SANTOUKA Ramen in Japan - Headquarters!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ก.ย. 2022
- Santouka Ramen's flagship shop is in Japan's coldest big city...Asahikawa!
We'll find out if their signature shio ramen tastes better here than at their many branches around the world. This means their silky pork bone broth, ume plum topping, and everything else!
Order the Santouka premium instant ramen pack here and use promo code "ume" at checkout for a discount:
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I'm Frank from 5 AM Ramen. Born in Tokyo and raised on ramen, I eat over 350 bowls a year. To me, ramen is the ULTIMATE SOUL FOOD.
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I totally forgot I went to the one here in Vancouver. I remember it being pretty good, but the portion was a bit smaller then some of the other ramen places around here. Will have to try this in japan when I eventually go.
I think what you said nicely sums it up! In Japan, it's decent to pretty good but I'm curious how it compares to Vancouver or elsewhere.
@@5AMRamen It's one of the best you can get in Toronto as well.
No, there are no Santouka ramen restaurants in the UK. I love the sounds of that ramen bowl, though. Maybe I'll get to try it one day.
That would be great if you can, whether in Japan or elsewhere try it!
I got to try Santouka Ramen a few times in Waikiki. Their Shio Ramen is the best. Too bad it’s no longer in Waikiki because of the craziness. Thanks Frank for making my mouth water😘
Too bad about the Waikiki branch! But glad you got to try it 😊
They have a branch in Ala Moana at Don Quijote 😂
Really digging the music in this video! Also four bowls per day is pretty crazy! Thanks for the great video!
Thanks for watching! I used some more funky tracks 😊
Santouka Ramen in New Jersey was the first good ramen I had in the New York area. Its not the best but its much better than most. Its a good starting point for discovering Ramen. Ippudo here in NYC is so so but the ones I went to in Japan were miles apart in quality. Better Chashu, Better egg, better everything. The Ichiran in NY is very, very close to the ones I had in Shinjuku but the chashu is better in Japan. And of course the egg is much better in Japan. I have no doubt that the Santouka ramen in Japan is better than here in the USA. Great video!! 👏
Thanks for the details! It seems like no matter how you slice it, Japan will understandably have the best ramen. Could be the overall approach, the ingredients, know-how, or all the above! Even with the case of chains, where you'd there'd be greater consistency.
Thanks for this. We do have one branch in Malaysia and having tried the shibuya one, it does seem pretty similar in taste. Good quality control. I am surprised to hear that their hq is in asahikawa especially given that's major shoyu ramen town!
You know your ramen, sir! We will be showcasing all of that awesome Asahikawa shoyu ramen in the next video. That's great that it's similar taste, Shibuya and Malaysia. I appreciate the info and thanks for watching!
Oh, this is the one that occupies the Mitsuwa Edgewater/NYC branch. It was my first real ramen like 10 years ago.
Maybe you can revisit? 😊
You should've gone to the Honten of Baikohken instead. Their shoyu ramen is amazing.
I've been! Just not on this trip 😊
That broth looks luscious. I haven’t had the pleasure of eating it though.
Maybe you're inspired to eat there again 😊
Frank, from your review it seems that the OG ramen shops are maintaining their quality and taste, but the newer shops are elevating the quality beyond the traditional standard. Is this what you have found?
Yes, I think you nicely summed it up 😊
Also, when we get into "chain" territory those differences can be more pronounced. Chains are great of course but revenue and growth can outweigh other things for them. But I personally love the OG spots too, chains or otherwise! Gotta love the OG approach too..."if it ain't broken..."
Speaking of chains, you should hit up Tonchin's main shop in Ikebukuro. It's on a whole other level compared to their US and Bangkok branches.
I haven't been to Tonchin outside of Japan...will have to do so!
www.5amramen.com/post/tonchin-ramen
Tried the local branch of Ramen Santouka, tastes fine but the serving size is a little smaller compared to other ramen shops in the area.
Good to know! Wonder if that as always the case?
I would think the HQ is any restaurant would be the best to “set the standard”. More and more Japan based places are slowly opening in CA. Hoping for a Mensho branch in the LA area. There were plans for Tsuta to open here but it fell through for some reason
For sure! Nice to see LA becoming a ramen haven outside of Japan. I need to make a trip myself to LA (I haven't been in years) and I'm hoping that Mensho ends up there too!
@@5AMRamen Just heard that Ramen King by Keisuke Takeda is going to opening here this weekend. Noted as the "undisputed Ramen King of Japan". Not sure if that is true or not. Would love to get your input.
