Sanpoutei Ramen @ No. 3 Road
Sanpoutei Ramen
#160- 4328 No.3 Road (Beside Parker Place and Aberdeen Centre, In Kam Do Plaza)
Richmond BC
V6X 2C2
Wednesday to Sunday
11:00am - 3:00pm
6:00pm - 10:00pm
CLOSED
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
Sanpoutei has finally brought fresh ramen to Richmond! Richmond hasn't been in the foodie spotlight as much as Vancouver, so it's great to have something new in town, without the distance to get there. Sanpoutei has a history dating back to 1967 when their first restaurant opened in Niigata, Japan. Sanpoutei is one of very few in Vancouver and the lower mainland to offer both house-made ramen and soup to its customers.
There's even a glass window to let the people waiting in line watch the noodle-making process.
The interior of the restaurant is exquisitely decorated with traditional Japanese motifs and woodwork. It's crammed with decorations of all sorts, but it still leaves enough space to give the restaurant a wide, roomy feel.
I was satisfied with the wait time that I was given as an estimate and it stayed true when I came back later to get the table. The way that the seating list works is they group the 2's and 3's together + 4's and 5's together. In this way, you only have to wait for a certain grouping depending on how many are in your party. For me, I had a party of 5 and we were told there was a half an hour wait. Reservations can only be made for groups of 6 people or more. So if you have less than 6 people, I'd suggest writing your name down on the seating list and then going to Aberdeen Centre to walk around for however long you have to wait. Just come back a bit early so you're there when they get you your name on the list.
The price is alright here, as it's not super cheap yet super expensive. There's quantity for your buck and that's a good thing if you want a full stomach for lunch or dinner. Besides ramen, they also offer pork or chicken karrage rice and salad.
Tori x Miso Ramen + Extra Noodles ($12.5 + $1)
The Tori Miso Ramen was pretty good in my opinion. I liked the rich, savoury broth and the thick cut noodles. It was a little hard to get to the noodles however, since there's a heaping mound of toppings to get through; similar to asian hot pot. THE ABURI (seared) CHASHU IS ON POINT HERE! Extra Chashu is at good price, but if your friend wants to give you theirs, take it! The smoky flavor is unbelieveable and the meat is super tender. The plating was decent for this dish and made me want to dig into the large portion of food.
This is one of the few places where they still serve Coca Cola in a glass bottle!! Adding a Coca Cola to this meal totaled $16.28 after tax.
Tori Ramen ($12) I only tried the soup of this, but I was impressed by the subtle flavor of the chicken (Tori) that was the main ingredient of the broth. I was curious to see what it would taste like without miso as a soup base and it was quite interesting. It tasted like a fish broth, more than chicken. The presentation of the dish could use a little work though.
Shoyu Ramen
I didn't try this one, but it has a soy based broth instead of miso, making it lighter in color. It comes with seaweed lavers and the same toppings as the other ramen options on the menu (Such as Egg, Vegetables, Chashu, Noodles)
** I've heard that the Tsukemen (dipping ramen) isn't the best from different sources, so just stick to regular ramen!
