Santouka Ramen

On my trip to Boston, I entered a Santouka located in Harvard Square. I knew about Santouka from the Mitsuwa Market I visited before. I know that it's also a chain store specializing in Hokkaido-style ramen. Hokkaido-style ramen is served with a thicker broth and Santouka uses a thick tonkotsu broth (pork base). I was looking to force my mom to try something outside her comfort zone instead of the Chinese place next door. It was something new to me as well as I am use to Tokyo-style ramen.

Tired and hungry after visiting the Harvard Museum of Natural History, we walked into Santouka. I went ahead and ordered the lunch set Chashu Shoyu Ramen set for $16. If you went for a small bowl, it would cost $15 and as the size increases, your cost would increase per dollar. This set is a bowl of  chashu shoyu ramen, a bowl of chashu over rice, and an egg. My mom went with their current summer special of a Goma Miso Ramen. We also went ahead and ordered a plate of gyoza. Service was really good. We were immediately given a basket to place our baggage in and our tea gets refilled frequently.

I don't think every Santouka is like this, but the Santouka in Harvard Square has really strong flavors. My mom complained that the broth was so salty that it turned bitter. If the base had not been so strong, the entire contents would have been consumed entirely. I'm going to have to agree because I couldn't finish my shoyu broth either. It's very standard fare and the menu is very small, as expected in many Japanese ramen places. The noodles feel like hand-made noodles minus the additives. It feels like it has been made with the simple ingredients and kneaded to give it springiness. If there were additives in it, it would have been even more springy. It was really a shame that the broth was too strong. I think if you had strong broth in a New York restaurant, you would have been pummeled to the ground with bad reviews.

The gyoza is very delicately fried. It tasted good. I suggest dipping it using ponzu and/or rayu. The spiciness and acidity in the sauces give it a nice kick to the already salted gyoza. My chashu over rice is really just braised lean pork. The egg was a wonder to me since it was the first time having it. It's a slowly boiled egg that has cooked whites and a creamy, but solid orange yolk. I was really full with my lunch set. I think if I went a Santouka somewhere else, I wouldn't get the same portion as I get in Boston. It feels like portion sizes are larger in Boston compared to New York City.