Sunday at 6 pm. Two guests (a couple) were already seated when I arrived, and one more guest came in after me. I stayed at a nearby hotel, so I decided to dine here at this ramen specialty restaurant. The owner was handling everything alone. I chose the Miso Chashu Ramen (1100 yen) from the menu on the counter and informed the owner in the kitchen. Water was self-serve. The owner prepared and served my order along with the other guests'. After taking a photo, I tried the soup with the ladle. It seemed light at first, but then I noticed the strong garlic flavor. There were slices of garlic floating in the soup, not fried but sautéed with vegetables. I confirmed there was about one clove of garlic in the bowl. The soup was a bit mild in saltiness, but it paired well with the chashu. The vegetables included wood ear mushrooms, bean sprouts, green onions, and bamboo shoots. The restaurant only had a fan for ventilation. It was a satisfying meal.

I went to Ramen Meio for the first time in about ten years. I ordered the salt ramen set for 1000 yen. It came with a serving of ramen and half a portion of fried rice. The salt ramen was delicious, but what I really liked was that the pickled ginger served with the fried rice was unlimited! The fried rice itself was also very tasty!

And the second place is here. I ordered salt ramen, but the soup was rich unlike its appearance. Delicious!!

On the first day of the long weekend, the weather was great so my family went on a drive. My husband, who was hungover, wanted ramen so we went to Ramen Ousama. Oh no! The gyoza is gone! The 500 yen gyoza is now just a memory. The ramen and half fried rice set costs 950 yen, as well as the fried rice and half ramen set. The ramen set allows you to choose miso, salt, or soy sauce flavor, while the fried rice set only offers salt or soy sauce, so be careful when ordering. The fried rice had finely chopped pink naruto, which always makes me emotional. The half ramen, strangely, tasted like miso ramen even though it was supposed to be soy sauce. It was delicious though. The best part about this place is that you can add as much pickled ginger as you want. We enjoyed our meal, bought a cake from the nearby bakery, and headed home. Thank you for the meal!

Next to Pasapa-san, I was curious about this ramen shop. It's convenient that there's a parking lot in front of the store with plenty of parking spaces. Upon entering the shop, I noticed that the menu was only displayed on the yellow menu board at the counter, so I stood up and went to take a look. There were options like "Tomikawa Special Bean Sprout Ramen," "Habanero Ramen," and "Hidakakonbu Ramen" that caught my eye, but since it was my first visit, I decided to go with a classic choice. I briefly wondered about the difference between the Ramen Set and the Fried Rice Set, but I found out that the Ramen Set comes with half a portion of fried rice, while the Fried Rice Set comes with half a portion of ramen, both priced at 950 yen. As a fan of fried rice, I ordered the Ramen Set. The Gyoza was priced at 500 yen, which was a bit higher than I expected, so I passed on it this time. The menu mentioned self-service water, but I couldn't find any water despite the cups being available. After a brief search, I realized that the water might be in the refrigerator below. Opening the refrigerator, I found various items like dashi soup and milk, but eventually found the water. It took me a while to finally drink some water (laughs). After about 10 minutes, the ramen was served first. Wow, the visual with plenty of green onions looked great. There were even two slices of chashu! The ramen consisted of bean sprouts, green onions, bamboo shoots, chashu, and wood ear mushrooms, a simple and classic combination. The chashu was the type I like, with a slightly firm texture and a good amount of fat. The soup was light but flavorful, with a nice depth of flavor. The bean sprouts had a crunchy texture that I enjoyed. As I was enjoying the ramen, the fried rice arrived. Oh, a container of pickled ginger was brought to the table! Unlimited pickled ginger, what a delight! I love pickled ginger, so I happily helped myself to a generous amount. The fried rice was a simple type with pink naruto, giving off a classic ramen shop vibe, and the pickled ginger paired perfectly with it. Overall, it was a delicious ramen shop. For those who love pickled ginger, I highly recommend it! Thank you for the meal!

I had work nearby and couldn't find any places to eat around, but finally stumbled upon this place and decided to go in! I was craving for some food so I ordered the fried rice. It arrived after a while, and they also served pickled ginger on the side. The fried rice was well-seasoned with salt and pepper, and I was quite satisfied with it even though the portion wasn't very big. I will definitely come back here again when I have work in the area. It seems like their specialty is ramen, so I'm looking forward to trying that next time.

The warmth from yesterday seems to have disappeared. I'm someone who gets cold easily, so it's super chilly outside and preparing dinner after coming home is a hassle (*ﾉω<*) ｱﾁｬｰ. So, I decided to go to this place for some warmth. I ordered the Ramen Set (ramen and half fried rice) for 900 yen. You can choose from miso, salt, or soy sauce flavors, and I chose miso. I was also curious about the old-fashioned ramen, but I was craving rice this time haha. Anyway, isn't 900 yen for a set a good deal? The fried rice had a strong flavor, which made the ramen taste a bit bland... It's not bad and it's reasonably priced, but I don't think it's worth going out of your way for it. Thanks for the meal.

