Decided to pop by Santouka to try my luck after a couple of failed attempts attributed to burgeoning queues which caused a deviation of dinner plans. I suppose we were in luck when I could walk in without restriction and nabbed a table within minutes though the restaurant was still packed. The eatery sits 20 quite comfortably.
Hokkaido ramen is what they specialise in and after Eski's at Yokohama's Ramen Museum, I liken Hokkaido Ramen to oily bases and springy maggi noodle equivalents.
Char Siew Pao ($3)
Khong Bak pau wrapped around a slice of teriyaki chicken topped with mayo and sweet sauce. I actually did not mind this sweet pau that much, though it is miles away from the char siew pau I've been familiar eating all my life.
Gyoza ($5.50)
It appeared fused together, as if taken directly from the freezer and thrown into the wok of boiling oil.
Thankfully, these pot stickers redeemed themselves in the taste department - juicy like xiao long baos, the soup was well sealed in the skins with a meaty ball of minced meat. Oiishii with soya sauce, vinegar and oil!
Tokusen Toroniku Ramen ($19.50, +$2 to upgrade to large portion)
Egg ($1.50)
Ramen was clearly what I was there for and I headed straight for the full works - ramen, prized pork, spring onions, bamboo shoots, black fungus and egg. The ramen came in a thick broth specked with sesame seeds, almost like zha jiang mian consistency. Ingredients and noodles were served separately though tossing them together gave it a better flavour. And the first bite summed it all up - laced with a tinge of disappointment from the overhype. Everyone I spoke to prior to this visit placed Santouka high on the pedestal even above Marutama and Ippudo. The noodles while springy when paired with the soup was tasty but that was it. No lingering of fragrance the way Eski's did, I peppered it with enough chilli powder for a punch.
Roasted pork cheeks is supposedly "extremely valuable" as each pig has only 200-300 grams of the prized. Santouka prides this as the equivalent of fatty tuna. I'd say these are like smoked pork, a tad salty but credit given for the melt in your mouth tendency.
Oh yes, I loved the egg best. Well made! I'd eat this as often as I would of Yung Kee's century eggs if I had the liberty to.
Dining at Santouka was pleasant with the overarching view of Singapore river but that was really just it. The best ramen Singapore has to offer...I beg to differ.
Santouka Ramen
#02-86, Central
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