The big ramen slurp-off: Santouka vs Ikkoryu
Apparently standing in line is part of the ramen experience in Manila: every time we attempt to eat at the new ramen places, we have to wait at least 20 minutes for a table.
After we pronounced Santouka Hokkaido Ramen in Glorietta 4 the best ramen we’ve ever had, we heard that Ikkoryu Ramen Fukuoka at Shangri-La East Wing was better. We’re no expert—we like the ramen at Ukkokei but won’t go out of our way to eat there. And we’re perfectly happy with the tonkotsu ramen at Konbini, the Japanese convenience store in Greenhills. But when we hear “the greatest ramen ever”, we have to go and taste what the fuss is all about.
It was a good time to eat ramen—we’d been stuck in the house for 36 hours in the habagat, living on dry toast and stuff excavated from the back of the fridge. (Having lived alone since our early 20s, with no culinary skills whatsoever, we are in the habit of taking home the leftovers from our meals and storing them. Most of it goes to the outdoor cats, some we eat, the rest turn into biological warfare experiments. Periodically we throw out the stuff before it achieves sentience and takes over the household.) We tried to order out, but every delivery hotline was busy.
When the rains abated we dashed to Ikkoryu at the Shangri-La East Wing, thinking we would be the only diners. How wrong we were. We were seventh in line and had to wait nearly half an hour for a seat.
At Ikkoryu you are given three options for the noodles: soft, normal, or hard. We ordered the exact same dish we had at Santouka, the miso ramen with char siu. As the steaming bowl was placed on the table, we grasped our chopsticks and braced ourselves for what might be a life-changing experience.
Ikkoryu’s miso ramen
Naah. It’s delicious, and whenever we’re in the neighborhood and in the mood for ramen we’ll probably eat there, but we prefer Santouka ramen. As Ricky said, “Santouka is more boungga than Ikkoryu. They deserve the bumi-British na “u” in their name.” Kouraz! Or, we rule in favour of Santouka.
Two days later we discovered that Ikkoryu had opened closer to home, at the basement of Power Plant Mall. This time we asked the wait staff to recommend the ramen flavour, and they said the ajitama was a bestseller.
Ikkoryu’s ajitama ramen
With good reason. We like it better than their miso ramen. But we still prefer the flavour of the broth, the consistency of the noodles, and the evil pork cheeks at Santouka.
Next we’ll try that place in Alabang.
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
September 3rd, 2013 at 13:37
I think Yushoken in Alabang is best. Next is Ukkokei along Pasay Road. Then Santouka. :)
September 3rd, 2013 at 14:47
Sama ako next week!!
September 4th, 2013 at 06:31
Nice. My friends and I have been into a ramen kick lately, but we (or at least I, as I am not with them 24×7) have not gone to either of the above. I am starting to get addicted to ramen and will definitely find time to try these two. These, as well as the ramen bar here in Eastwood which I haven’t even tried.
My most recent ramen discovery is Wrong Ramen (https://www.facebook.com/WrongRamen) in Burgos Circle at the Fort, and I loved it.
The place specializes in, I suppose, umm, experimental ramen. My friend had the breakfast-y ramen (I forgot the actual name) which had bacon, spam, eggs, and cheese. Meanwhile, aside from the mildly spicy and flavorful Tantanmen ramen I ordered (which had ground pork), I got a side of the Red Cow thingie (egg roll stuffed with corned beef and shiitake).
Still, I guess it’s time to try more new ramen places.
September 4th, 2013 at 06:34
… and also, Wrong Ramen is a place with a fairly good sense of humor. Their washroom is labeled “Poop Room,” and some of their ramen have the happy names “Sea Men Ramen” and “F.U.”
September 19th, 2013 at 19:44
Allancarreon, the breakfast ramen in Wrong Ramen is called the FU Ramen and the Sea Men Ramen is their seafood ramen.
Actually, I haven’t tried Ikkoryu Ramen yet but based on the review, I will plan to try it to say for myself which I like best. So far, my top three are Ukkokei, Santouka, and Wrong Ramen. All three has its different flavors and textures of Ramen that makes you want all three and when asked, makes it hard to choose which one ramen shop is closest to your heart.
If I want a spicy ramen which you could adjust according to your capacity for spice, I’d definitely go to Ukkokei since I like level 5 but if you want a ramen that’s rich, flavorful and with a wide array of dishes to choose from … from gyoza to runny eggs, karaage sets to ebi furai, sake furai, and a lot more, i’d definitely go for Santouka. it’s where anyone can enjoy eating…there will surely be a kind of dish that will merit craving from an individual.
If you are adventurous when it comes to food like me, and you’re looking for something new and fun, I’d definitely go for Wrong Ramen!!! … as their saying goes, the last man who ate there left screaming in pure ecstasy.
now i’m getting hungry and craving for a nice warm bowl of ramen! <3