That little of blast of autumn weather has made everyone switch gears, it seems. If you’re feeling the need for noodles, check out Hokkaido Santouka Ramen.
Robson ramen district
The little area around the corner of Robson and Denman is well known as the ramen heartland of Vancouver. All those steamy shops, all those queues – it’s hard to choose. Santouka is definitely one of the most popular, however there’s good reason for that. They simmer their pork broth for 20 hours to produce a silky soup stock, full of collagen and good stuff.
What to get
The signature tonkotsu comes in several flavours, you want the shio, or salt, one. It’s not overly salty, don’t worry. Soup is served with chewy, lovely noodles which are about as far from ichiban packages as you can get, as well as green onion, bamboo shoots, sesame seeds, mushroom, and pickled plum. Good sides to order include the creamy hard-boiled egg, and their famed toroniku, simmered pork cheek.
Kid-friendly
None of the ramen shops are comfortable. It seems to be part of the deal that the table is a wee bit sticky, the chairs uncomfortable, and everyone is squashed in together. As the weather gets cooler, however, there is something magic about being in a warm, porky steam cloud. Surprisingly for a small restaurant, Santouka staff seem completely fine having kids squished in there too. They bring you little baskets to dump your bag and accruements in, incredibly handy for swiping everything off the table into when the soup arrives. Get an additional bowl and spoon and share your bounty of noodles with your small person. Or order one of their many reasonably priced sides, like char siu pork on rice.
Hokkaido Santouka Ramen
1690 Robson Street, Vancouver
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Image credit: Sean Neild
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