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There’s a perfectly good reason this restaurant is called Hokkaido Ramen. Quite simply, Hokkaido’s largest city Sapporo is known for its miso ramen. Actually, each region in Japan seems to have its own specialty. A bowl of Sapporo ramen is normally topped with corn, pork, and of course the most distinguishing ingredient, butter. Passing by Hokkaido Ramen in Shinjuku, I decided to try out the restaurant.
First things first: directions to the restaurant. Get yourself to Shinjuku Station. Then find the ‘West Exit’ (新宿西口) or Shinjuku Nishiguchi exit. Essentially, Shinjuku has too many train connections and too many exits that this one is in what’s considered a satellite area. This ‘West Exit’ is basically located on the north-west area of Shinjuku Station. From the exit, you’ll be walking north for about 5-10 minutes along Otakibashi Dori. The restaurant will be on your right, just beside Mos Burger.
When you enter the store, you’ll see the usual meal ticket vending machines. On the machines are also tourist-friendly pictures. I chose a version of the Sapporo miso ramen for ¥800. The toppings are pork, bean sprout, seaweed, green onions, and my favorite, egg. This isn’t the infamous Sapporo ramen with butter and corn although that can be ordered here for ¥880. The ramen here generally ranges between ¥700-1,000 depending on what toppings you get. After you order, the employees will take your meal ticket.
The décor of this restaurant is simple yet comfortable. The ceilings are very tall so it doesn’t feel like the common teeny Japanese places. Moreover, there are a few tables for four which is perfect for sitting with a small group. Normally, ramen shops are too small to have any dining tables. Rather, they’d have bar-type seating. Because of its open concept, you can also watch the chefs as they cook your ramen.
I immediately noticed the size of the bowl of ramen. It’s bigger than most I’ve eaten and I actually think the size is on par with a bowl of noodles in Toronto. Drinking the soup, I noticed it was almost as thick as cream soups. The soup base wasn’t extraordinarily flavorful but it does the job. As for the pork, I kind of wished they gave more than one slice. Not that it was the most tender or juicy thing I’ve tasted but when you’re hungry, one just doesn’t cut it. I figured two was the least they could do before charging extra.
They gave plenty of bean sprouts and bamboo shoots on the other hand. Yet my favorite topping was the egg. Despite cooking through the egg white, the yolk was still creamy. This is just the way I love my egg in ramen. Absolutely perfect. They nailed it. And finally, the noodles. These were curly and had a nice bite. In fact, it caught me by surprise because they tend to be harder than most noodles I’ve eaten at ramen shops. This is a good thing for me. I’d rather slightly undercooked noodles than overcooked. It’s fun to chew on and slurp. This shop also has noodles thicker than Ichiran. But I have no preferences on thickness because I like either one.
Whether or not you’re in the market for trying some Sapporo ramen in Tokyo, I’d recommend this place to eat anyway. I had a good experience overall in terms of food and atmosphere. For me, it doesn’t really matter what version of ramen one makes or to what extent they follow traditional recipes. If it’s good, I eat it. Enjoy!
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