When Sansotei Ramen first opened last year in Ottawa, the 40 seat restaurant always had long lines of people waiting to get in due to the popularity of the 3 Toronto locations where critics praised the quality of the ramen. Nearly a year now after opening, Sansotei Ramen has become my favourite ramen shop in Ottawa and it continues to attract locals who have are looking for some flavorful broth and noodles.
As someone who lived in Japan, I was delighted the first time I visited Sansotei Ramen and heard the staff yell いらっしゃいませ (irasshaimase) which means welcome, as it instantly took me back what it is like to live in Japan.
The small 40 seat restaurant is cleverly decorated with a large mirror across one of the walls that gives the illusion the room is much larger. The combination of the bamboo table tops, mixed with stone walls and hanging rope ceiling fixture gives a natural design aesthetics popular in Japan.
Sansotei Ramen has a concise menu, focusing on several types of ramen and side dishes. The ramen options include their tonkotsu which is a creamy pork broth, tonkotsu black which is the pork broth topped with roasted garlic oil, miso black which is made with miso paste and topped with garlic oil, shoyu which is the soy sauce flavor ramen, spicy tan tan which has a spicy sesame broth, and tomato which has a sweeter broth. All the ramen bowls are served with either thick or thin noodles, and noodle refills are available if you are particularly hungry.
For sides, there are slow cooked wings, gyoza (pan-fried Japanese style dumplings), zangi also known as karaage (fried chicken), gyudon (beef and onions on a bed a rice), and seaweed salad.
| Shoyu Ramen |
| Tonkotsu Black Ramen |
| Spicy Tan Tan Ramen |
While all the ramen options are outstanding, my personal favourite has to be the shoyu ramen as I prefer the flavor of the broth and it would be the ramen I would suggest trying first.
| Matcha Cheesecake |
While all the ramen options are outstanding, my personal favourite has to be the shoyu ramen as I prefer the flavor of the broth and it would be the ramen I would suggest trying first. I recently revisited Sansotei Ramen with the same people I went to Uji Cafe with, so we were inspired to also order the matcha cheesecake which was flavorful and denser than the Uji Cafe version.
As someone who loves Japanese cuisine, I’m thrilled to see all the new Japanese restaurants in the city and the continued success of gems like Sansotei Ramen. If you are someone who normally goes out for pho, wander into this charming ramen shop instead as there are many similarities between the two broth and noodle dishes that you are certain to enjoy your affordable meal.