One of our last meals while we were in Hawaii. All trips must end at Don Quijote – best place to stock up on Hawaiian goodies to bring back to friends and families. We came on a Saturday afternoon and I was hungry. I spotted Hokkaido Ramen Santouka, which never existed the last time we were here.
I’ve been to the Vancouver location so thought I’d give their Hawaii satellite a try. Plus, I never got to eat any ramen so it seemed like destiny. The menu is endless but I decided to try their tsukemen (dipping ramen) while my sister snacked on a few different desserts.
Karamiso tsukemen (#81) ($12.46)
I don’t think Santouka is known for their tsukemen but I decided to give their version a try. There’s two options to select from (the other being shoyu tsukemen) but I went with the karamiso (spicy) verison. I don’t think this picture does the noodles justice. They give you TWICE the amount of noodles as their regular ramen orders.
An absolutely massive portion. I was struggling to finish but somehow managed to do so. I found the noodles were really thick, firm and heavy compared to some other places where I’ve had tsukemen. Personally, I wasn’t a big fan of these noodles.
The spicy broth hit the spot. Rich and creamy. Just look at that deep red colour.
Toroniku (#24) ($5.49)
Simmered pork cheek meat. These are apparently Satouka’s signature. Not really great eating on it’s own but when you dip it into the broth, it’s much better.
Sazae ohagi (#40) ($2.30)
Red bean rice cake. If you’ve never had it before, it’s stick rice covered with smashed sweet red bean. Glutinous.
Japanese ogura ice Hawaiian style ($6.80)
Matcha ice, vanilla ice, sweet red bean and pineapple. This dessert was awesome; light, refreshing and just sweet enough. My sister made me eat half of this even though I was stuffed to the brim from my bowl of tsukemen. Jerk.
Tough to compare as I haven’t been to any other ramen shops in town but Santouka will likely satisfies your ramen cravings. I’m on the fence.
Hokkaido Ramen Santouka
https://www.santouka.co.jp/en/shop-foreigin/usa/foreign01-009
801 Kaheka Street
Honolulu, HI
(808) 941-1101
CHERRY BOB-OMBS 