1944 S El Camino Real
San Mateo, CA 94403
(650) 344-5918
We were supposed to have lunch with my cousin's family today. My cousins recommended Santa Ramen. They said that it's a really popular restaurant, and their ramen is really really good.
We got to Santa Ramen around 12:30pm. There was a long line of people waiting for seats. My aunt, uncle, and cousins had to be back to the hotel by 2:00pm to prepare for the wedding. After waiting in line for 15 minutes, and the line hadn't moved, they decide to head back to the hotel. Mom went back with them, so it was just my dad, brother & girlfriend, Dr. P and I for lunch. Too bad we couldn't all have lunch together.
I think we waited in line for about 30 minutes. A lady came to take our orders before we got seated. She wasn't that nice. Not friendly, and no smile. My brother and his girlfriend weren't that hungry and wanted to share a bowl of noodle. Without saying anything, the lady just pointed at this small line at the bottom of the menu, "minimum charge of $7.95 per person", which means everyone has to order a bowl of ramen. We didn't like that rule at all.
Soy Sauce Ramen ($7.95)
There are only 3 kinds of ramen at Santa Ramen, soy sauce, pork, and miso. Dr. P ordered Soy Sauce Ramen. He took a sip of the noodle, and immediately said he didn't like it. I tried it, and thought the soup was really salty. I didn't like this one too much, either.
Miso Ramen ($7.95)
Dad ordered Miso Ramen. I had a sip of the noodle. Again, it was too salty for my taste. The miso flavor was strong, which I liked.
Pork Ramen ($7.95)
The rest of us ordered Pork Ramen. It was the best one comparing to the other two. The soup was rich, and not overly salted. I like the black ear mushroom. Their roasted pork was quite tender. But still, I wouldn't call this a "good" bowl of ramen. It was just alright.
Maybe Santa Ramen is considered good in this area because they don't have much other choices? We all thought Daikokuya and Santouka were much much better. If these two ramen places open a shop in San Mateo, I don't think people would be crazy enough to come wait in line for Santa Ramen.
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Mountain View有一家 "MARU ICHI"
ReplyDelete他們的黑拉麵很好吃! 生意也很好!
如果你們還在北加可以試試看
368 Castro St.
Mountain View
CA 94014
但是連續吃拉面可能也噁心?哈
Cupertino有一家日本料理很好吃! 推推推
叫做"GOCHI" 中午試定食 晚上像居酒屋那樣!
中午人超多很多日本媽媽去用餐 可以考慮一下喔 :D
www.gochifusiontapas.com
很可惜這次時間比較趕
沒機會多吃幾家餐廳
以後有機會回去那地區再去吃這幾家日本料理吧
i don't like santa ramen either~~i personally like maruichi in mt. view~~which is about 20 min south of san mateo~~
ReplyDeleteToo bad I didn't get the recommendation earlier.... >_<
I used to live around that area..haha. santa used to be a super tiny place. the ramen was way better than now. and they have more choice for the ramen. and the chef doesnt wanna hire any one, that is why the line is so long!! hahah
ReplyDeleteI really couldn't understand why would people wait in line for their ramen.
Santa used to be in a different location and was way smaller. Think it was on B street in San Mateo and I liked it alot back then. There is a Halu ramen in San Jose that's good also, you should try it when you get a chance. Nowadays I go to Santouka in Costa Mesa to stop my ramen cravings.
ReplyDeleteYes, I love Santouka!
I agree with you about the shoyu. But I liked the miso and tonkotsu. Of all the ramen places I'd tried in the bay area, I think I like Santa the best so far.
ReplyDeleteI still like LA's ramen better though.
This place cannot compare to Santouka.