Frank, love your vids. Santouka in LA was good for the first year while the chuzains (expat staff) were there. After they left, it's went downhill quickly. Still in ramen deprived LA, it's one of the better ones.
Ramen deprived LA?? I just moved to south carolina from LA and I am ramen deprived. I would kill for Slurpin Ramen, Kotsu Ramen or Ramen Totsunoya . . .
What do you mean “ramen deprived LA”? There’s tons of places here whether you’re in Little Tokyo, Santa Monica, or around Torrance and Gardena…
That's a shame that the quality dropped off - that often seems to be the case, or so I hear wirh some of these chains when they go abroad. I do need to visit LA for ramen!
@@5AMRamen If you’re ever in the Torrance area(20ish minutes south of LA) you should definitely try Asa Ramen, known for their kotteri shoyu ramen!
I think their spicy miso ramen is the best in Los Angeles. Love it.
Haven't had the spicy miso - will have to 👍
I was coming here to say that! The spicy miso seems to be the overwhelming fav in so cal. I used to always order the spicy miso but tried the shio once and have never gone back. The shio is so much smoother and more umami IMO. Santouka will always be at the top of my ramen list! We have a lot of highly rated ramen shops in LA. I think we might be able to rival Japan!
Heyyy Frank !!! M seeing you after a very long time . How are you ?☺️
It has been a while! I've been busy but will be uploading more frequently again 😊
@@5AMRamen hey u r doing great .... Don't take pressure of uploading more . take care ☺️
hey, I'm hungry here
Santouka did its job!
did you get a chance to hit up hachiya up there as well 😄
I did!! That'll be in one of the next videos. Awesome you know about Hachiya 😊
@@5AMRamen YES! looking forward to it! luckily i saw it on the ramenadventures and goramen blogs before my trip.
Hey Frank, we got Santouka here in Vancouver as well. It's one of the most popular ones for sure. But I must say, my favourite Asahikawa ramen is Taka no tsume. They brought the original chef here a few years back and set up a shop only to tweak it for local taste a year later, which was a big disappointment. During covid they shut down their downtown store.
Have you had the chance to try Taka no tsume in the past?
Not Frank, but from Vancouver and have to say...Ramen Taka is the best bowl in town, easily. Also...you can ask for the Hokkaido-style soup when you order (it's not shown on the menu) and it's miles better than the watered down version they serve otherwise.
@@ceejaybizzle Hey Conor, I knew one of the guys that started the first Taka no tsume on Bidwell. He used to be a sushi chef on Pender near Seymour at a place called Kyzock.
"Hokkaido style" was the original that I'm talking about above. They then tweaked it for locals. They also had the original hot roasted lard on the soup which they don't do anymore. That's what I'd love to see. Taka no tsume was something else in its first month or two. Richmond location unfortunately doesn't do it for me anymore. Instead we just go for Kintaro on Denman.
Thanks guys for the info! I actually haven't had Taka no Tsume before and it looks like they have a branch in central Tokyo!
Snow in September ?
Taken in Feb 😊
I've been to santouka many times here in Toronto. Although it was one of my top 3 ramen shops here initially, the flavor of the broth has gotten worse over time in my opinion and has become somewhat "one dimensional". I have to admit the pork jowl slices were amazing though.
I 100% agree with everything you've said. I will say we actually are quite lucky in Toronto with the options we have at least, my picks being Konjiki, Ryu's, and Musoshin.
@@ec6596 Cool to see another Torontonian here lol. I'll have to stop by those places whenever I'm nearby (probably not for a while since I don't have a reason to be downtown anymore lol). I've been to the Konjiki on Yonge St. once a while back and I had some variation of tonkotsu ramen with ground pork I think but it didn't really impress me. My favorite tonkotsu ramen so far is Sansotei's black garlic oil one. Maybe I'll try Konjiki again since there's one in Markham.
Thanks guys for the info! In Japan, Santouka has probably also suffered a similar one dimensional fate...or maybe it's just because other shops have become better / three dimensional.
I did not even know about this chain, much less finding out one is near me. I assumed it was another low effort american style ramen. I have no hope at all it will be even decent but I'll try it out.
Hopefully you enjoy it, at least for what it is! Not sure what else is around you but maybe you can add it to the ramen rotation.
@@5AMRamen Im near DC and the ramen scene is pretty poor and really not authentic Ive been spoiled by shops on your lists and other ramen heads in Tokyo.