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| - Santouka serves the best ramen in Toronto, in my honest opinion (have eaten at Kenzo, Kinton, Sansotei, and Raijin). However, it's the best with some caveats.
Pros
- Best tonkotsu soup: Incredibly rich, porky, and creamy, yet retains an underlying sweet lightness from the "double soup" of pork and seafood. Not for the uninitiated who aren't ready for the insanely rich broth. Their shio tonkotsu is the best because it's a great example of the dynamic nature of the "double soup" done perfectly without any fishiness.
- Good noodles: Not as great as Kinton, but pretty good. Also, they are willing to let you order softer or harder noodles.
- Toppings: The toroniku (pork neck) is melt-in-your-mouth good, but can get overly rich after a few slices. The "regular" chashu is also moist and flavourful. The menma are pretty good.
- Service: Cheerful
Cons
- The tonkotsu soup is not for everyday. It is for right after your annual physical. Also, an oily feeling can linger in your throat for hours after consumption.
- Service: The wait. Once I waited 30 minutes for a single spot. The line/wait times could be better managed by a server coming out and taking down names/party numbers, so that they can optimize the turnover times.
- Price: The portions look small (but really, you'll be full) and the prices look large. Ramen is supposed to be a working person's everyday meal in Japan and by transporting it from Japan to Canada, they've made it into a meal that the average Canadian working person can't afford on a regular basis. It's really great ramen, but it can also be a $15-$20 bowl of ramen.
- Space: Space is at a premium and your elbows will definitely get acquainted with your neighbour's elbows.
Overall: I would go again for the shio tonkotsu alone, but not if I'm mad with hunger because standing in that line alone can drive you crazy hungry.
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