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Does Hokkaido Ramen Santouka Live Up To The Hype?
Table of Contents
Hokkaido Ramen Santouka – The Background
Hokkaido Ramen Santouka is a ramen chain from Japan that’s made its way over to the US. The chain originates from Japan’s northern most island, Hokkaido, and has restaurants all the way to one of it’s most southern islands, Okinawa. It’s truly a nationwide restaurant but doesn’t have a ton of restaurants in total.
The first Hokkaido Ramen Santouka opened its doors in 1988 in Asahikawa, Hokkaido with a single type of ramen: shio (salt). The base broth consists of boiled down pork bones. To produce a milder flavor the bones are boiled down over a long period of time. When the white colored broth is complete, it’s never re-boiled. This is to protect the overall flavor and smell.
The menu and selection of ramen has since expanded quite a bit. Miso, soy sauce, and spicy miso have joined the salt ramen as options on the menu.
Hokkaido Ramen Santouka has found success both domestically and abroad. Locations have expanded throughout Southeast Asia and also in the US and Canada.
I went and visited the location in Costa Mesa, CA, located in the Japanese grocery mart Mitsuwa’s food court.
The Experience
I’ve been to the Mitsuwa food court before and they’ve remodeled it. The space is much more open with a lot more seating. Seating had previoulsy been problematic at peak times here. Hokkaido Ramen Santouka has been a staple in the food court for quite a while. It had been YEARS since I’d eaten it so I was certainly looking forward to grabbing a bowl here.
There’s a lot of selections to choose from. Much like in Japan, there’s a large array of plastic food in the display case showing what they offer. It’s a lot to sort through, so choosing while waiting in line can certainly be difficult!
I opted for the Chashu Pork Soy Sauce Ramen (L) ($16.45). It doesn’t take too long for the food to come out, about 10 minutes or so. You get handed a ticket with a number and they’ll call it out over a microphone when it’s ready to pick it up.
The Ramen
The large is a pretty massive bowl. You get a lot of food with this. There were about 5 pieces of thick chashu in it along with bamboo shoots, green onion, a piece of nori, and the famous Santouka red pickled plum.
The broth offers a blend of both savory and a hint of fish, enriched with the addition of the soy sauce. It’s not an incredibly rich or deep flavored broth, which is a nice change of pace if you’ve had a lot of tonkatsu broth of late. That doesn’t mean the broth isn’t satisfying. It’s a well-balanced, almost comforting, kind of broth, which is always enjoyable.
The noodles are fairly firm. A little thick for ramen noodles but have a nice bounce to them and a good overall texture. Quite delicious!
The chashu pieces were meaty, fairly thick, and well seasoned. The chashu is very flavorful, with minimal fat. With the large bowl you get a lot of pieces which was awesome.
The Verdict
Hokkaido Ramen Santouka is an excellent choice for ramen in the Costa Mesa area (which has a TON of ramen places). What’s most enjoyable about it is that they specialize in shio and soy sauce ramen, which you can find at other ramen locations, but it’s not their specialty like it is here.
The soy sauce ramen is definitely a different tasting experience than the usual tonkatsu and I’d highly recommend giving a try if you’re a ramen lover wanting to try something newish.
Afterwards you can also walk around Mitsuwa and do some shopping and grab some Japanese snacks to boot. Not too shabby!
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Raspberry and Vanilla Pancakes @ Plums Cafe in Costa Mesa, CA | Pacific Northwest Inspired Breakfasts in Orange County Spot
The Background
Nestled into the corner of a non-descript Costa Mesa shopping center is one of the best breakfast locations in Orange County: Plums Cafe.
This popular cafe has been located in Eastside Costa Mesa for over 32 years, speaking volumes to its popularity and lasting appeal.
This is a unique Southern California cafe. Many items on the menu are inspired from the Portland and Seattle areas. The menu pops with items you don’t readily see at other breakfast locations.
The Campfire Rainbow Trout, Smoked Salmon Hash, Dungeness Crab Omlette, and Dutch Baby are a few unique items on the menu. The presentation on all the dishes is top notch, making the food look even more appealing.
