I just realized that all I talked about in November was maze soba and ramen. Today, I am going to talk about maze soba VS ramen. Some people say maze soba is an atrocity to all ramen. Some people say it is a delicious and great experiment that is here to stay. I have always been a lover of both, ramen and maze soba. In my Ibaraki Eats travels, I always wondered if there was a place that was famous for both styles. In late September, I found that there is one such place in Ishioka city. That place is called Menya Santora.
Menya Santora
Menya Santora is located in the Kanoka area of Ishioka. The only convenient way to get there is to drive there. It is pretty far from Ishioka station. This ramen place is pretty popular in that area. The Ibaraki Eats Duo, my wife and I, went on a Sunday evening and the place was packed.
Full House
When we walked inside, all the seats were taken and we had to wait for quite while. There is a counter area and two tables. I think this place could fit up to 20 people max. While we waited for the counter area to open up, we checked out the menu.
The Menu
No surprise here. The menu is on a ramen ticket vending machine. There are a lot of options to choose from so I will try to break it down for you. The top right red buttons and left light orange buttons are ramen. The red is Shoyu ramen and the light orange is...I really have no idea, a kind of special clear ramen?
The two yellow buttons below are Oily Soba which means regular maze soba and Meat Filled Oily Soba, which is the regular but with more meat! Next to that we have Taiwan maze soba in red buttons.
I have to apologize, the picture cuts off the rest of the menu. The other options are a fish soup based ramen and Taiwan ramen. The Taiwan maze soba and ramen are the spicier options.
The light blue buttons are for omori size and more chasu. The yellow buttons are extra toppings. The rest are drinks and rice.
The bottom buttons are the specials but I have no idea what they bring because they were all sold out.
Light Shoyu Ramen
After waiting for quite a bit, our orders finally arrived. My wife's ramen came first. She let me try some of the broth and it had that delicious shoyu flavor but it tasted like a light soup. A thought crossed my mind, "maybe this is a healthy ramen." It did come with a huge delicious piece of chashu so not that healthy. When my wife finished her ramen, she said she didn't feel super full or tired. It was a pleasant feeling of having had a great ramen and being able to do anything afterwards.
When I think of her ramen, I think of a friend that gently knocks on your door. When you open it, your friend has a snuggie and tells you it is going to be a relaxing Netflix night. You feel good, relaxed, and you enjoy every minute of that time being wrapped in that warm snuggie. That is how I think this ramen and most ramens feel like.
Meat Filled Maze Soba
Maze Soba is the complete opposite. Maze Soba is the friend who kicks down your door and says "get your party shoes on! We are going out till the sun rises!" It is a rush of excitement with a bunch of crazy flavors mixed together. You never know how things will end up. It is a delicious roller coaster. But at the end, you're tired, can't move, and just want to go to bed.
That is how I feel about this maze soba and most maze sobas. What surprised me about this maze soba was it had some spice to it. It was the first time I had really spicy maze soba and I loved it. The garlic, the noodles, the delicious cubed chashu all mixed together with that spice was a fantastic party in my mouth. When it was all over though, I was extremely full and satisfied, but I wanted a bed. My wife could have run a marathon she felt so light.
We both enjoyed our meals at Menya Santora. I liked the maze soba more than the ramen. But the ramen's chashu was fantastic. We will definitely visit this place again when we are in the area.
Maze Soba VS Ramen, which one is the winner? They aren't the winner, you are. If you choose either option, you are going to have a fantastic meal.
So if you are in the mood for either ramen or maze soba and are in Ishioka, why not give Menya Santora a chance. Who knows, you might see me there, having a crisis on wether to order amazing maze soba or delicious ramen.
Enjoy!
For more information on Menya Santora, check out there Twitter page:
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