy, and didn't need any soup dilution. The noodles were firm even at room temperature and slightly thick. The soup was not too thick, had a light taste, but a rich flavor. The pork was tender and paired well with the soup. The spicy pork rice bowl had a nice spicy kick and the soft-boiled egg added to the appeal. The meat was juicy and melted in your mouth, perfect with the rice. Soft-boiled egg + pork + rice = an absolute winner. Initially, I thought I made a mistake with the soy sauce ramen, but I ended up enjoying the rich flavors and textures of the soy sauce ramen and the spicy pork rice bowl. The portion size was generous, which was great. Next time, I'll try the salt ramen, which is the real deal! #ShibuyaSantouka #ShibuyaRamen

I visited Yamatouka regularly during my time overseas and was filled with excitement each time. The Char siu ramen with salt was as delicious as ever. The creamy soup was light and easy to drink, so even though I was full, I finished it all! As expected of a popular restaurant, customers kept coming in until late at night.

I had salt ramen. There used to be a store in Osaka that I frequented, but it closed down and I hadn't been able to eat it since then. I had the opportunity to go to Tokyo this time, so I came. The taste hasn't changed and it was delicious. The atmosphere of the restaurant was a bit busy, but if I have the chance, I would like to come again.

The soup tasted like McDonald's, making it hard to tell if I was eating ramen. The flavor was not very strong, with a light salt pork bone broth. The pickled plum on top didn't go well with the ramen at all. It was a strange-tasting ramen.

I arrived at the restaurant around 11:30 on a weekday and was able to enter without waiting. A senior colleague recommended the "salt ramen" saying it was really delicious, so I decided to try it for the first time. It was a bit pricey at 1,000 yen, but the noodles were plentiful and satisfying for a weekday lunch. The service was also fast.

It's been a long time since I last visited Santoka. About 20 years ago, I went to the Santoka in Jinbocho for the first time and was impressed (it's closed now). However, in today's fiercely competitive ramen scene, the sense of amazement is gone. It's just delicious in a normal way now. But it's consistently good. The gyoza is also just delicious.