One of my favorite stops when I’m in the South Bay area, is the Mitsuwa Marketplace Food Court. And of course Santouka, for ramen:
This isn’t the new and sexy Centinela location, covered in this minimalist masterpiece of a post by Daily Gluttony, and in Grand Opening detail by Miss Oishii eats. But the tried and true Torrance location. All food is served in real plates, bowls, and the like; this is probably why I wasn’t too blown away when Kayaba opened in the San Diego Mitsuwa Marketplace….I just consider this serving method the norm.
Most menu items revolve around the 3 basic types of broth at Santouka; Shio(salt), Shoyu(Soy Sauce), or Miso. I’m not a big fan of the Miso broth at Santouka, there’s so much going on, that the broth really just loses all of it’s personality, though I’ve heard the Spicy Miso Ramen is pretty good. My pick for this evening Shoyu Ramen with extra Chashu($8.49):
And as much as I enjoy the nice milky-smooth "porky" tonkotsu style broth(in contrast to the rich, high oil – in a good way broth at Daikokuya), and the decent Chashu. For me, I really enjoy the noodles at Santouka. The noodles have a nice chew, and a bit of "springy-ness", for lack of a better term. The Missus, having forgotten how good a decent bowl of ramen is, sipped at my soup, and went, "mmmmm!" I don’t think I need to add anything more…..
Some notes; Santouka gets quite busy, and does not do take-out. The are a number of combinations, and side orders available, such as having a plate of Chashu on the side. Another favorite is the Ikura-Gohan(Salmon Roe on Rice).
Santouka Torrance
21515 Western Ave.(In the Mitsuwa Marketplace Food Court)
Torrance,CA 90501
Open Daily 11:00am-7:30pm
Is it too much to ask for a Santouka location in San Diego???