Menya Hassaku (麺屋はっさく) in Kaminaka, Fukui

This is Menya Hassaku, a brand new ramen shop in the Wakasa area, near my town. Their menu consists of chicken-based toripaitan ramen, such as tsukemen dipping-style. They currently have only six counter-top seats, so get in early!

Along with most of the other customers in the shop, I also opted for the Ajitama Shiro Chashu ramen, with egg and extra chashu, for 1230¥ ($11 USD). With only the friendly proprietor running the shop and taking orders, it took a bit of time, but it was nice to be able to watch his process and converse with him a bit. Luckily, it was worth the wait! The smooth, salty, slightly creamy chicken broth complemented the good portion of thin, firm noodles. It was flavorful without being overwhelming.

The soft egg and other ingredients were also quite delicious. My only minor complaint was that the chashu was a bit greasier than I expected.

You can also add an extra noodle portion for 150¥ if you’re still hungry. They also seem to have some rice bowls on the menu… I will definitely be back!

Daiichiasahi (第一旭 西舞鶴店) in Maizuru, Kyoto

Daiichiasahi is a nationwide chain of ramen shops from Kyoto. I was in the northern Kyoto region of Maizuru to visit a friend and to eat ramen, so I stopped by here on the way back.

As expected from a huge chain, they offer a wide range of ramen to suit many tastes, but they know what they are doing here. I ordered the Taro, regular size, for 830￥ ($7.50 USD) and added the Manpuku (full stomach) Set for 480￥ more.

Most items on the menu were soy sauce-based, but the Taro was different because it also has tare sauce on their chashu. While at first I thought it was a bit of a gimmick, once I bit in, I could tell they definitely simmered in the sauce as every bite had it soaked through.

The broth was medium, but still had enough pork fat for flavor… the whole portion and taste was quite good.

The added side set definitely made my stomach full with fried rice, salad, fried chicken, and extra tare chashu slices… which I gladly welcomed after tasting it in the ramen. The fried rice and karaage chicken had just the right amount of crispiness.

In addition, the staff apologized that I had to wait for my other piece of karaage, so they gave me an extra piece. That is great service!

After paying, they handed me one of those fabled “half-price” ramen coupons that apparently are quite frequently used. Even without it, I would’ve come back. But for half price??? It is most surely guaranteed!

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Cafe Watoto in Obama, Fukui

This is the right way to relax: delicious food and rich coffee in an old, beautiful Japanese-style cafe.

This is Cafe Watoto, a small, friendly, family-run restaurant in the quaint rice fields of Obama, Fukui.

They serve a wonderful seasonal selection of drinks, sweets, and great lunch sets.

In addition, a few times every year, local Wakasa Higashi High School students serve up unique, housemade lunch sets made with plenty of fresh, local ingredients.

These are unbelievably good!

I can't recommend them highly enough. Stop by for a lovely day of delicious food and cute doggies. Reservations on busy weekends are also highly recommended. Check their website or Facebook page for more info!

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Cafe Mountain (喫茶 マウンテン) in Nagoya, Aichi

Mountain is a quaint cafe in a rather suburban area of Nagoya, Aichi. They are famous for serving all manner of seemingly strange pasta like Strawberry, Melon, or Kiwi spaghetti, but they also have a large menu offering more traditional cafe fare. Of course, I came here to try something unique, so I opted for their Apple Spaghetti for 1000￥ ($9 USD) along with their Strong Coffee at 400￥.

My expectation: savory, sweet, and strange. What came before me was this beautiful pasta with bits of apple and pineapple, whipped cream, and a cherry on top, dusted with cinnamon. The first bite was puzzling, since it had an initial smell of sweetness coupled with a chewy pasta texture, followed by tart fruit flavor, and finished with a hint of saltiness. I didn’t know what to make of it, but after the successive bites, I was in love.

It tasted like an amazing apple cobbler with the sweet flavors of apple and cinnamon, as long as I could get over the weirdness of having dessert pasta. The creaminess from the whip only added layers of flavor.

