I had the miso ramen for 800 yen at the first restaurant, but I still had room, so I decided to try this new place. It seems like it used to be a ramen shop before. I ordered the "miso" at the top of the menu. The white soup base seems to be a good match, right? It's a smooth miso ramen that isn't too heavy. It also has a spicy kick to it. It seems like the son is the chef and the mother is handling the service. I look forward to seeing how this restaurant develops. Maybe I'll try the "shio" next time.

On this day, I took a half day off in the afternoon and went to Urakawa to take care of two moving-related errands. Surprisingly, I finished early and found myself free after 3:30 pm. So, I decided to add another errand in Shintoku, where I was planning to go for a three-day weekend. Although one errand fell through, I managed to add another one, so I decided to have a meal, take a bath, and head back home. I went to Aii-san's restaurant, where I had visited recently, around 5:40 pm. There were already two groups of customers there. I sat at the counter, just like last time, and ordered the "Vegetable Tanmen (Miso) with Flavored Egg." The dish was served in less than five minutes, as the timing was perfect when the previous customers had finished their meal. The flavored egg seemed to have been cut with a string and was slightly falling apart, but that was not a big issue. The miso soup was delicious, with a good balance of saltiness and miso flavor. It was one of the best miso ramen I've had recently. The thick curly noodles went well with the soup, and I felt like this was the kind of miso ramen I had been craving. I finished the meal with satisfaction, and even the slightly falling apart flavored egg tasted great after being warmed in the soup. After that, I went to Record no Yu to sweat it out before heading home. Despite having a window partially open, the room temperature was 27℃. It was the day of "Risshu" (the first day of autumn in the traditional Japanese calendar), but I refused to believe that summer was over.

I had some standing soba noodles and got my tires changed at a certain place. It took about an hour and the ride feels stable now. I can ride for another three and a half months this year. After finishing, I went to a recycle shop to look for some items. I might come back to buy something later (but they might be sold out). Now it's 11:30, so I'll have lunch at a place called "Ai". I want to try their top three dishes, so I quickly head to the restaurant. I find a seat at the counter and order their soy sauce ramen and fried rice. The ramen arrives in just 5 minutes, but I wish the noodles were a bit more tender. The soup is tasty but a bit strong in flavor for my liking. I still slurp it up. The fried rice arrives 2 minutes later, and I watch how it's made while eating the ramen. The eggs are mixed in a wok with the ingredients and seasoning, then quickly fried with the rice, plated in a bowl, and shaped with a spatula. I prefer when it's served on a small plate, but this version is good too. The fried rice has a simple flavor with eggs, green onions, and pork, and it's not too salty. It's a high-quality dish that could be a main dish on its own. The soy sauce ramen is a bit strong in flavor, and the fried rice is too good to be just a side dish. With these thoughts in mind, I headed home.

After enjoying some standing soba noodles, I was able to find some items I wanted at the recycling shop and had some decent success at the home center. As it was already noon, I decided to revisit a promising new shop. I was lucky to find a parking spot, so I went to a noodle shop called Ren for lunch. I ordered the vegetable tanmen, which had a nice balance of saltiness in the broth. The soup was gentle and comforting, with cabbage and bean sprouts adding a nice touch. The Sapporo noodles were slightly firm, complementing the soup well. The thinly sliced pork also blended nicely with the soup. Overall, it was a delicious meal on a hot day, making me sweat a bit more.

Miso Ramen for 800 yen in Shin-Hidaka Town is a great lunch option. The recently opened restaurant caught my attention and the interior is clean with counter, table, and tatami seating options. The menu offers three standard ramen choices - miso, salt, and soy sauce, as well as chashu rice bowl and various toppings. I ordered the miso ramen with slightly firm curly noodles, topped with bamboo shoots, chashu pork, green onions, cabbage, and bean sprouts. The soup was rich and flavorful, with a nice punch. The bamboo shoots were grilled for a smoky flavor, and the chashu pork had good texture and taste. Overall, it was a delicious bowl of ramen!

On a certain Friday morning, I went to work as usual but suddenly decided to take a day off and headed to Sapporo with my family. We left our hometown around 11:30 am. I was thinking of going to a ramen shop recommended by a Facebook friend in Shintoku, but it was closed. So, we decided to try a new ramen shop that opened in April. That's when we found Menya Ai. When we arrived around 1 pm on a weekday, there were already two groups of customers eating. I sat at the counter near the entrance and ordered the "Salt Ramen." While waiting, I looked at the menu again and noticed a topping option for "hikiwari natto" (chopped natto). I've heard of natto ramen before, but having it as a topping seemed a bit unusual. As I was pondering this, the ramen arrived in about 5 minutes. The white soup with green onions and a ladle looked familiar. Hmm. First, I tried the soup. It was quite delicious! It seemed to have a mix of pork and chicken flavors. The green onions added a nice touch, and the hot temperature was just right. The noodles were medium thickness with plenty of water, typical of Sapporo-style noodles. They were slightly firm, which matched my eating pace. The bamboo shoots were ordinary, but the thinly sliced pork shoulder was quite tasty. I wished there was a bit more of it. As I was eating, I suddenly remembered that this ramen resembled the one at a shop about 1.5km away called Kikoro. There might be some connection between the two, but in terms of salt ramen, I prefer this one. Next time, I will definitely try the soy sauce ramen! Oh, the chopped natto topping is a bit...

Salt ramen (800 yen including tax) and fried rice (400 yen including tax) are the specialties at this new restaurant that opened in a former ramen shop that had been vacant for a while. The interior has a bright and spacious atmosphere with table seating, counter seating, and a raised tatami area, offering more seating than the exterior suggests. The restaurant is run by a young couple. The ramen comes in miso, salt, soy sauce, and creamy broth variations, each with its own distinct flavor profile. The prices are average for today's standards, but all the dishes are delicious and worth a return visit.

I happened to come across this new restaurant while passing through the old Shizunai town and heading towards Tomakomai. It was a newly opened establishment, not even listed on the car navigation system. The last order for lunch was at 13:30, and luckily I made it just in time at 13:25. The interior had a view of the Pacific Ocean from the back window and should have the abandoned Hidaka Main Line railway tracks nearby. I decided to try the "shio" ramen priced at 800 yen, which had a creamy-looking soup with sesame sprinkled on top. The soup had a creamy taste, almost like it had milk in it, with a slightly strong saltiness that complemented the noodles well. The noodles were curly egg noodles with a good texture and the pork slices were a bit thin but tasty. Overall, the ramen was delicious enough to make me forget the mediocre sushi I had earlier. I would definitely like to visit this place again and see how it evolves.

I have been wanting to visit this restaurant for a while now as I pass by it on my commute. I finally went around noon. To my surprise, there were many customers inside, mostly older people. I ordered soy sauce ramen and fried rice. The dishes arrived quickly. The owner used to run another ramen shop in Shizunai, right? I took a sip of the soup. It was delicious! The fried rice also arrived shortly after. I finished it quickly. Normally, I leave some soup when eating ramen, but I drank all of it here. Thank you for the meal. I will definitely come back again.