Ramen at Sansotei in Toronto

Recently, it was announced that my cooking show, Four Senses, would be entering its fourth season of production on AMI! To celebrate the milestone, I’m taking the next few weeks to reminisce on our friendly northern neighbor, Canada.Back in 2014, we were shooting our second season. One of the first meals I had on my return to Canada was tonkotsu ramen at Sansotei Ramen in downtown Toronto.Being from Houston where there are not a lot of Japanese, I tend to seek this cuisine when traveling to places with a more prevalent Japanese population. And yes, while the ramen craze has swept North America, there is still something wholly satisfying about a good solid bowl of ramen. To me, it’s about the complex umami broth and the slightly chewy noodles. Everything else is just decoration (although a perfectly soft-boiled onsen egg can propel a bowl of ramen to greater heights).I tend to favor the tonkotsu version, which is simply a pork bone broth; it’s richer and heavier in flavor, great for a chilly evening. At Sansotei, I had mine with black garlic oil, oil infused with the deeply caramelized flavor of black garlic. Black garlic oil is typically made by cooking garlic low and slow in oil until it turns into a viscous, blackened substance. It gave the already savory broth an even more intense, nutty flavor. So much umami, my serotonin was going berserk.Sansotei is not the best ramen I’ve ever had, but it’s solid. The ever-packed house is a testament to its popularity. Next time you’re in Toronto, especially if it’s cold out, duck into Sansotei and slurp some ramen. It’ll keep both your stomach and your heart warm.Sansotei Ramen179 Dundas St. WestToronto, ON M5G 1Z8CanadaPhone: +1 647 476-3833