Friday, November 13, 2009

Take-Out from Sapporo 11-13-2009


Location: 152 West 49th St.
Time: 12:15pm

Feelings: While I still appreciate their efficiency and hall-in-the-wall atmosphere, I was not too happy with the over-salty flavor from Sapporo last time I tried. For my midtown ramen cravings, I usually head out to Menchanko-Tei or Menkui-Tei, but I did not feel like walking six blocks in the rain.

I ordered veggie miso ramen ($7.50) for lunch and gyoza ($5) for my late afternoon snack. The veggie miso ramen was on the salty side but not as bad as the shoyu or shio due to the sweetness of the miso. The flavor of the soup lacked complexity, but since they give you tons of noodles, it would need to be this simple to eat it all. They give you almost twice as many noodles as other ramen shops. You judge a ramen shop by the flavor, but Sapporo seems to bring their game with the noodle portions. I suppose they adapted themselves to American style cuisine.

My favorite was definitely the gyoza. The skin was incredibly smooth, and I love the way they went down my throat. The ratio of the skin and the filling was just perfect. The overpowering garlic aroma took over my mouth as well as within a three cubicle radius. (I apologize to my coworkers about that.)

If you want a quick, cheap and filling ramen lunch, I would recommend Sapporo. It is $2-$3 cheaper than Menchanko, and the portions are large. But if you are more of a quality over quantity person like myself, Menchanko would be the place in midtown.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I use to eat at Sapporo once a week but ever since the menu expansion and slight increase in price the soup tastes a bit water down. Am I the only one that feels this way? The Gyoza is still the same will try the rice dishes in near future.