Santouka ramen, Mitsuwa Chicago

There’s ramen everywhere in Chicago these days – at modern Asian places (Yusho, Urban Belly), at Japanese restaurants (Wasabi), at mostly-dedicated ramen shops (Slurping Turtle, Oiistar), or even on the menu in unexpected places (Trenchermen).

Even though it’s hard to imagine now, ramen used to be hard to find.

But there was always Santouka ramen in Mitsuwa, out in Arlington Heights.  And it still draws a crowd today.

For me, there’s something unfailingly comforting about their ramen.  It’s traditional, not trendy, with just four basic flavors – shio (salt), miso, shoyu (soy sauce), and spicy miso – and simple toppings like seaweed, bamboo shoots, scallions, fish cake, and roasted pork.

Yes, there’s generally a slow moving line, and the ambiance is authentic mall food court – complete with plastic trays – but I don’t care.

I usually get a small shio ramen, which comes garnished with a tiny pickled plum that I save til the end.  Lately, D has been getting the spicy miso ramen combo meal, which comes with a salmon rice bowl and a hard-boiled egg flavored with soy sauce.

It may not be a fair trade, but I always swap my fish cake for half of his egg!

Santouka has an advantage that none of the other ramen spots have – it’s just steps away from all my favorite Mitsuwa groceries.  And there’s nothing better than ramen plus a bag of goodies for later, even if it’s eaten next to fake plants!