WHAT WE ATE

• Shoyu Ramen, 65/100 (30 Dec 2022)
• Shio Ramen, 75/100 (30 Dec 2022)

Nestled in one of the small streets of central Okayama is a “ramen street” with a few ramen restaurants that you’ll find more locals than tourist. We were lucky that while its so close to the Japanese New Year, one of those restaurants was still open. Sanpou Ramen Oota specialises in lighter and more refreshing Shoyu and Shio ramens – the perfect meal for a winter afternoon.

SHOYU RAMEN 65/100

Noodles 25/35
The noodles used as are medium thick, springy and chewy. The bite is firm and the noodles carries a light aroma.

Soup 20/35
The Shoyu based soup is light and more refreshing than our usual heavy Tonkotsu. It has a sweet start followed by the body of an aged Shoyu – savoury mixed with a tinge of bitter aftertaste.

Meat 15/20
The chashu is notably darker in color – can’t really tell from the photo but the marination is visibly different from the typical chashu we see. The texture is chewy and you draw out flavours as you chew along. The taste wise is savoury but had a more pronounced bitterness from the aged Shoyu marination than the soup.

Toppings 5/10
The egg is average. The other toppings like Negi and beansprouts adds a bit of texture but nothing much to layer the taste.

SHIO RAMEN 75/100

A good example of how a good ramen doesn’t need to always have strong flavors. A simple ramen with the right balance and layers in taste can be so refreshing.

Noodles 25/35
Same noodles used. medium thick, springy and chewy. The bite is firm and the noodles carries a light aroma.

Soup 25/35
The soup uses a scallop base. Its very light and refreshing. It starts off with a mellow sweetness followed by lingering savoriness.

Meat 15/20
Same chashu used here. The texture is chewy and you draw out flavours as you chew along. The taste wise is savoury and carries a noticable bitterness from the aged Shoyu marination.

Topping 10/10
The egg is very lightly marinated but balances very well with the meal. You can still taste the freshness of the egg against everything else in the ramen. Other toppings includes negi, beansprouts and red onion bits. The onion bits adds a nice punch that really stirs up your palette between each mouthful of noodles and broth.

DISCLAIMER

One man’s meat is another man’s poison.
Find out more about our palettes and how we evaluate our ramen here. 😉