Hokkaido’s Chinese Ramen Shop: A Refreshing Vegetable Broth Meets Taiwanese-Style Noodles

Text and photos by /The girl at a 45-degree angle on the right

Excuse me, would you believe this bowl is actually ramen? It really is~~ And for me, righty-up-here, freezing almost to hypothermia in the cold of Hokkaido, this was the most grateful bowl of noodles ever~~

Although it was only November, the autumn in Hakodate had already turned so cold that even wearing a down jacket wasn’t enough. At around 5°C, I was shivering from the chill and desperate to find a ramen shop to warm up. As I wandered into the shopping street in central Hakodate, many shops were closed. Luckily, I stumbled upon this Phoenix Ramen shop and walked right in without a second thought.

The shop’s heating was very comfortable, and I settled in as soon as I sat down and didn’t want to leave. The place was clean and cozy, but having not too many customers made me a little worried about how the food would taste.

Upon closer inspection, this shop’s ramen falls under the Chinese style. In addition to ramen, they also serve fried rice, curry rice, pork cutlet curry rice, and more. Wait, what’s “Chinese rice”? Maybe it’s a rice casserole? The curry set looked very filling — it includes a bowl of ramen and a plate of curry rice.

There were lots of autograph boards on the wall, but I barely recognized any of them @@

I ordered the 【Pork Bun Wonton Ramen】, and when it arrived, the broth was so clear I wondered if it had any flavor at all.

But it actually did have flavor!! The bone broth had extracted all the umami, and there was a natural sweetness from the vegetables. Taking a sip in the cold weather made me feel so happy I could float away. Though after a few more sips, the saltiness became a bit noticeable.

The wontons looked pretty ordinary and tasted just about as average — the kind of flavor you’d commonly find in any wonton.

The char siu slices weren’t very thick, but the cut of meat was good, with both fat and lean parts. The tenderness and the necessary oily smoothness were just right, and they even had some bounce to them — really delicious.

The noodles were similar to Taiwanese-style noodles, nothing particularly special. But it was just as well, because the light soup paired perfectly with these rather ordinary noodles.

Shop name:【Hakodate Ramen Phoenix】
Website:http://tabelog.com/tw/hokkaido/A0105/A010501/1000260/
Address: 5-13 Matsukaze-cho, Hakodate City, Hokkaido
TEL: 0138-22-8086
Business hours: 11:00–21:30, no fixed days off
Access: Walk straight for 5 minutes from JR Hakodate Station. Turn right at the intersection where you see a red building on the left with 【MARUHAN】 written on it. If you’re going to the Toyoko Inn Hakodate Ekimae Dai-ten, you’ll definitely pass by here.

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