As for the coffee, it was very, very strong as advertised. It was a bit thick and very black, with just the right tinge of acidity.

I definitely recommend the visit here if you’re open to trying something deliciously unique.

 

Chicken Ramen Yarou (らーめん チキン野郎) in Hikone, Shiga

How do you make a favorite ramen restaurant even better? Take some friends!

It’s been a long while since I visited Chicken Ramen Yarou in Hikone, Shiga. Too long. The last time I came was during their anniversary nearly two years ago, but I thought I should show my friends some great chicken ramen since we were passing through. And for me to revisit what I had considered one of the best I’ve had in Japan. I ordered their Deluxe Kotteri Chicken ramen for 1050￥ ($10 USD), which includes chashu, several slices of chicken, nori pieces, and an egg. The more standard version is only 750￥. My friends opted for the lighter Deluxe Assari Ramen for 1100￥ ($10.50).

The ramen was just as delicious as I remembered… the creamy, savory broth had just the right amount of salty chicken flavor with a satisfyingly rich thickness. My friends commented that it tasted like gravy and the combination of soft chicken slices and gravy reminded them of home… I definitely agree! It is nostalgic in all the right ways. The chashu was also quite good, rare and sliced thin. The noodles were medium thick and soft, perfect for me but perhaps too soft for others. My only real complaint was the egg which was a bit hard-boiled for me.

This was also my first time to try the Assari broth, which had a lighter taste profile. It was still very flavorful, but the savoriness was more soy sauce than chicken or pork flavor and it had a bit more oiliness in the aftertaste than the thicker broth. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it a lot.

If you’re looking for amazing thick broth ramen, I highly recommend Chicken Ramen Yarou! The chicken flavor is uniquely delicious and well-worth a trip through Shiga to check out.

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Hachiban Ramen (8番らーめん 小浜店) in Obama City, Fukui

To my dear Hacchan,

It’s been a long time, Hachiban. How are your chain of shops in western Japan doing? Are you still expanding in Thailand, Hong Kong, and Vietnam, too? I’ve always liked how you named yourself after the Route 8 connecting the Hokuriku area… it’s very appropriately fitting. I mean this as no insult, but you’re so much like the McDonald’s of Fukui ramen; somehow I see you everywhere I visit.

You were the first ramen shop I visited when I came to Obama City, Fukui, so many years ago. My former neighbor brought me here and I tried your signature vegetable ramen with salt broth. I couldn’t believe how cheap it was… 590￥ ($5.50 USD), if I recall. You piled those 5 kinds of veggies so high, but… I wasn’t impressed. The flavor was so light and plain, I haven’t been back in six years.

Don’t take this the wrong way, I really appreciated those crunchy veggies. I thought you had some nice noodles. And your naruto with the 8-ban logo in it is always so cute, seriously. A lot of other people like you since you always seem so busy. You just weren’t for me.

You know the Nest Inn Obama promotional program that Obama City is starting to sell? You know, those tickets you can buy at a discount to be used at a wide range of participating shops that are used to help spur the local economy? Yeah, those. You appeared on the list and I was wistfully remembering our brief time together.

So, I took the chance and went back. Maybe you changed, maybe I changed, I thought.

The moment I stepped in, I knew Corona had affected the seating, but somehow not your patrons. You were crowded as always, plenty of folks still vying for your attention. And there was little old me, noticing everything different about you. You spent some money on new fancy tablets and you studied up on your English and Chinese, I saw.

Your menu was familiar, though. The same vegetable ramen loved by all… but then you started showing off your limited seasonal menu and so I was tempted by your offerings… you always knew I liked spicy. That Vegetable Mala ramen looked like it was made just for me and it was only 790￥ ($7.35 USD) for a regular size. I wanted to be burned by you, a little. And you gave it to me.

Because I know you’re Japanese and you cater to the typical subtle tastes of Japanese cuisine, so I didn’t expect that numbing, mouth-watering Chinese spice flavor to be so prominent. Your thick noodles were as bouncy as before and your portion for the price… lovely.

