Award-Winning RAMEN in Sapporo [Hokkaido Vid 5]

[@RayMak]

You must have taken a lot of videos during winter. This is so relaxing to watch during summer brooooooo

[@5AMRamen]

Took a ton of them up in Hokkaido - still have 5+ in the series to go 😊 Glad those winter landscapes have that cooling effect - def need it here in Japan now too!

[@Minerva___]

Thanks to your videos I have my ramen choices lined up for my trip! Thanks, Frank! Absolutely love and enjoy your content.

[@Kas-S]

That tsukemen just had all the elements. Best bowl of tsukemen YOU ever had; I'm sold!

[@5AMRamen]

Yes, definitely one of the best, if not the best!! So insanely good.

[@muffinklang]

Thanks for always going that extra mile... :D as well as giving us hints of how to improve our home game :D a lot of these places in this series that went on my must eat at when i get the oppertunity. that Tskuemen looked fantastic - 4 c, that you didn't go in shorts... what a shame. love the videos when you get the chance to leave Tokyo to show us other banging Ramen cities what ramen city would you say is the most underrated one?

[@5AMRamen]

That tsukemen has a huge highlight, for sure! Haha, I had shorts underneath but wasn't brave enough to only wear shorts. Thanks for watching and I likewise love showcasing ramen outside of Tokyo. In terms of underrated ramen cities, maybe Nara? Nara has a lot of great ramen but people don't normally think of Nara for ramen. At least they come to mind first 😃 But the country is dotted with such cities!

[@Hi._.keikoo]

Eating at Ramen Yoshi now! Great recommendation!

[@5AMRamen]

Amazing! Glad you liked it.

[@raianspeirs5916]

the king is back! the king is here! 👑

[@5AMRamen]

I am not worthy of the crown 😅

[@MrLGDUK]

Tsukemen for me, because being able to have cold noodles to dip into hot soup would be absolutely ideal! It doesn't hurt that the way you described it made it sound especially delicious as well... (Wrt regular ramen, I find most of them too hot to be able to enjoy as quickly as I feel is polite. Sorry, overly wordy, but hopefully it makes sense.)

[@5AMRamen]

Makes complete sense...it also slows down the whole process when you're transferring the noodles to the soup for every bite. You'd LOVE Takahashi's tsukemen.

[@fumeokid]

That Tsukemen looked sooo good! That would be my choice. Great video…now I’m hungry. 😋

[@5AMRamen]

That tsukemen...you would love it. One of the best bowls I've had this year.

[@jyeo5556]

Thanks for another informative and appetite inspiring video Frank! Also love the funny cuts at the end as usual! I was thinking about ramen ideas for t shirts and think that one with all the major ramen styles could be a nice design for ramen lovers, a good conversation starter

[@5AMRamen]

As always, thanks for watching! Glad the funny cuts at the end are doing their job still. Nice re: the shirt idea. Maybe could start with the Big 4 (Shoyu, Shio, Tonkotsu and Miso). I think we'll need a massive poster if we jump into all the minor styles too 😃

[@jemmashome]

You’re making me hungry 😋 I love Japanese food! Thanks for sharing, much love from Singapore ❤️

[@5AMRamen]

Thanks for watching and all the best from Tokyo!

[@janettanaka2894]

Hi Frank….another amazingly delicious ramen video. The tsukemen looked amazing and I could practically taste it with your descriptions 😋 When you get home do you ever feel like just having a cheeseburger 🍔 lol? Have you ever done a Q & A with your subscribers? I think that would be a really interesting way to get to know you. Safe journey home to you. 😊🇨🇦

[@Kas-S]

Yes, he should do that; especially while the group size is still manageable.

[@5AMRamen]

After so much ramen (on a trip like this), it's definitely nice to change things up, burgers included! I do enjoy a good cheeseburger now and then. Yes, I think a live Q&A would be a lot of fun...will plan for one 😃 Thanks for watching!

[@5AMRamen]

And yes, should do one sooner than later!

