Santouka @ Cuppage Terrace

When I told a friend that I went to Ippudo the previous weekend, he said that it was not as good as Santouka. Of course, Santouka is Hokkaido-style ramen, which is different to the Hakata-style Ippudo. Anyway, he told me about the cheek of the pig that I had to try. So, I was walking towards HMV this evening, when I thought that I should give the place a try.



The place was quite full, but thankfully the queue was short, and they had seats ready for the short queue. I was seated in about 5 minutes on a Saturday evening, which is commendable. The waitress even took my order while I was in the queue, so that the noodles did not take long to arrive at my table. The place is not as glamorous as Ippudo at Mandarin Gallery, but on par with most ramen outlets.

I had ordered the Tokusen Toroniku Ramen with Spicy Miso broth and an extra egg, since the dish was recommended to me by my friend. Otherwise, I would have gone for the Chicken Ramen. The Tokusen Toroniku Ramen is the signature ramen of the restaurant, with the toppings being served separately from the ramen.



Firstly, the ramen broth was spicier than Ippudo. Not so spicy that you had to reach for water, but spicy enough to tell you that the spice was there. Unfortunately, I did think that the ramen itself was a little of a let down. Ippudo's was better, with more bite. However, the star of the show was not the ramen this time, but the cheek. People who know me know that I am not big on pork, but this cheek was really melt in your mouth. It was unmistakably pork, but the texture was astounding. I would definitely recommend pork-eaters to try this one. You can also order it as a dish, just the pig's cheek.

Rating: 7.5/10 (the cheek alone would be 9/10)
Website: http://www.santouka.co.jp/en/index.html
Address: 21 Cuppage Road, Cuppage Terrace
Phone: 6235 1059
Hours: 1200 hrs - 1500 hrs; 1730 hrs - 0000 hrs (Mon - Fri)
1200 hrs - 0000 hrs (Sat)
1200 hrs - 2130 hrs (Sun)
Price: $$