I also had to have 6 pieces of your seasonal shrimp gyoza, too. At 300￥, how could I say no to gyoza? Or should I say dumplings? These are also Chinese-inspired, after all. I’m sorry to say while it was delicious, you missed the mark by a bit. I could barely taste the shrimp, but your texture was spot on with just a bit of softness and a hint of pan-grilled char.

I’ll admit, I take back those words I said about you back in the day. I didn’t know it hurt you so much that you felt you had to change.

You hit the right notes for me that day. Was it the rainy weather? Was I just too hungry?

It was just a fling, my dear.

I’m not sure I’ll come back so soon because while you have changed, I know it’s only just a little and just for a limited time. You are still the same, wonderful bowl of vegetable ramen.

I know you have other broth options, like tonkotsu and shoyu. You offer thin noodles and soba, too.Maybe I’ll come by and see you again… but I don’t think that we’re meant to be. You have other patrons who want you more than me. You deserve to be needed.

You want me to be really honest about us?

...it’s just that, as before, your broth lacked… something more. That spark. The depth of umami you know I really needed. You pushed the spice too hard and didn’t have something, anything, more to back it up.

For me that’s not enough.

I’m sorry to say it so bluntly. But we both know that you needed to hear it straight from me. I can be mean like that sometimes, you know.

I’ll be seeing you, maybe.

Sincerely,

Will

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Sing Sing (秦秦 高浜店) in Takahama, Fukui

Sing Sing was one of the first restaurants I posted about on my Instagram back in mid-2017. (Man, has it been that long...!?!) This place is actually a chain restaurant, though I have only been to the Takahama shop all the way down in South Fukui. I said back then this was one of the best ramen spots in all of Fukui when I had only visited a handful of ramen restaurants in my area and I haven’t been back in 2 years, so I recently went back to reaffirm or update my opinion of the shop. It’s extremely likely my experiences at two dozen or more ramen places in Fukui and more all around Japan would have changed my opinions on this place…

Surprisingly, my tastes were pretty spot on back then. This place continues to remain a top in my prefecture, though my feelings on the broth have changed a bit. They have a fairly large menu with the usual variety of ramen, such as miso, tonkotsu, shio… But my usual order is the Gokushiro Aburi Chashu Ramen, a strong, tonkotsu-based broth with deliciously grilled chashu for 1100￥ ($10 USD). As you can see, the highlights are definitely those thick slices of mouth-watering pork. You can hear the chef searing them in the back, the crackle of the meat making me even hungrier in anticipation. They are without a doubt as delicious as they look, soft and fatty, but with just the right crisp and savoriness.

The rest of the ramen is also quite good. The noodles are a good portion, but are a bit underdone for my taste. Also the egg is almost hard-boiled… while it was tasty with flavor, I prefer a softer, creamier consistency.

Of course, they have sides too…

You can also add in extra green onion and sweet pickled radish to taste. If you prefer a spicier noodle, a red version can be had for 60￥ more. A double portion of noodle is only 150￥ more for those really hungry.

I will say this ramen isn’t for everyone. Like all “strong” ramen, it is heavy to the taste, a bit greasy, and leaves you with a very full feeling. As expected, the flavors are also quite salty and umami, so if you’re looking for a light “gourmet” ramen, this isn’t it. (Then again, ramen is rarely gourmet or light!)

But for me, this hits the right spot. I highly recommend this rich, but deeply satisfying ramen.

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Ramen Kokutei (ラーメンこく亭) in Obama, Fukui

Kokutei in Obama, Fukui, is my favorite local ramen spot, as it is fairly close to my house, cheap, and quite good. They offer the usual range of broths on their menu: soy sauce, salt, miso, or pork bone soup, coupled with their thin noodles.

You can also opt for the red versions, which just has a lot of red ichimi pepper on top for a hint of spiciness. (They may look vicious, but they are far from truly spicy.) You can customize it by adding as much negi green onion, dried garlic chips, and other condiments to suit your taste.

I usually opt for their Red Miso Chashu Ramen for 970￥ ($9 USD) and pile on the onions and garlic chips. My breath afterwards can probably ward off any vampire or knock someone dead… But when it’s so delicious going down, I don’t mind keeping people at a distance after the meal!

