After my not too satisfying visit to the new Santouka in San Diego, I thought I'd wait a bit before trying it out again. But the opportunity arose a lot quicker than I'd thought. The always thoughtful Howie, proprietor of The Foodie View invited me to join his merry group for lunch. (BTW, check out his new feature, The Foodie View of the Day). On this day, the Shio Ramen was spot on, from the wonderfully tongue scortching broth, to the toothsome and elastic noodles. Unfortunately, I was enjoying the wonderful company of Michelle, Caron (of San Diego Foodstuff), and Howie so much, that I really didn't feel motivated to take photos. Great conversation will do that to me sometimes.
Recently, the Missus, needing a change of pace, wanted some ramen. Now the Missus is not a big ramen fan, though I think it is due to the fact that She's had too much "bad ramen". Being that a request for ramen occurs about as often as an appearance of Halley's comet in the mmm-yoso household, I jumped at the chance. We arrived at the Santouka "booth", and the Missus wanted something "salty", so it was a large Miso Ramen for Her, and since She has never met a boiled egg She's never liked, we got the boiled eggs(99 cents) as well. Since I wanted to do an "apple for apple" comparison, I decided on the Shio Ramen again($7.99 - large), and of course I got a side of boiled egg as well.
The shiro(broth) was excellent, tongue melting hot, rich, but not greasy, and full of porky goodness, sweet, and mildly salty. The Chashu was also very good, soft, but not falling to pieces, rich in flavor, and very moist. Even the Missus, who, ummm, "doesn't eat pork", loved it! The noodles were a bit off today, hard and brittle, instead of being chewy, with a nice elasticity. Still, this was way better than that first bowl I had.
I had a sip of The Missus's Miso Ramen, and it still strikes me a being too salty. As for the boiled eggs....the Missus loved them so much, She traded 1 piece of Chashu for my eggs. Sorry, but I wasn't going to just give away my boiled eggs. Chivalry has its limits.
So there you have it, a revisit to Santouka in San Diego, not as good as my undocumented second visit, but better than my first. Still not better than the bowls I've had in Torrance and Costa Mesa, but getting there.
Santouka Ramen
4240 Kearny Mesa Rd(In the Mitsuwa Marketplace)
San Diego, CA 92111
Looks good! It's been a couple of weeks since I've had ramen so I'm seriously overdue.
Posted by: Carol | Tuesday, 29 July 2008 at 09:09 AM
I had wondered where the hard boiled egg was in my ramen when I tried Santouka. I guess I didn't look closely enough at the plastic models to see that it was a side item.
It would take something rarer than Halley's Comet for me to get my husband to have ramen, mostly because it's more expensive and smaller than pho.
Posted by: Sandy | Tuesday, 29 July 2008 at 09:40 AM
Good food news always warms my heart. Awesome!
Posted by: janfrederick | Tuesday, 29 July 2008 at 11:03 AM
Hey Kirk! Aw, I miss going to Mitsuwa Marketplace for lunch! I work in the area, but I've had to stop because I'm about to have a baby ANY MINUTE NOW. Good thing I guess, because my ankles swell up to massive proportions everytime I eat ramen!
BTW, just saw the clip of San the Cooking Guy serving a heaping plate of STFU to Kathie Lee and Hoda on the Today Show. Legendary!
Posted by: Dee | Tuesday, 29 July 2008 at 02:34 PM
Hi, Kirk!
It was great hanging out and slurping some noodles with you! I think the Shio Ramen is my favorite too. Somehow the richness of the broth comes through the best in that version.
I'm hoping that Daikokuya will make its way further south soon too.
Posted by: howie | Tuesday, 29 July 2008 at 03:14 PM
was that an umeboshi on top of the ramen? very unusual if it was, but the rest of the ramen looked delicious.
Posted by: kat | Tuesday, 29 July 2008 at 04:34 PM
Hi Kirk, I always thought what they served in SD was a tad quieter than at the store in Costa Mesa..
As for tonkotsu style ramen I prefer it richer but honestly it's all good to me, haha. Recently tried the seasonal Hiyashi Chuka cold noodles. It was ok and glad I tried it but I think I'll stick to their ramen. Cheers.
Posted by: Dennis | Tuesday, 29 July 2008 at 06:09 PM
Hi Carol - It was much better than what I had on my first visit.
Hi Sandy - LOL! Your husband sounds just like the Missus!
Hi Jan - Good news, enough to warm Big-Hearted Jan!
Hi Dee - Oh my! Best wishes.....ramen can wait!
Hi Howie - I had a great time. I've been meaning to check out Daikokuya in Costa Mesa, but with gas prices the way the are! sigh....
Hi Kat - Yes, the umeboshi is sort of the trademark of Santouka's Shio Ramen.
Hi Dennis - Yes, it is....
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 29 July 2008 at 08:50 PM
LOL you guys are great. I don't share with my wife I just take it from her and do it quick! ;-)
Hey are you heading to the OC Fair anytime soon? I was there from 1pm-630pm Sunday and had a food marathon. Cheese on a stick, corn dog, large fresh potato chips, fried avocado, fried oreos, fried pop tarts, and a fried twinkie. And after the fair went and had K-BBQ.
Posted by: nhbilly | Tuesday, 29 July 2008 at 10:24 PM
Hi Billy - You little thief you! ;o) As for the OC Fair, because of the price of gas, we'll probably pass. Sounds like you had quite a massive amount of food!
Posted by: Kirk | Thursday, 31 July 2008 at 07:32 AM
Those noodles look really good, did they soften up over time? I can't imagine trying to eat ramen over here in Scottsdale (temps up at 110 today), can't wait to get back to cold foggy SF and hunt down something comparable, pant pant...
Posted by: foodhoe | Friday, 01 August 2008 at 10:31 AM
Hi FH - But it's a "dry heat" isn't it? ;o) Having spent a few months working in the PHX area, I can understand. The noodles never attained the classic Santouka texture that I enjoyed.
Posted by: Kirk | Saturday, 02 August 2008 at 05:38 PM