There are actually two new(ish) Hokkaido ramen places near each other - the other is in Mclean. This is near the Boro in Tysons.
Hokkaido Ramen Santouka is part of a chain from a famous ramen shop in Hokkaido - so it has the pedigree. Other US locations are 2 in Seattle and 3 in the Boston area. There are also 3 locations in Vancouver and 3 in Toronto.
There are quite a few different ramen available here, and I landed on the goma miso ramen. This is the same style as I’ve had at Sushi Taro when they used to have ramen at lunch about once a month. That was a favorite of mine in the DC area. This style is made with sesame seeds and sesame paste.
Wow! This is the real deal, and I have no hesitation to say this is the best bowl of ramen I’ve had in the US. The broth is like a fine wine with so many layers of flavor. The chashu here is sliced very thin. The first slice melted in my mouth. the second was a bit thicker and clumsier to eat.
I was glad I ordered the noodles firm. At first these might be a bit too firm, but after about a third of the bowl they softened and were now perfect. And glorious. Wavy chewy yellow strands of perfection.
Another interesting aspect to note: they offer three bowl sizes! Awesome. Small, Medium, and Large. Large is your typical bowl of ramen, which is what I got.
For the record, the other Hokkaido ramen place is Otosan Ramen. It serves a fine ramen, typical of the DC area. I had the classic tonkatsu.
When I tried them a couple of times more than a decade ago, they served the noodles in plastic takeout bowls, and the food was ok, not special. It looks like they have upgraded to ceramic bowls now. Maybe its time to go back.
They have had outlets in SE Asia for some time and the ones in Bangkok and Jakarta are very mediocre despite large Japanese expat populations in both cities. These days the best bowls I have found in the USA are local places, rather than the imports. Afuri is also a brand from Japan (have had great bowls from them there ) whose first USA foray was Portland. Despite it being decent, there are 3-4 other places that are better.
My report is only one one specific ramen in one location. They have a long list on the menu here. I assume since this was a goma miso ramen, they simply add a sesame stock (and sesame seeds) to the miso broth. The toppings are also different.
I have been to many independent shops in the DC area (including Otosan which I referenced in my report), though nowadays it’s hard to keep up with the number of openings to get to all of them.
The present ‘darling’ in DC is Menya Hosaki which is only open four times a week, is tiny, and a line forms. It’s seriously good. I did think the noodles a bit soft, so when I go back I will employ the same strategy.
They have a big menu, despite the name, as Americans love to have their choices. Very few places in the US are like the ramen-ya of Japan. Menya Hosaki in DC is the closest in this area. Their kara age is outrageously good. The menu is pretty much limited to that and ramen, though even they offer a choice of ramens.