Most recently, I broke with my regular bowl and ordered their Gyokai Shoyu (Seafood Soy Sauce) Ramen for 900￥ which had a lighter but fishy and savory taste. I really enjoyed it much more than I was expecting to, but since I love heavier soups usually, I’ll stick with my usual.

For those extra hungry, you can order a kaedama extra side of noodles or a larger size for 100￥ more. Their karaage fried chicken is also deliciously crunchy and crispy. If you are going to stop by this restaurant, drop me a line!

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E.Y.’s American Restaurant / Hamburger Land (アメリカンレストラン イーワイズ) in Fukui City, Fukui

Every couple months I visit Fukui City, a few of my friends always want to visit E.Y.'s American Restaurant (ie. "Hamburger Land") in search of a good burger. They offer up a variety of burgers and toppings, fries, burger plates, and creamy shakes. Their decor, too, is distinctly American-diner-inspired, with red and white colors, American posters, and music playing in the background.

I'm sure many of my friends will disagree with me here, but unfortunately, I'm not a particular fan of their burgers. While I feel their price point is marginally justified given the freshness and overall quality, the flavor in the meat is sorely lacking. Without the right seasonings, at least even a shot of pepper and salt, the patties do not have the right kick a really good burger joint has. Maybe its also extra char on the grill or grease on the pans, but any burger restaurant I like (fast food exempted) have that little something extra in their beef that really sets it apart.

Even after several visits here, I still mostly feel the same way. With the right toppings like this pineapple, the flavor profile of the burger does get a bit better. Though if I were to be honest, I always have a good time when I come because the company makes it worthwhile.

However, that meat is still missing that special something… sigh.

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Mensho Kaguya (麺匠かぐや) in Tsuruga, Fukui (Revisited)

I actually visited Mensho Kaguya (麺匠かぐや) in Tsuruga, Fukui, a few months ago with my friends, but it was definitely well worth another stop.

With a large menu, they had plenty of options to try outside their monthly limited specials. This time I tried their Jukusei Miso Ramen which features aged miso for a deeper and stronger taste.

It was definitely rich and had a nice, smooth, savory miso flavor in the broth. The aburi chashu was a bit fatty, but the nice, grilled pork taste was fantastic.

The noodles were nice and thin with a medium-firm texture.

The ramen was 980¥ ($9 USD) and the excellent chashu rice was worth the extra 200¥.

Definitely worth another trip!

Europa-ken Tsuruga Shop (敦賀ヨーロッパ軒 中央店) in Tsuruga, Fukui

I visited several times over the years and most recently at their main shop in Fukui City. Since Sauce Katsu is such a famous Fukui dish, we wanted to show a visiting friend the premier example of it at Europa-ken, this time in Tsuruga. I was recommended the ? mince breaded cutlet or the mix bowl this time. Of all the times I’ve been here, I’ve never had anything other than their regular breaded sauce pork cutlet, so I decided to try the sampler bowl that is the Mix Bowl, which has one slice of chicken, fish, and mince for 1100￥ ($10 USD).

I actually like this mixed bowl way better than their regular katsu bowl! Of note, the chicken was surprisingly juicy and the mince was surprisingly soft, with the light, saucy, crunchy breading complementing the softness of the meat. The fish cutlet was also good and gave a nice fishy contrast to the other meatier slices. The rice portion, as always, was plentiful and gave the bowl a decent value. I only wish they provided a side dish of their delicious sauce like when you order the katsu teishoku set since I like mine a little saucier.

While I still say that there may be other pork cutlets I like better elsewhere, their mix bowl by far has me really impressed and I would be more than happy to have it again next time!

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Ramen Niji (らーめん虹) in Mihama, Fukui

This is one of my favorite ramen restaurants in my area, Ramen Niji in Mihama, Fukui. The have a few variants of ramen, but their signature Niji Ramen has an extremely thick tonkotsu broth that is heavy on the richness of pork bone flavor. The thickness is more akin to a stew than a broth… definitely the kind of ramen that I love the most. I always opt for the Chashu Niji Ramen for 1000￥ ($9 USD) which adds a few plentiful slices of pork.

