JPN: Kuni Mitsu (國光)

A Westerner preparing a nice butter and corn ramen!

Sapporo is truly the City of Ramen. It's said that there are over a thousand ramen eateries in the modern capital of Hokkaido. If you happen to be walking around the red-light district of Susukino (yes, I've just realised, after reading from the Internet, that it's THAT kind of place!), you may not want to miss the Ramen Yokocho, an alley full of small eateries serving mouth-watering variations of Sapporo ramen. Not knowing which one is the best, I just dropped by one of them.

Spicy Miso Ramen ¥800 (~S$9.80)

Taste: 8/10

My BFF ordered the restaurant's original bowl of medium spiciness which was quite flavourful, but it turned out to be slightly spicy. The springy texture, along with the moderate thickness of the noodle, was delightful. The chashu (Japanese sliced pork belly) was well-marinated and tender, while the egg yolk was creamy. Kudos to them for giving lots of aromatic spring onions! Pika's advice: If you like your ramen spicy, go for the high level of spiciness!

Butter Corn Ramen ¥900 (~S$11.00)

Taste: 9/10

The effect of adding a block of butter, together with crunchy corn kernels, The slightly salted butter made the soup truly creamy, and its flavour was well-contrasted by the natural sweetness of the corn kernels. For an extra stinging effect, I added black pepper into the bowl. Superb!

Seafood Ramen ¥1,500 (~S$18.35)

Taste: 8/10

The seafood items, such as scallops and crab meat, were pretty fresh. However, the soup was somewhat lacking in the sweetness expected of a seafood broth. Having said that, it was still good.

Boiled Gyoza ¥400 (~S$4.90)

Taste: 8/10

As a side dish, we ordered the boiled gyoza (Japanese dumpling filled with minced pork and vegetables). The soft and chewy skin gave way to minced pork which was quite juicy. The runny sauce had a peanuty flavour. Anyway, the fried version is also available for the same price.

Melon's Rating

Taste: 8/10

Ambience: 8.5/10

Service: 8/10

Overall: 8/10

As alluded earlier, actually one of the two ramen chefs that day was a Westerner (presumably a university student), and boy, he spoke good Japanese! Anyway, below is a picture of the entrance to the alley. Well, I wonder if I'll ever have the time to try all the eateries in that alley in the future?

Kuni Mitsu

(國光)

3 Chome Minami 5 Jo-nishi

Chuo, Sapporo

Japan

(Opening hours unknown - Anyone knows?)

*Prices quoted are nett prices.

Have a nice meal,

Cliff(y)