Flavors from the North by Kikusui - 【菊水】北の味めぐり 寒干しラーメン

Kikusui's "Flavors from the North" features 3 kinds of instant ramen from the 3 major ramen cities in Hokkaido: Hakodate Shio, Sapporo Miso, and Asahikawa Shoyu. Yes this is instant ramen, but it's not the average top ramen variety. It's called "Kanboshi" which simply means air-dried. Instead of flash frying the noodles in oil, they are air-dried over a low heat. Supposedly, this method retains the natural flavors of the wheat and more closely resembles the texture of fresh noodles after being boiled.

Hakodate Shio Ramen: The base of the shio ramen is made with pork bones being boiled for a very long time. To keep the soup clean and clear, the fat that floats to the top is constantly removed. I enjoyed the crisp cleanliness of the soup, but it was just too simple. The saltiness reminded me of drinking the ocean.

Sapporo Miso Ramen: Meat, seafood, vegetables, and miso make up the base for this soup. I enjoyed this one the most. It gave that nice, pinchy feeling when it touched my tongue. I only wish I had all the toppings from Sumire to put on top.

Asahikawa Shoyu Ramen: A mix of pork bones and chicken bones give this shoyu ramen its jumpstart. Although it's very light, I enjoyed the depth of the shoyu very much. The noodles were great in each one of these too. I was very impressed.