In addition to the breakfast / brunch menu there’s a good selection of intriguing lunch items to choose from. I’m a sucker for the breakfast items here so I’ve never ventured into the lunch part of the menu. Tempted, yes, but have never pulled the trigger since I have my favorites here!
Plums also offers a number mixed drinks and other adult beverages that go hand in hand with brunch.
The Experience
I came in knowing what I wanted already but did a quick once over of the menu. I hadn’t been here in quite some time, probably a couple years (!), so wanted to make sure there wasn’t anything new that caught my eye. There were definitely a few things that caught my attention but in the end I had to go with my favorite item on the menu – the Raspberries and Vanilla Cream pancakes ($18).
I’ve tried a few other items on the menu but always find my way back to these pancakes. Also, always have to order a side of the thick cut Pepper Bacon ($4), mmmm bacon.
Now you may say that those aren’t all that unique, you can certainly find Raspberry Pancakes at other breakfast places, but these are on another level.
You get a three-stack of Raspberry Pancakes with raspberries layered in between each. Topped with raspberries, raspberry syrup drizzle, vanilla creme, and powder sugar. They bring out an additional plate with a side of butter and syrup, but you really don’t need them.
The pancakes are so light and airy while bursting with flavor. The combination of the raspberry syrup and vanilla creme is excellent. It really creates flavorful bites with the sweet vanilla taste and slightly tart flavor of the raspberries. Three pancakes is just the right amount for myself as well. They’re more filling then you’d expect for something so light!
The Pepper Bacon is always delicious as well. It doesn’t resemble the familiar crispy bacon from other places; instead, it’s brimming with a peppery saltiness. It’s a little pricey for a couple strips of bacon but the flavor makes it worth it to me.
The Verdict
I’ve been coming to Plum’s for years. The food and service have always been top tier. The Raspberry Pancakes are without a doubt a comfort breakfast item I crave and certainly missed.
Overall, Plum’s provides a wide variety of items on their menu. They offer some unique items not found at many other locations here in SoCal. If you’re in the Costa Mesa area and you’re a breakfast / brunch fan, Plums is definitley worth a try!
Plums Cafe
369 E. 17th Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92627 -
52 Years And Counting – Mi Casa Mexican Restaurant Continues To Deliver
The Background
Mi Casa Restaurant is a much beloved Mexican restaurant that’s been a staple in Costa Mesa since 1972. Still going strong at age 51, the restuarant remains largely unchanged since it first opened its doors.
From its iconic front door to the red cushioned booths to the items on the menu, this is essentially the same restaurant from what I remember as a kid. It’s a very casual, sit down restaurant. While the menu largely remains intact and tastes exactly the same, which are both good things!
This type of longevity is impressive for a restaurant. The consistency of the decor and food can be attributed to the fact this is now in the 3rd generation of family ownership. Quite impressive!
The Experience
Whenever I come here to eat I always go to the Burro Room, which is the bar area. Here, you can enjoy the happy hour menu, which you can’t order from if sitting in the regular restaurant. There’s also a self-serve tortilla chip station (addicting!) and salsa bar in the Burro Room. Generally my go to order is a shredded beef taco and bean and cheese burrito wet (a la carte).
Something about Mi Casa, which I love, are the large portions and how much cheese they use. The shredded beef taco has a ridiculous amount of lettuce and cheese.
Lettuce and cheese are literally overflowing out of the taco. Every time you pick the taco up and take a bite cheese and lettuce comes tumbling out. The abundance of cheese and lettuce doens’t compensate for a lack of shredded beef. There’s a ton of meat packed into the taco. Juicy and tender, the shredded beef is definitely tasty. The hard shell taco is fresh and supremely crunchy. I always douse the taco with the Wicked salsa, which is the hottest salsa they have. Delicious!
The wet bean and cheese burrito is on the regular menu under the a la carte portion. Doesn’t look like it’s on the online menu but it’s at the restaurant. This is large burrito packed with refried beans and lots and lots of cheese and sauce.
The plate comes out piping hot and is a beautiful bean, cheese, and sauce mess once you start digging in. Mi Casa has some of my favorite refried beans. Rich, creamy, with plenty of flavor, they’re without a doubt quite tasty.
The Verdict
Serving large proportioned meals that are certain to fill even the heartiest of eaters, they don’t skimp on anything they serve you here. The prices are very reasonable for the amount of food you get.
