Japanese Markets and Ramen

Japanese food has fascinated me since my childhood. Once I had my first bite of freshly made tempura at Tempura Kiku in Disney's Epcot center in 1987, I was hooked for life. The focus on achieving perfection within the narrow guidelines of tradition has always impressed me about true Japanese food. My trip to Tokyo ten years ago showed me that the Japanese apply that philosophy to every aspect of their lives-even the knickknacks at the souvenir shops there are of high quality. Unfortunately, Japanese food in States is rarely ambitious. More often than not a restaurant will serve up a lackluster grab bag of various Americanized Japanese staples including powered miso soups, frozen pre-made tempura, and some absurd maki filled with substandard fish and stale sushi rice. However, there is a growing number of Japanese restaurants in the States that achieve near-perfection by focusing on a couple of dishes and doing them extremely well. Santouka Ramen in the Mitsuwa Marketplace-San Jose is one of those restaurants.

 Santouka is a Japanese Ramen chain that in the US can commonly be found in the Mitsuwa mini chain of Japanese markets. The Mitsuwa marketplace off Saratoga Rd in San Jose is in a nondescript strip mall that is slowly being transformed into a series of Japanese stores and restaurants. Once inside, the market has to be one of the least impressive of the chain(certainly does not compare to the palatial Torrance flagship)  though it is still probably the largest Japanese Market in the Bay Area. Santouka is located in the front of the store with no English sign(always promising).

I arrived at the market 30 minutes before Santouka opened and perused the aisles looking for Japanese food wares that I didn't really need but looked cool(i.e.Yuzu-Pepper Sauce on sale for only $2.99!). Upon completion of my shopping trip, I headed over to Santouka and got in line. Contrary to the posts that I had read- there wasn't an crazy line to order but a good mix of Japanese clientele and foodies. The menu was fairly straight forward with four main ramen selections(Shio, Shoyu, Miso and Toroniku) and three different sizes for each. Since Santouka is cash only and I was only sporting eight dollars, I had to settle for a small Shio Ramen. The brings up another point-Santouka isn't cheap. Most of the bowls are in the double digit range for the regular sizes. However, the place next store charging $5.95 for a large bowl of ramen was empty. Clearly something special was happening at Santouka and I was about to discover it for myself.

When the bowl of ramen arrived I was pleasantly surprised by the symmetrical arrangement of all the ingredients. The broth was a salty and rich pork-based concoction. At your standard ramen joint the broth is usually salty but lacks the richness that one finds here. The broth was so rich that the small was actually very filling. I couldn't imagine trying to down of the big bowls...my already poor blood pressure would probably go through the roof. The real mark of quality was the cha shu or roasted pork slice in the soup. It was melt in your mouth tender as opposed to other ramen shops where it is overcooked and dried out.  The noodles were well structured and slightly al dente. Overall a fantastic bowl of ramen worth the drive to the South Bay.

I have built a list of US based Japanese restaurants that best exemplify the Japanese devotion to quality below. I have eaten at all of the establishments below and most them focus on one aspect of Japanese cooking instead of going for the grab bag approach. Not all of them are Japanese owned and operated but the devotion to the food is there. 

Yakitori:

Ippuku
Home to the infamous Chicken Sashimi, but all the yakitori here is incredible. The sampler is a good and relatively affordable way to start.  

2130 Center St
(between Shattuck Ave & West Entrance)
Berkeley, CA 94704

(510) 665-1969
ippukuberkeley.com

Sumika
The best oyako-don in the Bay Area and I heard their yakitori is top touch as well. A bit of a trek as it is buried on alley way in very random downtown Los Altos. Expensive but not as bad as Ippuku and a lot less attitude.

236 Central Pl
Los Altos, CA 94022

(650) 917-1822

www.sumikagrill.com

Udon:

Sanuki No Sato
The best udon in the US hands down. No exactly anglo-friedly (no English sign, cold service) but the perfect udon more that makes up for it. Worth the detour if you are in LA. It is right off the 405(two or three blocks) so it is easy to get to. 

 

18206 S Western Ave
Gardena, CA 90248

(310) 324-9184

www.sanukinosato.com

 
Sushi:

Sebo
Worth the hype and the expense. My brother and I ate here and only of the nigiri sushi was super fresh(or course we were the first customers on Tuesday when the fish comes in from Japan). We were impressed with the skill of the chef and the insane variety of fish/shellfish available. Not a place to go expecting crazy rolls or other such nonsense. Unlike other high end sushi places, Sebo is very approachable.  

517 Hayes St
(between Octavia St & Laguna St)
San Francisco, CA 94102
Neighborhood: Hayes Valley

(415) 864-2122

www.sebosf.com


Tempura:

Komatsu
With all of the specialty Japanese restaurants these days you would think that there would be more tempura places but this is the only one that I know of.  Doesn't approach the quality of the places in Japan like Ten-Ichi but is better than anything else in the states. Invokes memories of the departed Tempura Kiku and my first Japanese meal for me. Don't get the $45 dollar tasting menu...unless you enjoy some serious heartburn.

1644 W Carson St Ste B
Torrance, CA 90501

(310) 787-0787