Out & About #165 | Sansotei (Markham)

I've never really been one to fully grasp the meaning behind why ramen became such a hyped-up dish. Noodles in soup rarely manage to surpass pasta in my books, but there is the occasional exception.
It shouldn't come as a surprise that ramen is a heavily desired comfort food during the colder months - slippery noodles swimming in umami-packed broth has the tendency to impress the carb-lovers in all of us.

Sansotei's Markham location has been in operation for some time now, but it took me a while to get around to trying it as their hours are a tad odd: Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 12 - 3 PM, and Tuesdays to Sunday from 5 - 11 PM.

As events fell into place one Tuesday, I was able to finally pay the ramen house a visit shortly after 5 PM.

I had previously learnt of the restaurant's popularity via Instagram, but hadn't expected to walk into a dining hall at 80% capacity on a weekday evening, especially considering that it hadn't even hit 6 o'clock.
Customers had a choice of sitting at the bar, in booths, or at large tables, and the chances of having to share that table/booth with another party were pretty high. This came off as an awkward and slightly uncomfortable at first, as sharing tables usually indicates the desperation to eat. "搭台" is not a concept that I practice, but perhaps it was intentionally implemented to evoke a sense of communal dining.

The first thing I noticed upon being seated were the cylindrical rope decor spanning the entire depth of the restaurant. Amidst these thick, woven strands were numerous points of single-source illumination. Though small, they provided brightness that was more than sufficient for the required circumstances; but, as expected of ramen shops, they also led to very harsh overhead lighting.

Given my weak stomach condition at the time, I wanted to veer away from firm, al dente noodles as much as possible. I opted for Gyuudon as opposed to a grease-heavy bowl of ramen, but asked if I could switch the beef to Chashu instead. The server was hesitant at first, but responded that he could ask the kitchen to see if substitutions were possible.
He later returned with a small bowl of white rice bearing two slices of plain Chashu on top. At first I thought that he was allowing me to see the preliminary product, and that other components (such as vegetables) would be added on afterwards as soon as I gave my stamp of approval. Little did I know that a "don" was literally consisted of only rice and the specified topping.

Not being particularly hungry due to flu-like symptoms, I decided to just take the Chashu-don as it had been presented to me. The Chashu was comprised of layers of meat and fat, but lacked seasoning; the rice was also on the bland side. Thus I took to asking for sauce to go with the dish; the waiter was once again kind enough to bring both mayonnaise and the vinegar-based dipping sauce used to accompany gyoza.

Before we are subject to prematurely-made judgmental comments, I must inform that we did, in fact, order ramen during our stay. The Spicy Tan Tan Ramen (with thin noodles) was served in a medium-sized monogrammed bowl containing fiery hot, orange-yellow broth.

It contained a small amount of minced meat, a blanched slice of Chashu (identical to that of my "don"), and a halved hard-boiled egg that failed to meet the semi-cooked onsen egg standards. After finishing my Chashu don, I had decided to sneak a quick bite, though found the taste to be quite average overall.

Tofu Cheesecake was ordered to conclude the meal.

Despite its crumbly appearance (primarily resulting from slicing without wiping the knife clean after each cut), the dessert was undoubtedly the best item of the visit.
Albeit slightly soggy, the crust was thin and void of the disgustingly rich buttery-ness found in Western-style cheesecakes. The remainder was a lovely mix of tofu and cream cheese. It was evident that there was a higher tofu to cheese ratio, which made the cake a refreshing, light finish to an otherwise thoroughly greasy dinner.

No review is complete without a brief discussion of the restaurant's washroom. Deriving some sort of inspiration from JaBistro, the stalls donned the same wooden texture as the rest of the restaurant's walls. (I would have walked right past had there not been signs clearly posted on the handle-less swivel doors.)
There isn't anything wrong with this design, but it would have been much appreciated if the invisible pool of oil in front of the stalls had been cleaned up properly. While exerting upper body force to push the stall door inwards, my rubber soles almost slipped underneath me. Besides this small flaw, the bathroom was relatively clean and spacious. (There weren't any hooks though!)

Sansotei's venture into Markham isn't anything to write home about, and it was the general consensus that better ramen has been consumed elsewhere. It has lost to Hakata in terms of quality and variety, and to Kenzo in regards to spirit. However, their frontline staff earn points for being able to efficiently manage several tables at once by assigning each member with a different task. Our waiter exhibited signs of poor short-term memory, but was very sincere and patient - traits that the majority of fast-service restaurant staff lack
​That being said, I would not recommend waiting in line for ramen at this location if you don't mind travelling a bit further for both friendly service and top-notch creations. I understand that this variety of cuisine is scarce in Markham, but, as a customer, I do not believe that this is a valid reason for settling for a product lacking in singularity.

I shall end this post with a shot of the full moon captured on the same night. (Don't the clouds add an ominous yet tranquil aura?)

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