I usually don’t do food posts, but I thought it would be fun to do one on Santouka, a Japanese noodle chain that has a few foodcourt outlets in several Mitsuwa stores in Southern California. Given that there is a Mitsuwa in San Diego, I didn’t have to go to Costa Mesa or Los Angeles to experience some very good and insexpensive noodles.
Like lots of chain places, Santouka uses a visual narrative to evoke an image to accompany the experience, which is that of an old noodle house. However, I’m not there to eat the wood or the other decorations.
Santouka has a fairly simple menu, which is amazing. We live in age of too many choices, which can be quite crippling when it comes time to decide what to eat. Less is definitely more, as there are three basic choices for the noodle broth: salt, miso, and soy. All of the noodle bowl choices are a variation of the three. The best thing about the noodles is the garnish of sliced pork, which is inescapable. There are also some bowls of rice with toppings such as chopped scallions, fish roe, natto, and pork. Everything on the menu can be enjoyed solo or in several combinations.
One very Japanesey experience is the visual menu, which shows the customer plastic versions of the dishes offered. It’s a very fun part of the pre-dining experience and it helps diners make informed decisions. If only Bill Murry and Scarlet Johansen were able to look at one in Lost in Translation, they may have had a more pleasant lunch.
Here, I ordered one of those combinations, which is enough to satisfy any American appetite. The main course was a bowl of miso ramen, topped with their incomparable pork slices, a piece of fishcake (white with pink spiral), and some chopped scallions. A bit on the salty side, but definitely umaii.*
The side dishes are also worth mention. The hard boiled egg is soaked in some soy sauce flavoring. It should be easy on anyone’s palate. The topping in the rice bowl, on the other hand, can be an acquired taste. Natto is sticky, fermented soybeans with a bit of a pungent odor. The flavor, though, is nutty and it goes well with rice. If you’re not familiar with natto, it is best to go with the scallions or the pork topping.
I’ve been thinking about a post listing some good cheap eats in San Diego, and I’d include Santouka on that list, even if they aren’t unique to this area.