More than just the rich soup, they also grill their chashu to give it a deliciously savory taste that only serves to enhance the meaty umami flavors. While the thin noodles are not exactly my main preference, they have just the right firmness to complement the soup. You can also opt for a larger portion or add kaedama extra noodles for 150￥ more if you want more, but I think the heavy soup makes it feel quite satisfying as it is.

The only drawback for me is that they are nearly a forty-minute drive from my house. I have visited them many times over the years and I will definitely continue to go. I can’t recommend them highly enough!

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Hanako-kun x Princess Cafe (プリンセスカフェ＆ショップ大阪新館) in Osaka

Although I had not yet read any of the manga or watched the anime, I went to the Jibaku Shonen Hanako-kun themed roll ice at the Roll Ice Cream Factory. After that, I also agreed to go to the Hanako-kun themed cafe in Osaka, so I made it a point to get into the manga just a bit so I can at least identify the characters before going. You know what, though? The art is pretty, the characters are cute, and the story is unique, so it’s worth the read.

The Princess Cafe is in Den Den Town (the Osaka version of Akihabara), so there are blocks full of anime and electronic shops nearby. Their collaboration menu is simple with only a few main dishes, four colorful drinks, and a few sweet treats.

I opted for the Tsukasa Omelette Rice Curry for 1300￥ ($12 USD) and the Strawberry Milk for 800￥.

My friends ordered the teishoku set, melon Calpis drinks, and jelly desserts. As with many other cafes, we were also given a coaster for each food item ordered as part of the theme.

The drinks came quickly and they were very cute with the printed edible characters atop each item. The food was simple, but well made and also undeniably cute. I suppose the same could be said about the desserts but I did not personally order one.

While I wouldn’t say this was the most elaborate cafe, especially compared to the Final Fantasy Eorzea Cafe, I’d say it was an enjoyable experience for Hanako-kun fans!

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Shougetsu (めん魚房 松月) in Tsuruga, Fukui (Strawberry Ramen)

Last month I went to Shougetsu in Tsuruga, Fukui, and had their seasonal Nishin Ramen (herring), but starting in March they introduced their new Strawberry Ramen… this I had to try! With the exception of their famous Lemon Ramen and other Yuzu citrus ramen, I have never had any fruit-inspired concoctions...

Arriving shortly at our table was this beautifully attractive bowl. I was surprised to say the strawberry tartness actually works pretty well for a ramen dish! There was also a bit of strawberry sauce around the top of the soup which gave the whole broth a bit of a lighter feel. It was definitely a unique taste that I enjoyed!

Unfortunately, I think the thickness of the broth and onions drowned out much of the strawberry flavor… if the broth was a lighter shio soup base, I think it would’ve been just about perfect. For a very reasonable portion at 1000￥ ($9 USD), you too can enjoy this limited seasonal fruit ramen!

Roll Ice Cream Factory (ロールアイスクリームファクトリー) in Nagoya, Aichi

I am not surprised to see the massive, growing popularity of roll ice cream all around Japan. Essentially, it is an ice cream dessert made by super-cooling creamy dairy products over a pan and scraping them off into little rolls. Top off with additional sweet toppings and you have roll ice cream. Simple, very cold, and delicious…

Roll Ice Cream Factory is a growing chain serving these desserts, but the reason we stopped this time was for their new Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun (Jibaku Shonen Hanako-kun) collaboration ice cream and tapioca boba drinks. These treats are patterned after different characters and it actually started on the day we went! Though, unfortunately due to shipping and production issues, the mascot characters shown on the menu were unavailable. Well, we ordered them anyway.

We opted for one roll ice cream of each collab flavor, @lavioli with the Kou Vanilla x Mango, @83castellas with the Hanako-kun Strawberry, and I chose the Nene Chocolate Mint at 900￥ ($8 USD) each. As expected of such a simple treat, they were all sweet and creamy, though I think the mango had the most prominent flavor of the bunch.

