When the first things that greet you in a ramen joint are B98 Suntory highballs and garlic crushers on the tables, you know you’re in business. At Hokkaido Ramen Gantetsu, the Silom outpost of a little ramen shop in northern Japan, cheap booze and liberal fresh garlic are backed up by one of the creamiest and most balanced tonkotsu (pork bone) broths this side of Lumpini Park.

The miso tonkotsu charshu special (B258) comes with five handsome slices of pork, bamboo shoots and a hearty portion of nicely springy, chunky egg noodles. Throw a perfectly fudgy braised egg (B28) in there for the full works. A word of advice, though: stick with the miso broth. The soy sauce (shoyu) option is intensely salty, and ruins the balance of this store’s delicious tonkotsu underpinnings—something that’s especially felt in the tsukemen (dipping noodle ramen, B238), where the undiluted, salty side soup quickly becomes a chore.

Given that the whiskey’s so cheap and the tonkotsu a delight, you might be surprised to find you’re the only people dining in Gantetsu’s poky but pleasant, concrete-clad slice of a Silom side street. We put the lack of customers down to nearby Ramen Tei. Most lunch hours in the week, we’d also plump for Ramen Tei’s reliably gigantic bowls of milky broth or steaming, buttery curries, but there’s an after-hours vibe to Gantetsu that’s lacking from the bright lights and television screens of its popular neighbor.

And if you’re looking for a cheap daytime fill, this place can also dish out some excellent fried cutlet sets all at B178 complete with rice, miso soup and other little side nibbles.

Outside of its ramen, Gantetsu never really does anything spectacular, whether it’s fried chicken (B118/4 pieces) that seeps slightly too much oil, or gyoza (B118/6 pieces) wrapped in chewy skins, but who really cares when it gets the stuff that matters right? Properly stewed broth, delicious noodles and a pricing policy that begs you to have another each time your glass is empty.

This review took place in June 2017 and is based on a visit to the restaurant without the restaurant's knowledge. For more on BK's review policy, click here.