Tokusen toroniku, S$8.00.
Yes, these are the famous pork cheeks of which there are only 60 portions served each day. Six slices of sinfulness, so incredibly soft they literally melt in your mouth. Divine.
I didn’t have all six slices to myself. Good things are meant to be shared! Saturday’s lunch was with Keropokman and Momo; Camemberu was supposed to join us, but something cropped up at the last minute.
Shoyu ramen, S$12.00.
Of course, Ramen Santouka is also famed for their rich pork broth ramen. I’ve heard horror stories about how (authentically) salty the broth is. I was mentally prepared, still I didn’t expect it to be THAT salty! Maybe I picked the most salty one of the lot?
High class Maggi mee.
If you have a high threshold for salt, Santouka’s ramen is actually darn satisfying! The broth is milky rich with complex flavors. The noodles feel like instant ramen, but in a pleasant way. Toppings include a slice of precious toroniku (pork cheek) and two slices of regular pork belly.
Komi tamago, S$1.00.
Another highlight of Japanese ramen is the stewed egg. Kind of a letdown here. Bland whites and the yolk wasn’t oozy enough.
Shio ramen & mini char siu rice set, S$16.50.
Keropokman had one of the ramen and mini rice sets which come with tamago. I thought it was a pretty good deal. Would’ve ordered that if I hadn’t had a late breakfast that day!
Shio ramen, S$12.00.
Momo had this, too. I tried the broth and thought this was less salty with a tinge of sweetness. I prefer the shio (salt) to the shoyu (soy sauce) broth!
Notice that cute little red pickled plum? They said it’s very sour! I think it’s great for cutting through all that grease and salt. How come I didn’t get any?
Mini char siu rice, part of a set.
Oh, the char siu rice is just so elegantly presented! And it tastes just as fabulous as it looks! Loved the intensely smoky, tender cubes of pork belly. Reminds me of lor bak (Chinese braised pork belly).
For the rest of that day, I was gripped by thirst. Seriously, it’s no fun downing gallons of water and going to the loo every hour!
So, I’m gonna be kind to my kidneys and skip Santouka’s ramen next time. But the rice bowl options look enticing; I might come back for them.
Conclusion: All that salt and fat might be too overwhelming for some. But if you appreciate intense flavors and sinfulness (from the collagen-rich soup and fatty pork cheeks), then you might enjoy the food here.
Special spoon!
I’ve seen this weird spoon before at Daiso (the 2 dollar Jap store), but only today I realized why there’s an indentation! Have you dropped your soup spoon into a deep noodle bowl before? Well, with the indentation, you can just hang it on the rim, and you won’t lose your spoon in the depths of the broth ever again! Nifty!
Ramen Santouka
Prices listed here are before 10% service charge and 7% GST.
Ramen Santouka
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#02-76 The Central
Singapore 059817
Tel: (65) 6224 0668
URL: www.santouka.co.jp
Hear Julia on radio every Thursday 12:15pm as she shares a Foodie Lunch Pick on 938LIVE's F-Cube with hosts Eugene Loh and Levisha Kumar. 
Hi there, I was supposed to be there for the makan session but was away back in our hometown. I love Santouka to death! Another version of a similar Tonkotsu ramen would be at Ichibantei which is less salty. Its at Robertson Quay beside Aburiya and at the old Tanpopo.
Hi edwin, Nic was also away. As soon as you guys are back, we’ll arrange for another makan session! How about something other than ramen? Right now, I get full just thinking about tonkotsu ramen!
I’ve tried Santouka when it first opened and I thought the soup was very salty too, though I really dig the pork cheeks! But your pictures look so tempting I’ve a good mind to return soon.
The rice bowls look nice!
Aaahhhh what wonderful things I missed!!!
Gorgeous photos, Julia!
I think my hubby and Nadine will love the soup – they are both SALT junkies!
It was nice to meet up and eat ya! I will just refer people here for the descriptions, so well written
*salty* haha…
Ahhh… what do you have to show such yummy pictures when I’m so far away…? I’m drooling over the place now.
BTW, i start to miss chicken rice already, sigh!
Hi ice, yeah I think I’ll return for the rice bowls, too!
Just wished you could have joined us that day.
Thanks, Camemberu! Coming from a talented photographer, that means a lot!
Hi keropokman, thanks for organizing the lunch! So when’s the next one?
Piggy, cook a pack of instant ramen, add ALL the seasoning, and you’re pretty close to the real thing.