Ramen at Mitsuwa (Santouka)

Salt flavor ramen from Santouka

I need a ramen fix! I've been bugging my husband for ramen since last weekend. Finally, he gave in and we drove down to Mitsuwa on Sunday to get my favourite ramen from Santouka.

Santouka shop at Saratoga, CA

For a little ramen shop located at the foodcourt of Mitsuwa, Santouka has its share of loyal followers. Come lunch time, the queue can sometimes extend to the the entrance of Mitsuwa. However, the wait is relatively quick. You basically queue for the order and wait approximate 30 minutes for your ramen to be ready. For us, the wait time often flew by quickly... the foodie in us will always make use of the waiting time to get some sushi and drinks from Mitsuwa. =)

Plate of Cha-siu from Santouka

Santouka is a ramen chain store founded in Japan with locations in many parts of the world. I love the salt flavour ramen - there's something about those chewy noodles and yummy soup that makes me asking for a bigger stomach to eat more. BUT, the best thing from Santouka is the cha-siu! That cha-siu is so good. Those slices of pork has the right amount of fats and meat, with the fats melting away the instant it hits your mouth. Drawing out the flavour of the cha-siu, together with the tender meat and melt-away fats- you get a mouthful of yummy-licous as you chew away at the cha-siu.

 

Cha-siu rice from Santouka

  
Another favourite of ours at Santouka is the cha-siu rice. Well, with cha-siu that good... you can't go wrong with this order. I find that matching the cha-siu with rice allows you to get a better taste from the cha-siu sauce which takes the cha-siu taste to a whole different level. Not to get me wrong, eating the cha-siu together with the noodles is great, but I find that some of the cha-siu sauce flavor is often lost within the ramen soup. To get a true taste of the sauce, it's best to eat it with some rice.

After satisfying my ramen craving, I decide to start a "ramen" making series. So watch out for my blog as I tried to make those yummy-licous cha-siu, ramen and eggs in the next few weeks...