We also ordered some tapioca drinks which have really started growing in popularity everywhere <l>. Unfortunately, RICF is known for their ice cream and not their tapioca… the 800￥ drinks were too milky and not flavored enough and the regular black tapioca had no flavor and merely average texture. My strawberry bits and tapioca were a bit better, but a bit too sweet. These drinks are strongly not recommended; I would’ve gladly eaten another ice cream instead.

As part of the collab, we received a coaster with each item order though we got stuck with 3 of Tsukasa... too bad we couldn’t get an even collection of all the featured characters between us three!

 

Ikkoku Sakigakedo (一刻魁堂) in Handa, Aichi

On the way to Aichi to pick up another car, Matsuda-san and I wanted something delicious so he recommended Ikkoku Sakigakedo, a rather large chain of ramen shops all over Honshu I had never heard of before.

They serve up a wide range of ramen options, but they are known for their strong soy sauce taste. I originally wanted to try that, but when I saw the title of Kotteri (rich / heavy) Tonkotsu, I knew I had to order that and a side of their chashu rice bowl.

I’ll admit the presentation is pretty fantastic. While it honestly wasn’t that many chashu slices, the little pile in the center on top of the moyashi bean sprouts really makes it look impressive… and it was! The highlights of the soft and tasty chashu and as-advertised thick tonkotsu soup were satisfyingly delicious. The noodles were a bit soft, just the way I like them, but not much to comment about in terms of texture or taste.

The side of rice, though, is worth noting. The bits of juicy chashu gave it a real satisfying umami taste that I highly recommend as a side.

Now that I know about this restaurant, I can definitely look forward to having some solid ramen next time I’m traveling around!

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Final Fantasy Eorzea Cafe (ファイナルファンタジー エオルゼアカフェ) in Osaka

I usually don’t go to themed cafes unless I’m really interested in the theme… the last one I went to was the Pokemon Cafe in Tokyo a year and a half ago. The theme and whole setup was super kawaii and perfectly used a “Super Effective!” attack on my wallet. However, while the food was visually appealing, it was a bit average.

So when my friends invited me to the Final Fantasy Eorzea Cafe, I was intrigued, but somewhat reserved. The food certainly wouldn’t match the slick theme, could it?

In collaboration with Pasela, a chain of restaurants, resorts, and karaoke rooms across Japan, I am surprisingly pleased to say the food and drinks were great!

Among the four of us, we covered a pretty impressive spread of menu items. I was recommended the Azim plate which had some soft, juicy slices of beef atop some amazingly flavorful rice… it is something that I would order again at any restaurant!

I also ordered the Heaven-on-High, an impressive tower of real, deep-fried onion rings and fried fish.

Advanced reservations are required at 1000￥ ($9 USD) which also includes one drink selection. I opted for their limited Caramel Tea. Everything we ordered also was quite good, but everyone raved about the Minfilia Almond drink which tastes like liquid almond pudding.

There are plenty of yummy themed desserts to satisfy any fan.

Of course, the whole theme and exclusivity meant that nothing else was “cheap,” but the experience is worth going for any Final Fantasy XIV fan!

★★★★★ · Cafe · Dotonbori, 1 Chome−4−27 なんば 道頓堀 店 4F パセラ リゾーツ

The Most Deserted Ramen Bar in the World (世界一暇なラーメン屋) in Osaka

The Most Deserted Ramen Bar in the World is a huge lie. It is most definitely not deserted by any means of the imagination, perhaps unless you define it by relative location. This restaurant in Osaka is located on the second floor of an office tower, nearby other business towers with few other ramen shops directly nearby. But with the long lines forming in front of the shop, no, it is certainly not deserted.

I was glad to get there before the shop opened because the line only got longer and longer afterwards. The shop has six different ramen options, but I chose the Kanko Dori for 900¥ ($8.20 USD) because it was the most unique item on the menu… “No soup citrus soy sauce,” it claims. And you can choose regular or large sizes for the same price. Sounds good to me!

