Hokkaido Ramen Santouka - Costa Mesa

Almost worth the effort. It is not an easy task to fight the crazy traffic and find a parking space at the Mitsuwa marketplace. If you come to lunch, the line for Santouka will probably be long and find an open table in the food dish can be a challenge. Despite all these efforts, you will probably be glad that after trying the well done riddles from this stand. Large bowl, very rich aromas. It's probably the 3rd or 4. Best of all knights nearby, but we are embarrassed by our wealth in this area.

A couple of things surprised me about finding one of the best ramen in the county. First, is its location in a food court of a supermarket. Second, is that it is actually a chain from Japan. The founder, Hitoshi Hatanaka, was inspired by the movie “Tampopo” to bring to the consumer a much better ramen than what he had experienced. Coincidentally, my obsession with ramen first started in high school when I watched the same movie. A friend of mine told me that there was a really hot, kinky sex scene involving egg yolks. That’s all he had to say…I even got my parents to rent it for me since the cover of the VHS looked pretty innocent. Ironically, I ended up being more turned on by the ramen. If you haven’t watched it, you may want to check it out on Netflix or Amazon Video on Demand. There are three basic components that make a good ramen: the broth, the noodles, and the meat. Santouka’s ramen may not be the top in each category, but they have the best overall combination of the thr

I would have gotten a storefront picture of the place for my review but didn 't since it would have been a little strange. I mean, Santouka Ramen is located in the food court of a Mitsuwa supermarket so pulling out a camera to snap a shot wasn 't in my plans. I came here because I keep wanting to give ramen a try as I haven 't been too big a fan of it. This was highly suggested so I figured it was time to travel there and pay (cash-only for a small bowl of their miso ramen, and yes, the small is fairly large. So for 6.99 after tax, I got a rich broth in a sizable bowl (perfect for eating alone! with noodles just a little too hard for my preference. There were plenty of additions in my ramen though including the very enjoyable large piece of pork and crisp bamboo shoots. I especially appreciated the wood ear fungus that was a nice touch. The meat w

Order a #10...when you're done, savor the taste on your lips that you've just finished the best ramen in california.

4.5 stars. I thought it was solid. The menu is simple, there are four different kinds of soup base for you to choose: they are soy sauce (shoyu), salt (shio), soybean paste (aka miso) and spicy miso. Also, you can choose the portion size, which are small, regular (medium) and large. Also, if you like variety, there are a few combos for you to choose from. I honestly loved their bone broth and char siu pork belly, the broth was super rich and flavorful, and the char siu was tender and melt-in-your-mouth. Ramen was al dente. The biggest downside would be the portion size, it was probably the smallest medium I've ever had. Would recommend to upgrade to large or a combo if you have a big appetite. Another con would be the eggs, ramen egg is known for its custardy jammy egg yolk, but unfortunately, the eggs here are not soft-boiled. They tasted like normal hard boiled eggs. Some may think their bone broth is a tad salty, which I also agree, but I feel like they've adjusted the saltiness to the local tastes already. They also have simmered pork jowl, which is also a very good dish w/ a good layer of fat, would recommend to give it a try as well. Overall, it is a delicious ramen place!