I'm not by all means a ramen expert, if such title exists, but I can say I've tried a good share of ramen bowls from Jakarta, Tokyo, New York, Los Angeles, and Austin. None in my opinion can top the hearty bowl of noodle soup from Ramen Shingen in Sapporo.
After walking through a few dimly lit blocks from the busy roads of a cold Sapporo at night, I had my doubts and wasn't too sure whether I was heading in the right direction. As soon as I saw a bright yellow sign at the corner of a street from a distance, I was sure I'm at the right place. There wasn't much lights or activities going on at the neighborhood besides Ramen Shingen.
The place didn't had a line outside, but it was crowded inside. Mostly locals inside, a good sign. The wait was around 30 minutes long.
Here's a picture of my order. A huge bowl of sea salt miso ramen. It was at least 50% bigger than most bowls I've had at other ramen joins.
The generous amount of thick pork slices were fatty, tender and good.
The noodles were firm, springy, without being overcooked - just the way I like them.
The star of the show was the broth. Hot, rich and thick, full of umami flavor, it was the best ramen broth I've ever had and felt even better on a cold night. Each slurp felt like a rainbow punching your tongue.
I inhaled this huge bowl in less than 3 minutes. The chef was clearly impressed. Definitely the best ramen I've ever had.
I paid left the place saying Arigatou Gozaimasu to which the chef replied Adios. Now I'll have to plan my next trip to Sapporo for this bowl of ramen.