Monday, April 28, 2008

Santouka Ramen


Ok...Stella's got her groove back on. I'm not so dissapointed anymore. Time to explore the inner pangs of my gastrointestinal self. I'm still smarting a little, but I do feel better. What better way to raise my comfort level than to have some comfort food? What's comfortable to me? Well, what's comfortable to you? Do you grab a bowl of chicken noodle soup when you need that feeling of security and home? Do you order a plate of roast turkey with stuffing and mashed potatoes, like Thanksgiving with mom? Me? I want a bowl of noodles. The steaming bowl of liquids with the familiar Asian flavors and hot, flavorful noodles, overcoming my soul...overtaking any anxiety I might feel.
Unfortunately, not every noodle place is ideal for a feeling of home. I'm not saying that Santouka's vibe shouts out home, considering it's in the Mitsuwa Market Place. But their ramen is amazing. The pork bone based broth is swimming with feelings of comfort and home. Quite honestly, before coming here, I was quite uneducated about ramen and what it could be, or should be. I'd been to a number of places that were good, but this ramen took it to another level. I want to give props to the Rameniac. I would have never imagined that ramen could ever be much better than the instant noodles I make at home. I would love to go on and on about this ramen, but only the Rameniac can truly do justice. He also has a number of other places he speaks highly of...I'll definitely have to try.
Santouka does not do to go orders, so go there ready to eat. They have different variations of ramen, from soy sauce to salt ramen...everything is delicious.

1 comment:

LateNightBytes said...

Hey man, this place sounds good. I've been to Japan a couple of times and the ramen was good there. Most of the places in L.A. should use "top ramen" in their restaurant names if you catch my drift. How does it compare with the ones in Tokyo?