It has been long line-ups outside new ramen shop, Sansotei, near Dundas and University. So I took advantage of a rainy Saturday (courtesy of hurricane Sandy) to finally sample its offerings. No wonder it was hard to get a spot, this tiny restaurant doesn't even have space for bar seatings. A long, narrow hall permitted a single row of communal tables and two small booths. Ship ropes hung from the ceiling and the floor-to-ceiling mirrors along the other wall gave the illusion of a larger space.
I ordered zangie ($4.5) and a tonkotsu shoyu ramen ($8.9) with an extra order of bean sprouts ($0.50). The former was perfectly fried chicken nuggets. Toothsome and tender inside and with just a slight just-right greasy crunch outside, it smelled wonderful coming out fresh from the kitchen. This was the signature dish even if their specialty is ramen.
The ramen bowl also had a heavenly aroma. The broth was rich but not too salty or fatty. The bamboo shoot offered a nice crunch while the soft-boiled egg yielded tender bites. The pork tasted different than Sansotei's competition; the combination of fatty cartilage and slightly grilled meat reminded me strongly of Vietnamese well-done beef found in pho. It was a great bowl of ramen, except for the noodles! Although they were tasty on the first few bites, they revealed themselves to be too soft and floury on subsequent chews. It was still a great main but the rather ordinary noodles meant that Sansotei isn't quite King Ramen in Toronto.
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| Zangie - deep fried chicken |
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| Tonkotsu Shoyu - pork noodle bowl |
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