My tour of the ramen shops at Shinatatsu is now past the halfway mark. This time it’s Asahikawa Ramen Saijo, from Asahikawa in Hokkaido. The place is known for its “legendary” shio ramen.
The front of the shop
Asahikawa ramen is so popular these days that it’s practically outdoing Sapporo miso ramen. You could fairly call it Hokkaido’s signature ramen. There are cases like Santouka, which started in Asahikawa and expanded across the country. Unusually, this shop has both its soup and its noodles shipped straight from the home region. It makes you wonder whether that’s even profitable, but getting the same taste as the main shop right here in Tokyo is a real plus.
The legendary shio ramen
The clean broth and chewy noodles make a strong impression. Shio ramen only works if the broth is done right, and this place clearly has the basics down. The rich, slightly sweet flavor is similar to Santouka, which is the same style of ramen. The trouble is there’s far too much oil, so it gets greasy. It felt a bit heavy for a late-night meal.
The noodles
These are proper chuka soba noodles. They go well with shio ramen.
On my way out I looked at Tsukemen Tetsu next door, and they’d already closed for the day.
Even when you gather nothing but famous shops in one place, some still come out ahead of others. I think niboshi ramen will keep its edge for a while.