Menya Nanabe (麺屋菜々兵衛) in Sapporo, Hokkaido

Menya Nanabe is a small ramen shop in the suburbs of Sapporo, serving up Michelin-rated Bib Gourmand ramen. With a recommendation like that, how could I pass it?

They had a two-page menu that was relatively simple, but their main seller is their Toripaitan Shio Chicken Ramen for 780￥ ($7 USD). I opted for a large for 50￥ more and a soft-boiled egg for 100￥.

Despite the lunch hour, I only had to wait about 30 minutes before I could get the bowl I was eagerly awaiting. The thin noodles were firm, yet had a delightfully springy texture and the large portion was well worth the extra yen and definitely filled me up. The egg, slice of chicken, and chashu were all flavorful, soft, and deliciously satisfying.

However, all was not perfect. While the broth was decently flavorful, it was a bit thin and watery compared to some famous toripaitan shops Kansai is famous for.

Still, I heartily recommend this place and I could definitely understand why it has a coveted rating from Michelin.

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Hōheikyō Hot Spring (豊平峡温泉) ONSEN Restaurant (ONSEN食堂) in Sapporo, Hokkaido

The Hoheikyo Hot Springs are amazing. The huge outdoor area has plenty of space and nice, sulfur-y hot water at a perfect temperature. I just wished there was a sauna area too, but overall it was a great, relaxing experience.

However, you didn’t come to read about the onsen, did you? Half the reason I went there was because of a recommendation to check out the attached Indian restaurant! In fact, it seemed pretty popular online and at the time, with quite a few customers waiting. For a place literally in the boonies, it was surprising.

They have a huge plastic food display so I can browse the options. I chose the Chicken Masala Curry at a hot spice level for 980￥ ($9 USD) which comes with a regular naan along with a Cheese Naan for 480￥. I really struggled at that latter choice, though… it was between cheese and the local ? berry. At that moment, cheese won over.

Now, I’m pretty familiar with Indian / Nepalese Curry Restaurants in Japan, as I have two within a few minutes from my house and I have visited some dozen or so around the country. I’m not an expert nor am I very knowledgeable, but I think I can say I safely know how it should taste.

That being said, I was pretty disappointed with this place. The curry lacked the depth and spicy flavors of true Indian curry, as it felt it was heavily adjusted for “Japanese” tastes, moreso than other similar shops. I liked the chicken though, oddly enough, the predominate note reminded me of tomato-sauce. I was even imagining it was made from pre-made curry packages with some tomato soup mixed in… not at all Indian.

To add insult to injury, the pricey cheese naan had little cheese and no hints of spices as found in most other places and the regular naan was actually… lukewarm. If the regular naan had additional free servings, it might have been acceptable.

Perhaps it’s unfair for me to say, but I cannot recommend this place due to many of the other better shops like Spice Town in Tsuruga. (Not to say they are “the best,” but comparatively speaking, they are better.) ONSEN Restaurant might be considered good for Hokkaido, but not for Hokuriku.

It was also a mistake to eat after my onsen because of the lingering curry smell, but it was still worth the relaxing trip down to the outskirts of Sapporo.

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Aji no Daio (味の大王) in Tomakomai, Hokkaido

Curry soup is a food famous in Hokkaido, but Aji no Daio also offers a curry ramen version. Although I know it is not the typical curry soup I really wanted to try, my trip to Hokkaido was meant to be a ramen one, so when I was doing a bit of food research, I came across this chain around Hokkaido. And I just happened to be driving by the honten main store in Tomakomai, Hokkaido!

As expected, there was a line even though it wasn’t the peak lunch hour. Their menu has a few options and a few toppings, but I came here for their speciality. What goes great with curry? Cheese! I ordered one of their popular options, a Cheese Curry Ramen for 950￥ ($9 USD). After placing the order, I got a numbered ticket and took a seat. Around 7 or so minutes later, they called my number.

The smell of the curry was quite evident and the cheese looked absolutely mouth-watering. While it definitely is not the most beautiful of dishes as curry tends not to be, I couldn’t wait to dig in. The noodles were soft and the portion very reasonable, every ramen bite carrying the curry flavor. The curry broth itself was not simply just “watered down” curry, as it had plenty of meaty, rich taste. Since the soup was so strong, the cheese was simply not necessary and couldn’t really be distinguished. The chashu, too, was lovely and soft, but I wanted more.

Unless you’re a huge curry lover, though, I found myself halfway through the ramen wanting to cut the taste with some rice or some veggies to lighten it up. Still, it was worth having if you’re in town.

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