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Thursday, July 12, 2007

Santouka - Costa Mesa

I know, it's way too hot for ramen. But Elmo of Monster Munching's recent post on rival ramen shops had me craving a hot steamy bowl. Ordinarily, I would just go to Daikokuya Noodle & Rice Bowl in Little Tokyo. And while I love their tonkotsu (pork bone) broth, I also wanted to try something different. The other highly regarded ramen shop in SoCal is Santouka, a chain based in Japan. Santouka has been getting rave reviews since it opened inside the Mitsuwa Marketplace in Costa Mesa a few years back. So when I recently found myself in Orange County, I knew where I was headed. I had heard horror stories about the parking and the lines, but on a recent weekday during the height of the lunch rush, it wasn't bad at all. I found parking quickly. And while the food court was busy, it wasn't jam-packed. The line was quite manageable as you can see. I love the Japanese plastic food! Makes it easy for me to decide what I want. I settled on the #1, a bowl of shio (salt) ramen for $6.49. Does the real thing look like the plastic version? They were out of mushrooms that day so I got a piece of nori seaweed instead. The broth is milky -- a good sign that the pork bones had been simmered a long, long time. The pork slices were fattier and thicker than Daikokuya's, but very tasty. The noodles were firm and chewy. There were more pieces of bamboo. I'm not a fan of the faux fish slices but I ate it. And slurped every bit of the broth. Of course, it's a smaller bowl than Daikokuya's, so while Daikokuya's ramen leaves me very full and sated, Santouka's leaves me wanting just a little bit more. Just a tiny bit, mind you. Oh, and that lovely red cherry tomato that seems to bring everything in the bowl into focus? Ack! I bit right into the center of a pit. It was a pickled plum or something. I liked it, but it was a bit of a shock when I was expecting a soft, sweet cherry tomato. It's a hard toss up which ramen shop I like more. The broths are different so can I just say I love them both equally for their differences? :P I've got to hit them up again so I can try their spicy miso ramen. Oh, and no, they won't let you take this to go. :( Who else ate here? Elmo of Monster Munching also ate the shio ramen at Santouka. Other ramen posts: Aji Man Japanese Restaurant - San Gabriel Daikokuya Original Noodle & Rice-Bowl - Los Angeles (Little Tokyo) Daikokuya Original Noodle & Rice-Bowl - Monterey Park Foo Foo Tei Noodle House - Monterey Park (Closed) Santouka - Los Angeles Shin-Sen-Gumi Hakata Ramen - Gardena Shin-Sen-Gumi Hakata Ramen - Rosemead Santouka (several locations) (Inside the Mitsuwa Marketplace) 665 Paularino Ave. Costa Mesa, CA 92626 714-434-1101 Open 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Cash only

9 comments:

  1. Looks like you got a little variety dish.

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  2. I like shio ramen too and have been hunting around for a good bowl of ramen too :)

    Of course, the real thing is much better than the plastic but they do look similar.

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  3. I tried my friend's spicy miso ramen, and it's awesome...maybe even better than the shio. I still have to get my butt to Daikokuya though.

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  4. Tigerfish,
    I'm always amazed how those plastic foods look so real!

    Elmo,
    Spicy miso ramen is definitely on my list for my next visit.

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  5. Heya Wandering,

    I've tried Daikokuya, and thought the chashu was superb. However, I found the broth a bit watered down to my tastes. The side of fried rice was good, the fried spicy tuna was excellent. But I think the best broth is from Santouka. Its rich and bold and quite flavorful. I have not had any other that was better. Now.. if only I can get them to start serving a double bowl size..

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  6. Polar,
    You've got me craving Santouka's ramen again with your description! I think that small bowl is a brilliant marketing ploy. Keeps you craving more. If they had a bigger bowl, we might get our fill of it more.

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  7. Haha! Yeah that red thing is an ume (pickle plum). You're supposed to eat it first to cleanse your palate I believe... Shoulda gave it a squeeze like I did to establish if it was indeed a tomato =P

    I like Daikokuya better because of the pure unalterated pork flavor of kotteri style and that best pork ever of course! But I have to say that Santouka's broth is a lot more complex and have different flavor notes if that can be said.

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  8. Q,
    I did end up eating it first. I thought it was good, just a bit of a shock since I was expecting a cherry tomato.

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