Thursday, February 13, 2014

めんこい (Menkoi in Sapporo)

めんこい茉季詩夢

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I mailed some ramen nerds with their recommendations in Sapporo. The mail came back with:

坦々麺の「175°」か、
えびラーメンの「一幻総本店」か、
味噌ラーメンの「狼スープ」かな!
ススキノで深夜なら「信玄」も美味しいよ♪

I checked, and Okami Soup was open for another 30 minutes!

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The taxi driver was insane, drifting around corners and overtaking slower drivers in the snow. A 15 minute drive took about five.

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Aaaahhhhh! Disappointment. I paid the driver and decided to walk back to the station, head held low. Would my ramen adventure in Sapporo be a bust?

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Apparently not. Menkoi had the look of a winner.

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And though they are rather low on the rankings for the Japanese sites I use, they are one of the best for 食べログ.

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The house specialty, shio butter ramen, blew away my expectations of what Hokkaido ramen means. All I hear is miso, miso, miso. And though miso ramen is good, it is often the buttery aspect of it that people rave about. Take away the miso, keep the excellent local butter, and we have a winner.

Does Hokkaido equal miso? Well, probably yes. But it doesn't mean that every bowl needs fermented bean paste.

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Leaving the store, the master handed me an orange. Awesome.

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北海道札幌市中央区南8条西2丁目2-52
Hokkaido, Sapporo-shi, Chuo-ku, Minami 8, Jonishi 2-2-52
Closest station: Susukino

Open 11:30-14:00, 19:00-3:00am
No lunch on Sundays

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