Our RAMENventure led us to Hokkaido Ramen Santouka in Trinoma, one of the most talked-about ramen places in the country. The weather may not be ramen-friendly, but who cares? It’s RAMEN, right? 🙂

We were strolling along Trinoma garden (which reminds me of Greenblet 5) and we saw Hokkaido Ramen Santouka, sharing a space with its sister company, Mochicream Cafe. How lucky I am to have two of the best ramen joints in the north, Nagi (SM North) and Santouka (Trinoma).

So enough of the blabbing. We settled in a long sharing table, and I noticed how “woodsy” the resto is. Despite the earthy ambiance, the restaurant still looks modern and sophisticated.

We were supposed to order big ramen bowls, but we were drawn to their yummy selection of ramen and rice bowl sets. Their sets are already complete with appetizer, salad, fruits, and tea.

I remembered my kids at home when I saw their Parent-Child Set (PhP 450). It includes 1 regular-sized ramen, 1 child ramen (1/3 portion of regular size), and a toy. 

My husband ordered the Set I – Small Ramen & Grilled Salmon and Salmon Roe Rice Bowl Set (PhP 470). He chose their signature Shio Ramen (salt flavor). Shio has a mild, distinct taste, with a milky/creamy consistency. Toppings include chashu, jelly ear mushrooms, bamboo shoots, leeks, narutomaki, sesame seeds, and Santouka’s signature topping, pickled plum (they only include it in Shio). The salmon rice bowl is also a must-try.

On the other side of the table is Set G – Small Ramen & Curry and Rice Bowl Set (PhP 470). There’s an additional PhP 20 for Kara-Miso Ramen (hot soybean paste flavor). If you’re a follower of this blog you must have noticed that I always prefer my food spicy.

I think the price for the whole set is fair enough, given the complete meal of ramen, rice bowl, appetizer, salad (with sesame dressing), fruits, and tea.

The curry & rice are so good, I was deeply disappointed with the small serving size. I wanted to order a full serving. LOL.

The Kara-Miso Ramen is bursting with umami flavor, and it has the right level of spiciness. I enjoyed each and every slurp! I go by the saying, ‘save the best for last’, so I finished everything first before I devoured my ramen. The soup isn’t too hot upon serving (which I thought was a coincidence), then I later learned that they do it on purpose. Why?

According to their website, they simmer the pork bones for about 20 hours before adding vegetables, dried fish, kelp and other special ingredients. They believe that maintaining the optimal temperature of the soup will bring out its exceptional taste and flavor. No boiling, only simmering. 

The “simmered” pork broth may not be hot enough, but I think it’s fine especially if someone’s in a hurry or the soup would be served to a child or to an elderly.

The spiciness and taste is a bit similar to Karamen Hot Spicy Ramen by Taisho Ramen, a long time ramen fave of mine. I’m actually torn between the two. There’s nothing special about Santouka’s chashu and noodles, but the blend of all the ingredients is perfect.

The spiciest ramen I’ve had so far is Black King by Ramen Nagi (ramen is customizable, so I went overboard with the Fire Sauce level.. I thought I could handle the heat!). Next to the list is Yuzu-Tama Tonkotsu Ramen by Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen (a uniquely-flavored ramen spiced with yuzu pepper).  

On my next visit to Santouka Ramen, I’ll never forget to order Ajitama.

Published: 2015-06-08 18:42:19