I had to go to Hidaka Town for work, so I looked up online and went to "Men-Oh," the number one ranked restaurant in Hidaka Town on Tabelog for lunch. As I was driving on the national highway, I saw a sign with a lot of history, so I knew right away. But still, "Men-Oh"... I wonder if they had any hesitation when naming it (laughs). It was lunchtime and there were about 7-8 customers. The inside of the restaurant was spacious and relaxed. I ordered the soy sauce ramen for 650 yen. Since it was a weekday, they offered a small bowl of rice for free. It seemed like there was only one old man running the place, so it took a little while for the food to come out. If you're in a hurry, you might get a little impatient. Now, the ramen came out in about 10 minutes. It was, well, the kind of ramen you feel like you've had somewhere before. The noodles were just regular curly noodles. The soup was also, well, just a normal taste that you can find anywhere. The two slices of chashu topping had a good texture and tasted pretty good. I was happy to see the wood ear mushrooms on top. Next time I come to Hidaka Town, I think I'll try the "Hidaka Kombu Ramen."

On August 13, 2012, on the way back from Goyo Mountain in Takano, I stumbled upon a ramen shop on the street. Even though I was somewhat full, the atmosphere of the shop intrigued me, so I suggested, "Should we stop by?" and we parked the car and entered the shop. The interior of the shop had a nostalgic feel to it for some reason. The menu was only displayed on the wall. Oh! It was also posted on the window. I ordered a ramen set (shoyu ramen and half fried rice) to share with my kids, and my husband ordered shio chashu ramen. The shop owner, who seemed a bit intimidating at first, was working silently alone in the kitchen. At some point, he must have felt hot, as he wrapped a white towel around his head while making the ramen. Soon enough, the ramen arrived. The shop owner himself brought it to us. The appearance was truly nostalgic, giving off a vibe of "THE! Ramen." The shio chashu ramen seemed to use Hidaka kelp for the broth, and you could definitely taste the flavor in the soup. It was very light. It seemed to be a chicken bone broth. The shoyu ramen, on the other hand, didn't have the sharp taste of soy sauce, perhaps due to the gentle touch of the kelp broth. It had a very mellow taste. The chashu was on the firmer side, not the melt-in-your-mouth type, which I personally prefer. The vegetables had a nice crunch, especially the bean sprouts were cooked just right. The half fried rice had the taste of a typical ramen shop's fried rice... And what made me happy was that they provided pickled ginger in a separate container, so you could add your preferred amount, which was nice. When it came time to pay, the shop owner asked, "Wait, what did you order again?" with a smile. Despite appearing intimidating at first, he was friendly when I asked about taking photos. It seems he looks scary because he's so focused on his work. Perhaps he's a local. It was very busy during lunchtime. I would love to revisit if I were closer. I'm curious about their miso ramen too. I hope to go back with my family someday. Thank you for the meal.

Date: August 28, 2012 Theme: Moyashi Ramen @ Hidaka "Men-Oh" While on the move in Hidaka, I suddenly got really hungry... There were no restaurants in sight, but then I spotted a ramen shop called "Men-Oh." Of course, I went in and finally had my lunch. The recommended dishes here seem to be these three. They use Hidaka kombu in the broth, fitting for a place in Hidaka. It seems like this place has been featured on TV before. Even famous people like Ai Miyazato have visited. There must have been a tournament nearby. Expectations rose. The shop is run by just one owner, and besides me, there were 3 groups of customers, totaling 5 people. However, the tables that were empty had dishes left on them. It was around 2 PM, so maybe they were too busy to clean up after a round of customers. But if this many people come on a weekday afternoon in a place like this, the food must be good. Here comes the moyashi ramen. It has a simple feel, but the chashu is meaty and delicious. And the lack of steam rising means it's piping hot, probably covered in oil. The broth is soy sauce-based with a strong presence of kombu, giving it a rich flavor. This is the type of ramen I like. The moyashi is served in a stir-fry style, and it's steaming hot. It must be covered to keep the heat in. It was twice as good as I expected, so when I complimented the owner at the time of payment, he asked, "Where are you from, young man?" I replied, "I'm from Tokyo. I just happened to pass by and decided to come in." He smiled and said, "You got lucky!" By the way, when I left, the dishes that were left on the table were properly cleared, and the table was wiped clean. It's always a pleasure to stumble upon a delicious restaurant while traveling, isn't it?

Ramen restaurant in Tomikawa area of Hidaka Town. During lunchtime, it can get busy with local male customers. I tried the Hidaka Konbu Ramen (soy sauce) about 5 years ago, and at that time, the konbu broth was too strong and sweet, so I didn't visit again for a while. However, when I visited a few years ago, that issue seemed to be resolved, and the konbu and vegetable broth had a gentle presence, creating a well-balanced and classic soy sauce ramen. The fried rice had a typical "ramen shop fried rice" feel, with a hint of lard fragrance and a nice crispy texture. Overall, it's a decent restaurant where you can consider it as an option if you want to eat ramen in the Tomikawa area, rather than going out of your way to visit.

I love the soy sauce ramen and fried rice set here.