[@ShaneNixonFamily]

I had to LOL about the doughnut. When we visit Japan I do exactly the same thing, end each day with something like a doughnut, or a purin cup, or a dorayaki (I love the maple syrup and butter version best). Or all 3 😂😂😂

[@5AMRamen]

You know the drill all too well 😅 Those 3 are great choices...when in doubt, just eat all 3!

[@joy12division]

I feel you on that ending donut comment. In costco in the US, their soft serve ice cream is just the perfect creamy smooth texture. Wonder if costco Japan is the same way.

[@5AMRamen]

I haven't had Costco Japan's soft serve ice cream! I actually plan to do a Costco run soon...I'm intrigued now and will look for that, thank u 😁

[@joy12division]

@@5AMRamen Same thing for noodles too. I know many ramen people say the noodles are the biggest importance. I think the broth is what is the biggest importance, but a good noodle texture is what bumps it from good to great.

[@S2Raven]

My favourite food from when i visited Sapporo was that McDonalds Black Thunder McFlurry lol

[@5AMRamen]

Haha, have to add that to the list. Wonder if they still have it.

[@garou12]

man i want to see like a top tonkotsu ramen countdown. coz that's ma fav lol

[@5AMRamen]

Feel free to watch the videos from down in Fukuoka! I even went again last year...just haven't uploaded the series yet 😃 kzbin.info/www/bejne/mmqZlap6mJqUmsU

[@garou12]

@@5AMRamen i did haha but im still noticing the derth of tonkotsu haha. is your yamanote line series done? it feels like it abruptly cut off. was watching it in anticipation of the borders reopening to proper tourism

[@Ninja_Revenge]

5 ramens in one day? Man, you are a legend! I can have 1 big ramen a day and be full😅

[@5AMRamen]

I'm perhaps just a fool 😅

[@mattdubas6786]

I liked the tsukemen from Menya Takahashi. I will have to order tsukemen next time I go for ramen. Also, if you go on a vegetable diet when you get back to Tokyo, will it be a vegetable ramen diet?

[@5AMRamen]

I'm sure you'll love Menya Takahashi...words can't describe how good it was. Lol, most definitely a vegetable ramen diet.

[@etherdog]

Coming soon, 5AM Veggies! Frank, as much as we appreciate your reviews, 4 bowls in one day is just insane! Pace yourself, if only for our sake. 😀 We really dig the breadth of shops you cover and the depth of your reviews. It is a big challenge to not want to follow in ALL of your footsteps.

[@5AMRamen]

Haha, 5 AM veggies! I kept that pace for the whole trip (4 bowls) and it def was a challenge towards the end...those footsteps to follow got quite heavy 😅 As always, thanks for watching and glad you like the depth of the reviews!

[@etherdog]

@@5AMRamen Double ha, I just saw your vegan ramen short! I'd love to see you take three JVloggers to that shop and get their reactions, Sharla (Sharmeleon), Currently Hannah, and Amy (Cakes with Faces).

[@totsumtroy975]

"I don't know why I'm eating more." LOL, me either, bro. Me either.

[@5AMRamen]

Lol. Because we can.

[@AnimeMemesz]

That first one was special.

[@5AMRamen]

It really was...Will forever have dreams about it.

[@martenlundin]

Looking tasty as usual 👌

[@5AMRamen]

Sapporo definitely doesn't disappoint 😊

[@itspugsley8203]

amazing 🙏🙌🙌

[@5AMRamen]

Thanks for watching!

[@sergeigen1]

wow the use of the more chinese "soybean" based shoyu sounds really interesting. you know how a lot of shops call it "chuka soba" and thats kind of a way to say that theyre more traditional i wonder if using more chinese style shoyu is an idea that goes along with that. frank has shown other bowl in the past that kind of play off that, like there was one that did chashu more like char siu and one that makes their noodles by hand , in-house, so to me, it feels like those ideas can all be sort of connected, but i wonder if thats just me, or actually a thing.

[@5AMRamen]

Re: a soy sauce that has a higher ratio or soy beans to wheat, it really depends on the ramen shop. Some classic leaning places (chuukasoba included) still prefer a softer shoyu, not like this one. But what's wonderful about ramen is that it's so diverse and there's no set rules around this. Definitely - teally classic places might have char sui closer to the Chinese version, where it's roasted and slightly red.

