Santouka Ramen is a one of legendary ramen shops from Japan, which had been started back in 1988 in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan. The store that just began with a small 9-seats shop back in the days, now have branches everywhere in Japan and all over the world, including USA, Canada, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia.

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The Santouka Ramen outlet that we are reviewing in this post is the one located inside Mall Kelapa Gading (MKG) 3 in North Jakarta, but from the official website, it’s stated that this particular outlet has been discontinued since July 26th, 2015. However, we can still enjoy the taste of Santouka Ramen in their other outlet in Plaza Indonesia Level 5, Central Jakarta, for the time being.

The MKG outlet was medium-sized, decorated with wooden chairs with color combinations of black and red. Personally, I liked the place because the vibe was quite different from usual ramen shops that are noisy and crowded. Maybe that quietness is good for me, but bad for their business, LOL.

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After you make your order, a set of utensils and condiments will be delivered to your table, along with this large water thermos for drink. Yes, the water here is free of charge but I don’t know if it applies in other outlet as well.

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Santouka Ramen offers selection of ramen (pork or chicken), rice menu, and various snacks like gyoza and chasiu. For a brand that comes originally from Japan, the prices of their dishes are quite affordable and competitive compared to typical branded ramen stores in Indonesia.

Tossed Green Salad IDR 43,000

We always started with something lighter when it comes to eating ramen, and the choices of salad are quite mouth-watering so we had this. We loved the generous serving portion and of course, the fresh veggies tossed with Japanese-style light seasonings that made the salad tasty yet less guilty.

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Pork Gyoza IDR 33,000

Gyoza is definitely a must order when we have ramen in restaurant, and this wasn’t disappointing. Succulent pork meat covered with crispy gyoza skin, gloriously good!

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Karamiso Ramen IDR 81,000

As Santouka Ramen is titled Hokkaido Ramen, it’s just a mandatory thing to order some ramen with miso. And our pick went to their Karamiso Ramen (spicy miso) and it was the best decision ever. The broth was flavorful and thick, and surprisingly spicier than any usual “spicy ramen” from Japanese brands.

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Noodle was medium-sized, curly, and firm, and thanks to the size, it absorbed the rich flavors of the broth nicely with no stain of flour taste. Love it, love it, love it.

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Hiyashi Chuka IDR 62,000

Apparently, there was a new menu that time which is our favorite cold ramen, known as Hiyashi Chuka. We think it’s still difficult to find decent one in Jakarta, and the last time we found a very good one was back in 2014 when we ventured to this humble ramen shop, JJ Ramen in Ampera-Cilandak, South Jakarta.

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As Hiyashi Chuka is a type of cold ramen, the noodle was served on a flat plate with all the condiments and ingredients spread around the noodle. The taste was a combination of sweet and sour, more like a cold salad/appetizer with additional noodle in the middle. I think the best way to enjoy this is to mix everything altogether, so the flavors work together to create a balanced taste.

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Curry Rice IDR 30,000

And yes, Santouka also has curry rice in their menu and it was just too tempting to be missed! The curry rice was served in small bowl (a kind of soup bowl in Japanese restaurant) but if you order with another bowl of ramen, it would be so fulfilling. The curry was thick and as you can see, they put big blocks of carrots inside, although there was barely any other ingredients like meat/chicken.

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Pao Aburi Toroniku IDR 36,000

So beside ramen, Santouka is also popular for its “toroniku”, which is actually made from pork cheeks. We tried the grilled pork cheeks served with a pao bun, and interestingly, this order came with a cup of hot tea. We think maybe because the pork could be a little too oily so they served it with hot tea to help digesting.

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The pork was thick, well-seasoned, and nicely grilled, resulting in a fragrant, tender meat that was unforgettable. Trust us, one will never be enough!

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Aburi Chasiu IDR 48,000

Ordered this for the sake of the grilling pot that we saw in the menu, LOL. The chasiu was served on a Japanese-style grilling pot with the mesh on top, and we could enjoy the sight of glistening oil over hot fire. Loved it!

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One portion of this only contained of 4 pieces of chasiu, which we think is quite pricey for the price. But again, the chasiu was incredibly good with great combination of meat and fat part, manually grilled and eaten according to our own preference (you can let it sit for a while on the grill or eat them right away when served, the timing is all up to you), plus its cute presentation kinda won everything. XD

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Santouka Ramen is NOT just another ramen restaurant in the city, while many other brands keep coming up and staying strong, I still recommend this one for all the ramen lovers out there. I wish they have more outlets in South Jakarta as I honestly quite like their dishes. Overall, I was satisfied with the food and service, hopefully I can go back again soon!

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*All prices are subject to 6% service charge & 10% government tax

*The Food Escape team are not paid whatsoever for writing this post.

 

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SANTOUKA RAMEN
Mall Kelapa Gading 3 Ground Floor
Jl. Boulevard Raya
Kelapa Gading
North Jakarta 14240

Phone. +62 21 4584 8979

Opening Hours:
Mon-Sun 10AM – 10PM