Boiled Spare Ribs That Surprisingly Tasted Like Sapporo Ichiban Shio Ramen at 'Nomadic Lamb Grill Suyolito'

'Nomadic Lamb Grill Suyolito' is a Mongolian restaurant in Shinjuku Gyoen. It's a somewhat rare spot where you can grill 'lamb BBQ'—not Genghis Khan—over charcoal 🐐. My goal was to try the 'boiled spare ribs,' which are said to be rarely eaten, and the mare's milk liquor I've been wanting to drink for a long time!

Boiled Spare Ribs (Boiled Spare Rib Course, 12 items, 6,600 yen)

In Mongolia, 'boiling/stewing' is just as mainstream as 'grilling,' and this salt-boiled bone-in lamb is a nomadic feast known locally as 'khorkhog' (or 'chansan makh'). You grab the meat around the bone with your hands and take a big bite... The fibers fall apart easily, followed by a burst of juices, and finally, the sharp finish of the salt ties it all together. There isn't much of a gamey lamb flavor; it's a gentle taste that soaks into your body.

...And then, an incident occurred. The moment I took a sip of the soup,it was surprisingly the taste of Sapporo Ichiban Shio Ramen soup😱 Of course, the authentic version should only contain salt and lamb, but the impression was exactly that lol. Who would have thought I'd reunite with a national instant noodle brand through a traditional grassland dish 🤣

Mare's Milk Liquor 'Arkhi' (38% alcohol!)

And the other star of the show, the mare's milk liquor. When I chose the clear, distilled 'Arkhi,' it turned out to be 38% alcohol! With one sip, my throat felt hot, followed by the airy scent of yogurt-like milk passing through my nose. Despite being crisp and dry, there was a faint acidity and sweetness deep down. It was the kind of drink that would get you drunk in an instant if you didn't sip it slowly.

By the way, the cloudy 'Airag' is made by stirring mare's milk thousands of times a day in a special container, and the alcohol content is only about 1-2%. It's said that in the summer, nomads drink liters of it not as alcohol, but as a nutritional supplement, and there's even a story that it traveled to Japan and became Calpis!

It was a night where I felt like I had traveled a bit, thanks to the rare food and unique drinks.

If you're interested in the lamb cuts grilled over charcoal (shoulder loin, shoulder, tongue, and rump!) or the story about how mare's milk liquor was the 'ancestor of Calpis,' please check out the full blog post!