Miso Ramen Yamaokaya Susukino Branch

Miso Ramen Yamaokaya. When I first heard the name of the restaurant, it hit me that the national chain Ramen Yamaokaya had opened a restaurant specializing in miso ramen. I was looking for a place to have morning ramen in Sapporo on the Internet and happened to hit upon it. There’s a restaurant right near the Susukino hotel where I was staying, and it’s open 24 hours a day…I had to go there, right? So…, I went to the ramen shop to have a little energy before work. Well…

Recreating the taste of miso ramen that shocked the founder… Miso Ramen Yamaokaya Susukino Branch is such a restaurant.

Tracing the historical background of Yamaokaya, it seems that Tadashi Yamaoka, the founder of Ramen Yamaokaya, opened his first restaurant in Ushiku City, Ibaraki Prefecture, and then went to Sapporo, Hokkaido. He was shocked by the taste of Sapporo miso ramen that he tasted there, and he has been researching and creating Sapporo miso ramen to recreate that taste. The restaurant, Miso Ramen Yamaokaya, was established in March 2021, so it is relatively new. A major national chain restaurant has newly entered the Sapporo miso ramen industry, which is crowded with strong players! The Miso Ramen Yamaokaya is the first of its kind.

I visited the first Miso Ramen Yamaokaya Susukino Branch at 7:30 a.m. on a weekend morning. Because of the location, there were many young people who looked like they had spent the whole night playing around at that time. The restaurant has a total of 30 seats, including 6 counter seats. The atmosphere of the restaurant is that of a very ordinary ramen shop, where anyone can casually enter and sip ramen.

What ramen shocked the founder of a major ramen chain? After eating Miso Ramen Yamaokaya’s signature Sapporo Miso Ramen, I kind of know the answer.

Let me introduce you to the Sapporo Miso Ramen, the signature dish I ordered at Miso Ramen Yamaokaya Susukino Branch. About 5 minutes after ordering, the ramen was brought in front of me…

It looks like this, a traditional orthodox type of miso ramen. I guess the toppings of vegetables and minced pork are less than other restaurants’ miso ramen. Still, there is a huge amount of oil floating in the soup… I appreciate that it keeps the soup from getting cold, but I have to be careful not to burn my tongue.

The soup is not as oily as the miso ramen I had at Sapporo Junren the day before, though. The overall flavor is quite salty, with the sweetness of the lard and the extract from the minced pork and vegetables stir-fried in the wok. The taste is quite punchy, but somehow nostalgic. It is a soup that has a mysterious power of attraction, but if you drink too much of it, you will become thirsty and have to drink a lot of water, so you may need to be a little careful.

The noodles are medium-thick and curly with high water content. When slurping the noodle vigorously, the noodles will stimulate the mucous membranes of the tongue and cheeks. Because of the frizziness of the noodles, there is nothing to complain about when it comes to absorbing the soup. The noodles are hard-cooked and exhibit a chewy texture that does not lose to the impact of the rich miso.

The main topping, chashu pork, is a healthy loin meat with little fat. The size is reasonable and it can be easily eaten in one bite, but…by the way, is there any intention behind the grated ginger on this chashu? Is it too little to mix into the soup, or does it mean that you should wrap the ginger around the chashu and eat it?

This is the kind of Miso Ramen Yamaokaya Susukino Branch‘s signature Sapporo miso ramen, which overall is similar to the miso ramen of Sapporo Junren and Sumire. We can somewhat imagine what kind of ramen the founder was shocked by in Sapporo. Among them, it is more rustic or averaged out…I can’t really feel any outstanding elements, but I can recommend this restaurant’s Sapporo Miso Ramen, especially when you want to have a thick miso ramen to finish off your meal late at night.

Examples of other ramen menu items at Miso Ramen Yamaokaya Susukino Branch (prices include tax)

• Sapporo soy sauce ramen 890 yen
• Scallop salt ramen 890 yen
• Shiro miso ramen 930 yen
• Spicy miso ramen 930 yen
• Sesame miso ramen 930 yen
• Sesame miso tsukemen (dipping noodles): 930 yen
• Umami spicy stamina miso ramen (limited time only) 980 yen

The Ramen Yamaoka family of restaurants distributes common service coupons… Miso Ramen Yamaokaya Susukino Branch is a one-minute walk from the nearest station, Susukino Station on the Sapporo Municipal Subway Namboku Line.

When purchasing a meal ticket at Miso Ramen Yamaokaya Susukino Branch, a service coupon will be issued together with the meal ticket…

If you collect five of these service coupons, you get one serving of gyoza (dumplings), and if you collect ten, you get one free bowl of regular ramen of any kind. Moreover, since these coupons are shared with Ramen Yamaokaya and Goku Niboshi Honpo, they can be combined with the service coupons issued by these restaurants. So, if you usually eat ramen at Yamaokaya family restaurants, you may be able to eat Sapporo miso ramen for free with the service ticket you already have. When you go to Sapporo in the future, don’t forget to get a Yamaokaya service coupon…

Now, here are the details of the restaurant…