I went this afternoon. Not bad. Line up was about 20 minutes long.
Worth the money, I thought.

wrong thread........ LOL

The ramen here is quite expensive. I'm not really sure it's 'better' than other places. The decor is really nice, but I didn't feel that there was value for money.

Heres Ramen Santouka. The place is just a few paces up from the Benkei heading up the hill. WHen I went there wasn't a line up, but every other time I've seen it, there's been a big line up. Probably because of the novelty of the place.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_RlBlRdp4hCE/S5...0/DSC_3841.JPG

This was about $12-13 before tax/tips. (Can't remeber exact price) I think that's rather expensive. However, the pork, (which they call Pork Jowl) was very good. I kinda wished they had given an extra slice or two.

They give you the goodies separately..
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_RlBlRdp4hCE/S5...0/DSC_3828.JPG

Then you gotta mix it into your noodles..the broth was good, but I didn't really enjoy the texture of the noodles much.. didn't have enough 'chewi-ness' to them. There also wasn't as much noodles as I expected. I prefer Kintaro's noodles. Usually after I finish a bowl of ramen I'm usually completely satisfied. I found myself kinda wanting a bit 'more' with Ramen Santouka. The broth was really good, but the noodles were just lacking a bit.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_RlBlRdp4hCE/S5...0/DSC_3829.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_RlBlRdp4hCE/S5...0/DSC_3827.JPG



Here's what everything looks mixed together.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_RlBlRdp4hCE/S5...0/DSC_3835.JPG

The egg, (called Ajitama) was really good. But at an additional $2? Come on. Essentally the yolk is nice and creamy which gives the egg a really nice texture. You can make these at home by boiling cold eggs from the fridge fo 7m30s, then dunking them in ice water.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_RlBlRdp4hCE/S5...0/DSC_3832.JPG




Kintaro: BBQ Pork Ramen - A couple $ cheaper.. Very filling and satisfied.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_RlBlRdp4hCE/S5...0/DSC_4521.JPG

The ambiance is of a crammed, crazy ramen shop from Japan. These guys work tirelessly to pump out ramen continuously. It's really fun to watch.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_RlBlRdp4hCE/S5...2/DSC_4520.JPG

This is Kintaro Spicy Garlic Ramen.. it's very hardcore and not for the faint of heart..
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_RlBlRdp4hCE/S5...0/DSC_2937.JPG

So overall, I think I prefer Motomachi Shokudo, Kintaro, over Ramen Santouka. I still like Ramen Santouka better than Benkei though. Just my personal preference.

In terms of decor and ambience, if you care about that kinda thing, I'd rate, Ramen Santouka, Motomachi Shokudo, Benkei, then Kintaro in dead last.

In terms of food, (which is all that matters to me), I'd rate Motomachi Shokudo and Kintaro virtually tied, then Ramen Santouka, then Benkei. (I really didn't like the random pork bits and noodle texture from Benkei, but it was a really nice place to eat at. My overall favorite is Kintaro. I like the philosophy of get in, eat, then get the heck out. Along with Motomachi Shokudo, they have the best noodle texture, which is what I look for in a nice bowl of Ramen.

Thanks for the review. The portions at Ramen Santouka look smaller than Kintaro.

so much smaller then kintaro. i ordered a large and wasnt even full!! + added eggs and pork! so ended up going up to the japanese crepe shop and got some crepes om nom nom nom!

There's a thanks button you know! But yea. Small portions. The place is kinda overhyped a bit.

thx for the photos and detail reviews


:thumbsup:

$2 dollar an egg is kinda....insane?

man you are so synical when it comes to opinions! Although I have nothing wrong wtih everyone's opinions!

regardless, another Ramen joint that I need to try, and I be honest, I fucking love ramen. So far, only Motomochi has hit the spot for me. Kintaro has gone downhill since Motomochi opened up

It looks like I need 2 bowls to satisfy my hunger.
The egg must be like some grade AA organic free range chicken egg.

I didn't see anywhere on the menu that it was an organic free range egg, but personally I think it should be a $1.00 or $1.50 addition. It was very good though.

Nah ask for a large miso with double meat. $10.95 I think but it's definitely worth it. The broth and the meat are the best I've tried. Broth is very tasty and the meat has a nice bbq taste to it and it like melts in your mouth. Alright I'll agree the noodles aren't anything special. But shit I don't know how you can compare Kintaro to this place. Kintaro taste like something you can get anywhere in Richmond.

Keep in mind this is from someone who grew up eating white food. <3 Santouka! Try it before they get lazy and quality goes down overtime like most new restaurants.

I heard that it was shutdown recently (a few days ago?), anyone know why?

sign on window said due to Mechanical problems. No specified date for re-opening was provided.

What kind of mechanical problem would have them shutdown indefinitely? So sketchy, hope they weren't serving cat meat or something.

^ That makes no sense. :lol It's MECHANICAL.

Who wants to work there. They're hiring. :)

http://www.jobbank.gc.ca/dispjb_eng....=50&Student=No

Is this the place across from Capers on Robson?

I thought it was called Hokkaido Ramen...

Yes its the place.

The full name of the place is Hokkaido Ramen Santouka, but the sign outside just says Ramen Santouka.

did they reopen yet


im guessing its sth to do with their food safety

Must be something massive to be closed for so long when they were operating fine before?

they actually closed?
weird...well at least I have kintaro

Yeah they been closed for a while now ...
After trying Santouka, Kintaro just taste like overnight oily paste to me ... bleh

still closed???


i think this is by far the best ramen place in downtown.

I went there today - they had reopened recently due to problems with their sprinker system.

Overall I would say and rate this as the best ramen Vancouver.

I find that it's one of the best Ramen places in Vancouver. Sure the noodles aren't that great, but the Broth and Pork is great!

gonna give it a try today at lunch