This is what the Nagoya-based chain 'Sugakiya' ramen for 430 yen looks like
Sugakiya is a ramen chain with a chain presence mainly in the Tokai region, where you can get a bowl of ramen for 430 yen. For our editors from the Tokai region, it was common to find Sugakiyas in shopping malls and food courts in large supermarkets, but since moving to Osaka, where the GIGAZINE editorial team is located, the frequency of encountering Sugakiyas has drastically decreased. After doing a little research, we discovered that Sugakiya's reach is surprisingly limited, with not a single store in Tokyo. We never thought Sugakiya was a local chain, so we've put together a list of the menu items and flavors to spread the word about Sugakiya.
Sugakiya | Menu | Sugakiko Systems Co., Ltd.
Below is a screenshot of Sugakiya's store listing page . It shows that they only have stores in Aichi, Shizuoka, Gifu, Mie, Shiga, Kyoto, Hyogo, and Osaka prefectures, with no stores in other areas. Until a few years ago, a commercial song was played on TV in the Tokai region: 'When you think of Nagoya, you think of Sugakiya Ramen. Even to the ends of the earth, you think of Sugakiya Ramen.' I assumed they were available all over Japan, if not to the ends of the earth, so I was surprised to learn that they were a local chain.
So, I headed to Sugakiya in a shopping mall in Osaka Prefecture.
The menu looks like this. The main 'Ramen' is 430 yen (tax included) on its own, and a set with mixed rice and salad is 760 yen (tax included). This time, I ordered the 'Special Ramen' mixed rice and salad set (960 yen (tax included)).
When you order, you will be handed a 'soft call.' Soft calls, which let you know when your food is ready, are now used in many restaurants, but according to
The special ramen set was ready in a few minutes. The top left is salad, the bottom left is mixed rice, and the right is the special ramen.
This is their special ramen. The soup is Japanese-style tonkotsu, and it is topped with meat, green onions, bamboo shoots, and a soft-boiled egg.
Sticking into the ramen is Sugakiya's signature dish, the 'ramen fork.'
Ramen forks have a unique shape with a fork attached to the end of the spoon, and can be used to scoop soup just like a regular spoon.
And you can scoop up the noodles with the fork at the tip.
However, to be honest, ramen forks are difficult to use, so I often eat with chopsticks. Even when I lived in the Tokai region, there were more people who ate with chopsticks than with ramen forks.
The Japanese-style tonkotsu soup has a mild flavor that combines pork bones, fish, and kelp stock. There's no gamey pork smell at all, and it's neither too salty nor too sweet. The soup clings well to the curly noodles, which is also great. The meat in the photo is not 'char siu' but 'meat.' According to
An interesting thing about Sugakiya is that they serve mixed rice instead of fried rice as a side dish.
The gomoku rice contains sweet and spicy simmered shiitake mushrooms and deep-fried tofu soaked in dashi. Many Tokai region dishes are sweet and spicy, such as miso katsu and dote-meshi, and this gomoku rice is also sweet and spicy, making it easy to eat.
What I would like to recommend at Sugakiya is the soft serve ice cream, which costs 190 yen including tax.
I remember Sugakiya's soft serve ice cream being strangely delicious for some reason, so I thought, 'Maybe it's just my memories,' but when I tried it, it had a refreshing flavor that wasn't too strong, and just like back in the day, it paired perfectly with the ramen. The saltiness of the ramen still lingers, and the sweet flavor is what makes it so delicious. Incidentally, according to
The Sugakiko Group, which operates Sugakiya, is also home to Sugakiya Foods Co., Ltd. , a manufacturer of instant noodles such as ' Kara Kara Sakana Ramen, ' and they also produce Sugakiya ramen as instant noodles and cup noodles. They also produce 'Gomoku Gohan' mixes, which allow you to recreate Gomoku Gohan at home. All of them taste very close to the restaurant's version, so if you want to try Sugakiya's flavor but are too far from the Nagoya area, try getting the instant version from the link below.
Amazon.co.jp: Sugakiya Instant Sugakiya Ramen 111g x 12 packs: Food, Beverages & Alcohol
Amazon.co.jp: Sugakiya Cup Sugakiya Ramen 100g x 12 packs: Food, Beverages & Alcohol
Amazon | Sugakiya Gomoku Rice Base (6 bags) | No-brand product | Steamed rice and cooked rice
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in Tasting, Posted by log1o_hf