Menya Saimi — Restaurant in Sapporo

🍜 みそラーメン / miso ramen 🇯🇵 麵屋 彩未 / menya saimi / misono, hokkaido 🗓️ 07/16/2024

(@wei.oframen on ig for my ramen adventure 😚)

I wonder if I will have to adjust my standard after trying a proper JunSumi-style later this week but they were closed today so I headed for Saimi. The master trained at Sumire, which explains the small Sumire logo in the corner of their noren. However, if I understand it correctly, this is not really a JunSumi-style bowl(?), or at least it's a much lighter version. It's more subtle and you can see through pictures that a JunSumi bowl has much more oil floating on top from the amount of lard they use. This is probably less impactful, but I don't think it's much less delicious because of that. In fact, this was one of the best miso broths I have tried so far, and tbh, this composition is perfect for me because I don't think I want any more oil on this. The miso and the bean sprouts were so fragrant thanks to the wok sear while the ginger pairing with miso is always a heaven combination. I couldn't order extra chashu because they were running low on it but I ended up didn't really like the chashu anyway. The line here might look intimidating but the shop is spacious so it moves...

Saimi is one of the most well-known ramen shops in Hokkaido, and I came because it was the highest ranking ramen restaurant in Hokkaido (and 2nd best ramen restaurant in Japan) on the Ramen Database. I was pleasantly surprised to find only a short queue when I visited on a Friday evening at 6:30pm. We were seated within 10 minutes.

Known to have inherited the Sumire lineage, Saimi’s miso ramen is a slightly milder and perhaps a more refreshing interpretation of the classic Hokkaido miso ramen. It was a lighter take on Miso ramen, and the broth felt refreshing. The broth had a balanced depth of flavor, as it wasn’t too sweet, not was it too salty. I found the ginger to be a nice complement to the broth, mixing the ginger with the broth brought out another layer of flavour to the dish. The noodles were perfectly cooked with just the right firmness and bouncing as.

While I did finish every last drop of the soup, I couldn’t help but feel that my bowl of ramen might not have captured the full “legendary” essence that many associate with Saimi. That said, it was a satisfying, well-executed bowl that’s worth trying if you are in the Sapporo, and are curious about “Hokkaido’s number 1...

I am a fan of miso ramen, so this was kind of a pilgrimage, rife with over-expectation and the potential for disappointment.... not the case! We both had the basic miso-ramen. Noodles had a great bite, chashu was perfectly tender and glistening. Broth started very subtly, but grew with intensity as I finished the bowl.

Unique stuff? Yup. The fresh ginger garnish gave it a real pop and contrasted well with the rich broth and fatty pork. And the moyashi - you could smell it being cooked in the iron pan as soon as you entered the room - made a huge difference. In all, a delicious bowl of ramen.

We ordered some extra chashu and a bowl of rice, both great on their own, and used the pork like nori to eat the rice, an idea from a local blog. Gotta admit, it was a great way to employ that perfect pork.

Worth the train ride and the 30 min lineup? Definitely, I would do it again...