[@matheus.bueno47]

Frank you should eat an Izakaya Ramen or a Junk Ramen for your definitive "5 AM Ramen" video lol.

[@5AMRamen]

Yes, the perfect late night ramen! Might have to edit some red out of my cheeks 😅

[@themysterytraveler6536]

How would you compare Noodle Lab Q to Tsuta if possible since they also use multiple types of shoyu.

[@5AMRamen]

Great question! Def similar bowls, in terms of doing a refined shoyu (with those multiple types of shoyu). From what I recall, Tsuta isn't as sweet tasting as Noodle Lab Q (could be from the use of mirin or even the specific shoyu). Soup-wise, it's heavier on the chicken at Noodle Lab Q. Tsuta also has those little pools to change up the flavor (porcini mushroom included) too, as you know.

[@honu677]

4 BOWLS! in 3 hours. Impressive! I would be in a food coma for days. So much deliciousness, I’m going to have ramen dream tonight. Thanks Frank😘 By the way you still look handsome.

[@5AMRamen]

I was in a constant food coma the whole Hokkaido trip 😅 As always, thanks for watching! Dream of noodles ~

[@Z020852]

Frank : Fishy...niboshi...shoyu... Me : *Bookmarked AND emailed link to myself for good measure

[@5AMRamen]

Haha, need to create a Japan fish ramen map for you.

[@Z020852]

@@5AMRamen Oh yeah plus a recap vid of the fish-dominant ramen per region/ciry, I'd absolutely watch (and bookmark) that!

[@themysterytraveler6536]

How “reliable” do you find Tablelog to be. In the US I would Yelp was someday really up until 5 years ago or so, but they do a lot of shady things to businesses in the background

[@5AMRamen]

Another great question. Tabelog has recently gotten a lot of flak for unfair practices. Just like with Yelp or other websites, I take those Tabelog reviews with a grain of salt. But overall I've found Tabelog to be a great ramen resource. I also use Ramen DB and Google...although Google is mostly for Maps or to see what non-Japanese are saying.

[@Yoko_Haru]

How do you eat that much ramen in such a short amount of time!? Its super impressive and makes me jealous.😀

[@5AMRamen]

Haha, don't feel too bad...feeding myself to the point of being full is expensive. I was def struggling tho on that day!

[@hampusw]

goat!!!

[@5AMRamen]

Haha, I'm but a humble ramen consumer tho 🙏

[@doctorcatmeowmeow9619]

thats a cheap ramen…looks really good too…here in cali its around 22$ with tax and gratuity…and the last time wasnt that good my ramen was prob sitting for a while before they served it to me ended up for the noodles to get soggy…

[@5AMRamen]

Oh dear...we're very spoiled here in Japan 😃

[@myronyoshioka8742]

Tsukemen for me....can you get extra char siu........

[@5AMRamen]

Yes! チャーチュー増し (Chashu mashi) towards the bottom of the ticket machine.

[@すずきのぶこ-n7d]

札幌にようこそ。 札幌といえば、味噌ですが、 塩も醤油も、豚骨も、ありますし、 貝だしラーメンや、クラブキングの蟹味噌ラーメンもう、様々です。 市民ですが、幸せです(●´ω｀●) また、来てくださいネ！

[@5AMRamen]

札幌何でもありますね！ また行きたいと思います。😃

[@nickyschardt9922]

Hey Frank, random ramen question: what's up with this bowl of ramen? What is that soup? Is this a particular style? Thanks! kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5XSfICfesSFidk

[@5AMRamen]

In terms of style, it could be described as "dorodoro", which is when you have a super thick soup. But no one really makes it as thick as they do...so maybe they really their own style 😃. He ladles a chicken bone soup on top of a pork bone one. I'll eventually need to do a video there! Nagoya has a lot of great ramen spots.

[@nickyschardt9922]

Thanks for the reply! I'd love to see your take on that bowl!