If you’re looking for a good Mexican restaurant with chill and casual vibes, Mi Casa is the place for you. Having come here for many years it seems impervious to change (a good thing) and going there and enjoying a meal is always comforting and enjoyable.
Its been open for over 50+ years for a reason!
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Flavorful Spicy Garlic Ramen From Kashiwa Ramen! One Of Orange County’s Best Ramen Spots
The Background
Orange County is a hot bed for ramen with a ton of restaurants in the area. There’s a lot to choose from, so deciding on one place can be a daunting task if you start going down the rabbit hole of researching ramen spots.
During one of these recent ramen deep dives I came across Kashiwa Ramen in Costa Mesa. Voted Best Ramen of 2019 by OC Weekly, it wasn’t a ramen place I’d tried yet. Something that really stood out to me at first glance, was that they’re famous for chicken broth.
I haven’t seen too many places that offer a chicken ramen broth. Most places have the pork based tonkotsu broth so seeing a chicken broth was interesting.
A few different types of ramen on the menu also sounded delicious and unique,so this was a pretty easy choice to check out on this day.
The Experience
I got to the Kashiwa Ramen right around the time they opened, 11:30 am on a weekday, to avoid any potential lunch rush and walked right in. Nestled in the corner in the back of a large shopping center, there’s ample parking, especially at this time.
The restuarant itself is pretty small. I see how it can fill up quickly.
The two types of ramen that caught my eye earlier were: the Spicy Black Garlic (I’m sucker for all things spicy) and the Tsukemen aka Dipping Noodle. I haven’t seen much dipping noodle ramen options in Orange County. I’ve seen it on food vlogs but haven’t yet experienced it. Choices, choices, choices. Quite the food predicament of what to order. They also have a ramen + rice bowl combo which clearly I had to try as well.
The lunch rice bowl selection 
The actual order! I couldn’t decide which ramen to try so I asked the server which bowl was the most popular and they pointed out the Spicy Black Garlic. Sold! I also decided on combo-ing it with the Soboro Bowl. That poached egg was calling to me.
The Soboro Bowl
The Soboro Bowl came out first. A Soboro Bowl, for those that don’t know (including myself, I had to look it up) is a deep bowl dish of rice topped with a seasoned protein, in this instance ground chicken. Seasoned with a combination of soy sauce, mirin and ginger it’s generally topped with egg, this one being poached.
Pre Poach Egg break 
Sorry Mr Poached Egg, had to be done! 
Solid spoonful of Soboro It’s a deep bowl with a lot of ground chicken and rice. The egg was poached perfectly while the green onion makes the bowl “pop” with color. It’s definitely a nice looking Soboro Bowl!
Breaking up the egg and mixing it into the seasoned crumbled meat and rice provides a further richness and creaminess to the side dish.
The Spicy Black Garlic Ramen
Soon after the Soboro bowl came out the bowl of ramen followed. The ramen is topped with four pieces of grilled pork, half an egg, green onion, and wood ear mushrooms.
Anytime I get a fresh bowl of ramen the first thing I have to do is get a nice spoonful of that broth. I chose the swirl as my base broth, a combination of the chicken and tonkatsu broths, which sounded too good to pass up. A spoonful of the broth delivered a real jolt of flavor.
A rich flavorful bowl of ramen! 
Solid bite of ramen right here The garlicky, peppery flavor with a hint of smokiness, and spice from the homemade chili oil, strikes the taste buds all at once. It’s defintely one of the most flavorful broths I’ve had. The spice level was moderate. They bring out a side of the chili oil so you can adjust the spice level to your liking.
The wavy noodles were al dente and fresh tasting while the pork pieces were tender with great flavor. The wood ear mushroom provided a different type of texture and crunch to each bite.
The Verdict
Overall this was a very enjoyable lunch and quite filling. The menu has some intriguing options that are different than the usual Tonkatsu broth joints around.
The Spicy Garlic Ramen and Soboro Bowl hit the right spot for me and certainly have provided me more options to think about when I’m craving ramen in the OC.
I look forward to going back to try the Dipping Noodles along with another one of the rice bowls in the near future!
