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Is hamburger patty ramen a case of too many good things in one bowl? Let’s find out! [Taste test]

Casey Baseel a few minute ago
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Far away from Japan’s most touristy neighborhoods is a daring fusion dish from a very old-school restaurant.

Generally speaking, ramen and hamburger patties are pretty far apart from each other on the eastern-or-western culinary spectrum. Personally, we’re big fans of both here at SoraNews24, but it’s generally sort of an either/or question as to which one of those cravings we’re going to satisfy in single meal.

So imagine the surprise of our Japanese-language reporter Takuya Inaba when he recently discovered the existence of hamburger steak ramen.

That might sound like the sort of thing you’d encounter at a tourist-trap eatery near downtown Tokyo’s Shibuya crossing, but instead we came across this innovative dish at Koryu, a decidedly old-school ramen restaurant not far from the shore of Lake Sagami in the town of Sagamihara in Kanagawa, the prefecture that borders Tokyo on the capital’s southern side.

From its exterior, Koryu (whose name translates as “Lake Dragon”), does not look like a place that chases after gimmicky food trends, and that vibe continues once you step inside. This restaurant has been serving up ramen in this location for roughly 40 years, and it has the sort of rustically inviting, at-home atmosphere that makes you understandingly nod your head at how long it’s been in business.

Flipping through the menu, we first saw a page with old standards like shoyu (soy sauce broth) and miso ramen, with prices starting at just 680 yen (US$4.30).

But then we got to the section where the more deluxe options are listed, and there it was.

▼ Hamburger steak ramen

Fusion recipes like this are always a bit of a gamble, but at a still-reasonable price of 1,080 yen, we decided to roll the dice and order it. As Ryuko’s owner, who operates the restaurant by himself most days, began preparing our hamburger steak ramen, we braced ourselves for an utterly bizarre-looking bowl of noodles to be placed before us…

…but it turned out to be shockingly normal looking. Not plain or unappealing, mind you, but largely in keeping with what you’d expect to see in a bowl of ramen, with negi (green onions), menma (fermented bamboo shoots), seaweed, kinshi tamago (thin strands of egg), and a swirly naruto fish cake.

Following standard ramen-tasting protocol, Takuya started with a sip of the broth. It was flavorful, with what he describes as strong umami sensations and a mild saltiness which still came to an incredibly clean finish in its flavor profile, leading him to think the pork stock must be made by cooking on low heat for a very long time.

OK, now it was time to take a clearer look at the hamburger steak, which Takuya could perceive subtly floating underneath the egg. Using his spoon, he brushed the strands aside.

Ah, there you are! Obviously, the hamburger steak didn’t say hi or otherwise audibly announce its presence, but it immediately demanded attention by nature of being something you just don’t see in this environment, like if there had been a polar bear soaking in the broth.

However, after the broth the next thing ramen fans say you’re supposed to taste is the noodles, so Takuya did what he could to put the hamburger steak out of his mind for the moment.

The noodles, which the owner makes himself in-house, had a nice, springy texture to them, and Takuya was blown away by how good the menma, which the owner also personally prepares, tasted.

But at this point, Takuya couldn’t contain his curiosity any longer, so it was time to try the hamburger steak.

Balanced on his spoon, he was happily surprised at just how big it was. Now thoroughly soaked with broth, he wondered if this mix of eastern and western elements really could work together, so he took a bite…

…and discovered that, yeah, this is honestly good stuff!

Unlike with a hamburger or a standard hamburger steak set meal, the patty here isn’t slathered with ketchup, barbecue sauce, or any other condiments. Instead, the delicious flavor of the meat itself is what gets full play on your taste buds, and by nature of being less fatty and oily than many of the chashu pork strips that are the most common meaty topping for ramen, the broth’s inherently appealing flavors aren’t muddled in any way either.

So it turns out that just like hamburger patties can work as a sushi topping, they can work as a ramen topping too. Again, since Ryuko is a one-man-run restaurant, waits can get long around peak lunch and dinner hours, so we’d recommend avoiding those times, and the location does mean that experiencing this unique dish for yourself will take a bit of planning, but with the nearby Lake Sagami Illumination Christmas light display making its return later this month, there are two reasons to make the day trip from Tokyo out to this part of Japan.

Restaurant information
Ryuko / 湖龍
Address: Kanagawa-ken, Sagamihara-shi, Midori-ku, Suwarashi 3327
神奈川県相模原市緑区寸沢嵐3327
Open 11 a.m.-midnight
Closed Sundays

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