Hokkaido Ramen Santouka 山頭火

It’s about time I visited Santouka, since it’s known as one of the top ramen shops in Vancouver. The last time I tried to visit, they were under renovation. I made sure this time that the shop was open. Luckily, we arrived early at around 4:30 pm on a Saturday and only needed to wait around 5 minutes. When we left, this was the line that had formed. The good thing is that the turnover is usually pretty fast at these ramen shops, so the wait is probably not that long. We got seated at the bar and we got to see the chefs in action. Shoyu Ramen S chose the Shoyu Ramen, which has a pork broth seasoned with soy sauce. All ramens come with two slices of pork, but you can add extra pork for an additional cost. The ramen itself is $10.95, but S decided to upsize it to a large by adding $1. I liked how the broth wasn’t very salty. Shio Ramen For myself, I got the Shio Ramen, which is their signature ramen. The pork broth is seasoned with salt and the soup is mild and creamy. I went for the regular size and when the ramen came, I definitely thought it looked really small. However, I was actually contently filled up. I think the soup is very creamy so you actually get full from it. The noodles were cooked to al dente and the broth was very flavourful. We also added an order of Aji-tama, or soft-boiled flavoured egg, which finished the dish perfectly. The yolks were runny and the egg was marinated well. I wish the ramen itself already came with the eggs. Overall, Santouka is definitely on the top of the list for ramen in Vancouver. I can see why people will wait for this. It’s definitely on the pricey side for ramen, especially for the small portions, but it’s well worth it. Service is average and seating is quite cramped.