Tiny Shop, Big Ramen

It's cold..... really cold and the wind is bitter, whipping around us and we've been standing here for 20 minutes. Here is out side a tiny six seat ramen restaurant etched into a corner of building opposite Bic Camera in Sapporo and every second we wait in the out in the cold my hope that what's on offer inside is worth it grows. Having seen this place on several occasions and wondered what sort of building planner allows a two meter indent in the corner of their building for a possible shop?




We had thought we had arrived bang on twelve, yet as we peeped through the doors there were six butts on six chairs so the waiting had begun.

Finally seconds before we succumb to frost bite and hypothermia a space clears and we're in.



There's just the six stools at a bar and a kitchen barely big enough to stand still in and one guy doing the cooking then walking the two feet to do the serving.



Kat opts for the spicy ramen and I'm always a sucker for roast pork with soft egg. With the kitchen within touching distance we can see every move, for Kats spicy ramen the pork, chili, beansprouts and bamboo are stir-fried before the stock is added and the lot poured over the noodles. The result a spicy broth with a good kick piled high with goodies. Mine comes loaded with pork a great soft egg and a sheet of toasted nori tucked into one side.



After both ramen are slurped down enthusiastically it's tempting to just sit and enjoy being warm and content but our memory of standing outside in the queue is still fresh and others are outside needing a break from the icy breath of Siberia, so very reluctantly we move on. The next time we come here it's going to be in summer, good ramen or no, really cold is really freakin cold.