Sansotei Ramen

Here we are looking for noods again in Ottawa.  However, instead of Northern Chinese like the night before, we were yearning for some Japanese Ramen.  However, we needed to find one that was conveniently located near some collectible shops that Costanza wanted to hit up while in Ottawa.  Sansotei Ramen on Bank Street was right where we needed to be and according to the ratings, it might actually be a good meal too.

Seems like we weren't the only ones thinking of ramen as we had to endure a short wait.  To start, we got Gyoza and Spicy Slow Cooked Wings.  The gyoza were decent with a crispy bottom.  I found the dumpling wrapper to be a bit firm and not very delicate.  Inside the pork filling was fairly moist and there was a balancing amount of cabbage.  As for the wings, they were super soft and fall-off-the-bone.  I didn't find them that spicy, but they did taste good with a salty sweetness.  I didn't finish these though as they were quite heavy to eat.

For my choice of ramen, I went for the Tonkotsu+ spiked with truffle oil.  I wanted to really like this, but ultimately, the truffle flavour and the heaviness of the broth (due to the oil) made it difficult to finish.  I did enjoy the al dente thick noodles as well as the smoked pork pastrami, meatballs and chasu.  Pastrami was tender and salty while the meatballs were naturally-textured and well-seasoned.  The chashu was fatty and seared.  I actually really enjoyed the shiitake mushrooms as they were juicy and super-flavourful.

Viv ended up with the Tomato with thin noodles, Hokkaido scallop, chashu, egg, tomato and shiitake.  I really enjoyed this broth as it was rich, but not heavy with plenty of natural tomato flavour.  It wasn't sour though, rather it was pretty smooth and aromatic.  She chose the thin noodles and they were also al dente, but not as chewy as my thick noodles.

Costanza decided on the Tonkotsu Black with chashu, wood ear mushroom, egg, green onion and black garlic oil.  Other than the black garlic, this would be pretty much the baseline broth.  It was meaty and flavourful without being salty.  It wasn't rich per se but it wasn't thin either.  As expected, the black garlic added a fermented umaminess.  The ramen egg was custardy in the middle, but rather mild-tasting.

Elaine went for the Miso Black with the chashu, spicy kakuni, egg, shiitake and black garlic oil.  The main difference here is that the miso added more body and richness.  Futhermore, it had depth via the fermented flavours of the miso.  Probably the most impactful broth of the bunch.  By virtue of having kakuni rather than chashu, the meat practically melted upon chewing.  It was also more flavourful.  Overall, the ramen at Sansotei was solid and totally did the job.  I personally wasn't fond of my own, but that is subjective.

The Good:

- Solid ramen with flavourful broths

- Plenty of choices

- Decent service

The Bad:

- Not really a fan of the wings