Hokkaido Ramen Santouka — Restaurant in Vancouver

Caught up with a friend for a casual dinner of ramen, or in my case: a significant over-commit with a large serve of delicious ramen .

We decided on this spot over the others in the area as it's been at least a couple of years since we dined at Hokkaido Ramen Santouka last.

A total surprise that there was no line up when we arrived at about 7pm on a Thursday evening. We opted to sit outside since it was a non-rainy day. Our waitperson was friendly and super-quick with bringing us menus and cups of water. They checked back in once before we were ready to ordered and was so helpful when we had questions, even bringing out bowls to show us the size comparisons for serving sizes.

We ordered the tsuke-men and kara-miso ramen both in large with the latter combo-ed up with a grilled salmon bowl.

Our meals arrived pretty quickly, were well presented and the broth incredibly hot.

Mine was the combination kara-miso ramen (large) + grilled salmon bowl $19.15 + tax + tip: kara-miso ramen: broth was delicious, a nice chew on the ramen and the chashu was tender; I need to remember to ask for/order more bamboo shoots. grilled salmon bowl: well-seasoned flaked grilled salmon, well-cooked short-grained white rice

Other than wishing their dipping broth stayed hot for longer, my friend had only positive things to say about their tsuke-men (large) $15.80 + tax + tip: Great depth of flavour in the broth and it didn't end up tasting "too salty" even after it cooled down, noodles were cooked well and stayed warm in the bowl for longer than expected.

I now know to never order a large serve of ramen here even when I'm really hungry: the noods, broth and everything in the bowl was delicious, but it was a serious over-commitment for me in quantity of noodles. About a third of my ramen and half my grilled salmon bowl went home with me as takeout. If you're tempted to upsize your ramen + rice bowl combo: know that it's a lot of food - those bowls are so deceptively large .

Our waitperson checked in on us a few times during our meal even as the dining room got busy and a line started out the door, and somehow also always knew when our beverages needed a top up. They were really lovely!

Overall we had a great experience, seated at a table on the sidewalk on Robson St even! Food was delicious, service exceeded expectations: couldn't ask for...

Santouka has been one of my favourite ramen spots in the city for a long time and for good reason too!

The combos.

It truly is the best of both worlds for folks like me that crave variety. You can choose from four kinds of pork broth ramen bowls (Shio, Shoyu, Miso, and Kara-Miso) and mini rice bowls (Negi Meshi, Ikura Gohan, Grilled Salmon Gohan, and Chashu Gohan) at differing price points, though all are served with half of a hard boiled egg and edamame. At Santouka, you also have the option to adjust the texture and amount of your noodles, as well as the amount of lard and salt.

I ordered the Kara-Miso and Ikura Gohan combo ($19.80) for my most recent visit.

The Kara-Miso is seasoned with hot spices (though I personally don't find it spicy at all) and fermented soy bean paste, giving it its fiery orange colour and umami flavour. The noodles have some chew and springiness, providing great mouthfeel as you slurp them up with the flavourful soup base. The pork cha-shu is slow-simmered with just the right amount of fat to keep it from being too tough or dry. I've had the Kara-Miso many a time and it is always consistently delicious. I suppose if there was any room for improvement, it'd be that the hard boiled egg should be marinated and soft-boiled instead.

As for the Ikura Gohan, it is most definitely worth the extra dollar or so. The ikura provides little bursts of sweet, salty goodness to flavour each bite of rice. The omelette itself is light and lends some added texture against the ikura.

During COVID times, Santouka's changes include plastic dividers between tables and at the communal table, masked employees, and a reduced capacity for patrons. Though it is a small place, I felt safe dining in with these precautions and the ventilation. If you're hoping to avoid a lineup for dinner, I would suggest coming in a few...

We Almost DIED FROM FOOD POISONING. We went as a couple and had 2 different orders. We thought this place was supposed to be excellent. First, extremely noisy with the fans system overhead. You have to almost yell with your partner to be heard above the noise. 2nd when the food came, we both noticed it had a strange unpleasant taste in the broth. We couldnt put our finger on what. My dish was supposed to come with shrimp. After having some of my ramen, i noticed there were no shrimp. I asked our waitress about it. Sje a a very difficult time understanding what i was saying. She had to go back twice to the kitchen and ask about it. The first time to tell me my ramen order does come with shrimp. Then i continued to tell her, there are no shrimp in my order. What will they do about it. She came back with they are very small shrimp. I assume they are invisible shrimp . very expensive. Hard to catch. Another Bad X to this place. We both commented on how the pork servings was very limited 1and half slices in my partners bowl. We also both commented that the more we ate, the lousier the taste. Much the opposite of all the other ramen places we have been. Then to add further insult. The waitress brought us someone else's bill, that was for a much more expensive meal. REALLY! UNBELIEVABLE! That evening we started to both feel some unpleasant effects in our digestive systems. The following morning began the unpleasant experience of clearing out the digestion tubes. Super Yuchh!! We dont know why people line up up for this place. Far better ramen restaurants nearby with better food, service, portions, and most important, hygiene. We will never be...