山頭火
665 Paularino Ave
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 754-7044
We haven't had Santouka Ramen for such a long time. Without even thinking about it, Dr. P picked Santouka Ramen as his lunch spot.
Miyabi-Tei was the busiest place in the food court. Santouka was probably the second busiest. The rest of the eateries barely had anyone ordering.
Spicy Miso Ramen
Dr. P ordered a large Spicy Miso Ramen. It wasn't all that spicy. The ramen is always good at Santouka. The spicy miso ramen was a bit oily though. Lots of spicy chili oil. Then we noticed that instead of sliced pork, we got chunks of pork. Chunks of pork for ramen? That was strange. I had a piece of the pork. It tasted like Chinese cha shu BBQ pork, and it was tough and dry. What happened to the soft and tender pork slices? That was a big disappointment.
Cha Gohan (Cha-Shu Pork over Rice)
For the side of Cha Shu Pork over Rice, the first thing we noticed was how dark the pork was. We never had pork like this from Santouka. Their pork was always light color and very tender. Because of the darker color, I think the pork was cooked longer than it should. The pork was a bit dry, and saltier than usual. I thought it tasted more like Chinese stewed pork.
This is the first time we tried Santouka in Costa Mesa. Is the pork always like this here? Or we just went on an off day? We both thought the Santa Monica location has much better food. Hmmm.... now we don't know if we want to try Santouka again in Costa Mesa.
[ad#ad-unit]
that is so weird... I have been to the costa mesa santouka many many times... and never have I ever gotten pork chunks in my ramen!!! :O
ReplyDeleteBut what kind of spicy miso ramen did he order? I usually order the chashu or the special pork spicy miso ramen~
He ordered the regular spicy miso ramen.
That was the first time we had chunks of pork in ramen.
It looked like the end pieces too. Maybe the kitchen just gave us the leftover pork?
Hmmmm.... Really strange.
The Costa Mesa Santouka has always been very good for us. But we always get the same thing - shio ramen. I've never been disappointed.
ReplyDeleteI like Shio ramen the best, too.
We still like the noodle and soup base, just disappointed about the pork.
Looks so good! I'd love to try~~~~~~~~~~~
ReplyDeleteHope you like it! ^^
really liked the broth, but overall, the west LA santouka seems more consistent. I think it was an off day.
ReplyDeleteThe next day, I liked Eileen's Soba better ha ha :)
haha that's sweet of you.
The comb comes with 3 options for a bowl of rice. Look at the menu carefully and you will be able to select the one you like.
ReplyDeleteCha Shu Pork over Rice is the favorite one for my hubby even though it is a little bit dry for me.
LA santouka tastes more better than Chicago one(just personal opinion).
Santouka in Chicago, too? Wow they are really spreading.
Cha Shu Pork is also our favorite. We always had good ones in Los Angeles location.
This was the only time it wasn't good. I think it might just be an off day.
We will try again next time. By the way, I also like their fish roe over rice a lot.