Hakodate Men Chubo Ajisai New Chitose Airport Branch

The Hokkaido Ramen Dojo, located in New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, is home to 10 popular ramen stores representing various regions of Hokkaido. I have been secretly trying to conquer all 10 ramen restaurants here for several years, and on my last day in Sapporo, I decided to visit Hakodate Men Chubo Ajisai, a representative of Hakodate salt ramen.

Come to think of it, I can’t remember the last time I had a proper Hakodate salt ramen. I have never been to Hakodate before, but considering that, I thought it would be great for ramen lovers to be able to eat authentic Hakodate salt ramen in the New Chitose Airport. So, I was really looking forward to seeing what Hakodate salt ramen was like when I entered the restaurant…

Hakodate Men Chubo Ajisai New Chitose Airport Branch is one of the few stores in Hokkaido Ramen Dojo that focuses on salt ramen…

Hakodate Men Chubo Ajisai New Chitose Airport Branch is located right in the middle of Hokkaido Ramen Dojo, across from Menya Kaiko and between Keyaki and Sapporo Ramen Yukiakari. The restaurant has a visual count of 36 seats (4 counter seats and 8 tables for 4 people). I visited the restaurant around 2 p.m. after lunch time, and although there was no line, the restaurant was almost fully booked.

Hakodate Men Chubo Ajisai New Chitose Airport Branch is a rarity in the Hokkaido Ramen Dojo in that its signature menu item is salt ramen. No, it does not mean that other restaurants do not serve shio ramen. Shio ramen is also on the menu at Ebisoba Ichigen, Teshikaga Ramen, and Baikoken, which I have tried so far. However, that is not to say that it is their signature dish. Ebisoba Ichigen has shrimp miso as its signature dish, Teshikaga Ramen has become famous for its seafood shibori-soy sauce, and Baikoken is popular for its soy sauce ramen. If you want a particularly light ramen, Hakodate Men Chubo Ajisai New Chitose Airport Branch is probably your first choice in New Chitose Airport.

The taste changes in several ways until finishing the dish… The squid ink special extreme ramen I ordered at Hakodate Men Chubo Ajisai New Chitose Airport was too shocking!

So, “The first thing you should eat at Hakodate Men Chubo Ajisai New Chitose Airport Branch is the Shio Ramen!” I was ready to order the default salt ramen, but when I looked at the menu, I changed my mind and decided to order a different ramen. The ramen I ordered was the “special” ramen with squid ink (priced at 1,150 yen, tax included). After finishing my order, I regretted a little that I should have ordered the standard salt ramen, but my interest in the ramen with squid ink got the better of me… Well, I guess I will have to do my homework on the standard Hakodate salt ramen when I visit Hakodate in the future…

After more than five minutes of waiting after ordering, a bowl of Toku Kiwami Ramen (squid ink) arrived in front of me. The soup was black and cloudy with squid ink, giving it a unique appearance that I have never seen before in all my years of eating around. The soup is filled with a variety of toppings, including not only chashu pork and menma, but also boiled egg, nareto, back fat, fu, grilled seaweed, etc., which gives the impression of being quite luxurious.

Let’s take a sip of the soup… The base is a clear and light salt soup. The soup is made from kelp produced in the southern part of Hokkaido, and pork bones and chicken bones are added. Squid ink is added to the clear soup, and the soup has a richness of squid ink that is hard to describe, but even so, the clarity of the soup is not lost at all, or rather, the squid ink seems to be absorbed well into the soup. In fact, it seems as if the squid ink has been well absorbed into the soup.

And the story does not end here. This ramen is topped with a large amount of back fat and nori seaweed, and while the soup tastes relatively mild at first, as time goes by and these toppings are mixed into the soup, the aroma of the sea and the richness of the back fat are gradually dissolved into the soup. I had no idea that such a change in taste was waiting for me… This tsunami-like surge of change in taste is something I would like to experience again when I come back to Hokkaido.

On the other hand, the noodles to go with it are straight thin noodles with high water content. Although the menu described the noodles as “hard-boiled,” I got the impression that they were quite soft-boiled. Compared to the soup, which has a strong impact, the noodles are relatively orthodox or ordinary. However, this is in comparison with the soup with squid ink and a lot of flavor variations, and if it were the default salt ramen, the noodles would probably be a perfect match for it.

The chashu pork, the star of the toppings, is thick and quite meaty, and each piece is quite large, so you will feel quite satisfied with just these two pieces. And when combined with the back fat that is also included, you get a considerable amount of pork in a single bowl of ramen. It is not in the form of chashu men, but I think you can consume a comparable amount of meat.

Hakodate Men Chubo Ajisai New Chitose Airport Branch’s Goku Kiwami Ramen (squid ink) was packed with more interesting elements than I had initially imagined, and I enjoyed it immensely until I had finished it. The price of 1,150 yen (including tax) is a great deal. Furthermore, this special ramen is not listed on the menu of Ajisai’s official website (as of August 2024). Does this mean that this is a menu item only available at the New Chitose Airport Branch? If so, you should try it when you visit Hokkaido by plane!

Other Ramen Menu Items at Hakodate Men Chubo Ajisai New Chitose Airport Branch (prices include tax)

• Shio ramen 950 yen
• Shoyu ramen 950 yen
• Kiwami ramen (shio, shoyu, squid ink): 1,000 yen
• Shiro-miso ramen: 1,050 yen
• Green Nanban meat soba noodle ¥1,250
• Special chashu ramen (shio, shoyu, miso): 1,800 yen
• Ramen for children: 800 yen

Souvenir ramen noodles are also sold at the cash register…Hakodate Menzukyubou Ajisai New Chitose Airport Branch is located in Hokkaido Ramen Dojo on the 3rd floor of New Chitose Airport.

Hakodate Men Chubo Ajisai New Chitose Airport Branch sells ramen for souvenirs at the cash register….

There are two types of ramen noodles: the fresh type “Hakodate Shio Nama Ramen” and the dried type “Ajisai Dry Ramen”, as well as homemade seasonings such as Ezo Rayu and Ezo Rain Oil Pepper… The fresh type only has salt ramen, but the dried type has three flavors: salt, shoyu, and miso. If you actually try it at the store and like the taste, why not buy a few to have at home?

Now, here are the details of the store…

P.S. If you are looking for delicious ramen in Hokkaido, please stop by this article…