For lunch time, you can also add a few things for a few hundred yen more. I added the Chashu Bowl for 200¥, given I was super hungry at the time having skipped breakfast.

This is definitely a more fashionable restaurant with an upscale modern decor and fancy bowls to match. The tall sides made me worry that I should’ve selected the larger portion of noodles because it looked tiny at the bottom of the cavernous sides. The whole presentation was lovely… but could the taste match?

Absolutely! These house-made noodles were stunningly delicious. The soupless, yet saucy, broth really coated the noodles so thoroughly, the flavor was packed in every bite. The first hit was surprisingly spicy, but it was followed with salty, umami flavors, ending in a light citrus taste. Definitely complex, rich, and flavorful… maybe one of the best I’ve had in a few months! The juicy chicken topping was also quite well-cooked, soft, and delicious.

However, two points brought the experience down. The soft, thinly-sliced chashu looked gorgeous, but they were a bit dry to the taste. The egg was also a bit overdone, though it was still tasty nonetheless.

The Chashu Bowl was probably the best-value add-on in a ramen shop I have ever had for the price. It was extremely meaty and rich with a ton of umami flavor, and it was larger than I expected. Well worth the lunch time occasion!

The back of the menu is quite interesting…

I am definitely leaving this ramen restaurant on my list of places I will come back to. The flavors, complexity, and value really made it an outstanding experience. Highly recommended, even if they lied.

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Steak and Hamburg (ステーキ宮 ステーキ&ハンバーグレストラン) in Tsuruga, Fukui

Steak Miya (aka Steak & Hamburg) is a chain of meat restaurants all over Japan. I never stopped by the Tsuruga, Fukui, shop before, despite passing by hundreds of times. So finally some friends and I decided to check it out to see how it compares to other meat restaurants like Ikinari! Steak or other regular family restaurants like Coco’s or Tomato & Onion.

The whole menu seems a bit pricey, but nonetheless, it’s the norm here in Japan. For example, here is 225g (8 oz) of hamburg steak and 75g (2.6 oz) of grilled steak that go for 1890￥ ($17 USD). Honestly, I was a bit worried because Ikinari is a bit cheaper than that…

But since they also offer a rather cool salad, soup, and drink bar (not alcohol), we thought we’d try it anyway. I ordered ? and the salad and soup bar for ?. The hamburg patty was pretty juicy and the steak was surprisingly succulent, soft, and delicious. Unfortunately, it was tiny. The soup and salad bar had a solid selection of options and everything was fresh. The killers were the sauce options… especially the gravy. We were all surprised at how legitimately tasty and rich it was!

I definitely had a nice meal with my friends there. If this was my only option in town, I’d come back, but unfortunately, there are other choices in Tsuruga that might be better worth the visit.

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Shougetsu (めん魚房 松月) in Tsuruga, Fukui

It’s been awhile since I last visited Shougetsu in Tsuruga, Fukui. This Japanese restaurant has a large varied menu, but to me, the thing I always order is their Lemon Ramen, a light salt broth ramen with a few tart slices of lemon to really lighten the flavor.

This time, however, I opted for a change… their seasonally-limited Nishin Ramen for a very reasonable 830￥ ($7.50 USD). A piece of herring fish in my ramen? Could it really be worth ordering over the usual favorite? I was hesitant at first, but the friendly proprietor assured me that it was delicious.

And it was! The fish was preserved, so it was salty and sweet, reminding me much of a canned fish found in many Chinese dishes. The fish pared decently with the soup, which was lightly savory and creamy, but with a hint of spice. It was definitely an interesting combination I don’t think I have ever tried before at any other ramen shop.

The portion of noodles was quite good so the asking price was well worth it for something this uniquely savory and delicious! The only thing that I would like to see are some additional toppings or maybe even a few slices of their lemon to lighten up the whole taste.

Unfortunately, by the time you read this in March, the limited ramen will already be out of season. Maybe next year he’ll bring it back, but the next seasonal ramen coming up is an Ichigo (Strawberry) Ramen! Look forward to my review soon!

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