Saturday, March 15, 2008

Santa Ramen

1944 S El Camino Real, San Mateo, CA (650) 344-5918

I reviewed the old Santa Ramen on Yelp before, and now I'm reviewing them again after they moved to their new location. I must say the experience at the new location was not the same as the old one. Even though the restaurant is so much bigger, brighter and cleaner, the service was not as good as the old one...maybe because it can fit more people now. Like the old one, there is a line for the wait, and as you get closer to the beginning of the line, the waitress begins to take your order.

Tonkatsu Ramen

Their menu is easier to navigate compared to the old place, and they added the "add on" section, and the add ons are pretty pricey. Like $2 for napa cabbage? And as always, they only make a certain amount of everything, so when they run out, they'll tell you when you order it. So far, it's been the case every time. They always run out of one or two of the broth. I have tried the shoyu, miso and pork (tonkatsu) flavor broth before. The soup was not as oily as before. I recommend the pork ramen because it is cloudy, which means a lot has gone into it. It is rich in pork flavor, which seems like it has been cooked for hours. The chashu that comes with the ramen is pretty tasty and tender. It is not overly salty or fatty at all. Even though a lot of the things are not the same as the old location, Santa Ramen's noodle still tastes home-made, and is still perfect in its thickness and chewiness. I also ordered the chicken karaage. I was not impressed by it because it just tasted like regular fried chicken with a l lot of batter. I don't recommend it.