#I just think they contrast each other very well in a weird harmonic kinda way

[jamieedlund]

Welcome to the rhythm of the night~🎶

Callum and Aaravos official designs for my modern AU: New York mages. I'd like to think they both have some very specific fashion choices. Callum with his artsy traditional cloud aesthetics and Aaravos with his seemingly simple yet elegant punk-sque(?) style. They kinda look super cute together in my opinion. Hope you guys like it. Initial concepts and brief introductions are here if you haven't seen them already. They're just basically modern detective mages with both having normal occupations on the side. Cally be living that eventful college student life haha

[obey-me-rot]

You Shouldn't Be This Cool

A/N: Something purely self indulgent to kickstart this Obey Me writing blog. The idea mostly belongs to @warm-meelk because of how they drew their MC playing bass and then sprinkled in the fact that Levi would be the pianist and I just kinda...went from there q wq. And I also play bass so...all the more reason to write this!

Warnings: Levi trying to justify some of his more weird actions while MC seems to not only know...but enjoy the attention.

Levi wasn’t a creep, he was passionate.

He was passionate about TSL, he was passionate about anime, he was passionate about his idol groups and he was even passionate about learning new skills in order to better evolve himself into an ultimate fan.

So what he did today was not because he was a creep!

It was because he was passionate.

“Can you play that for me again, Levi?”

The third born tucks his feet on his chair, sipping up the noodles of his second cup of ramen as he watches the video feed from this afternoon. He smiles as the camera zooms in on your fingers, each one plucking the string of your bass absentmindedly while you listen to the melody he had composed.

As a TSL fan, he was ‘in the know’ of most TSL fan events whether they were held in the Devildom or in the human world. If they were worth the trouble he would attend and if it seemed like it was just a repeat fan event for one he already attended then he would just get the merch from the safety and comfort of his room.

Yet a completely new fan event had popped up on his radar one day, an online one.

One that challenged each and every TSL fan to create a song dedicated to their favourite lord.

Levi doesn’t remember much after that announcement, all he remembers is knocking on your door at devil knows what hours of the morning and shoving the music sheets in your face while pleading for you to help him out.

Your musical talent wasn’t hidden in the House of Lamentation. While most of the brothers could boast about having pretty decent singing voices or being ‘okay’ at certain instruments, your ‘weapon’ of choice was perhaps the most random but also well fitted instrument for someone like you.

You played the bass.

If he wanted to get specific, you played the TCB1006 Ibanez electric bass. You had mentioned in passing when you and him had met up to start ‘jamming’ out and Levi had retained that fact along with his hundreds of other facts that had to do with your particular interests and likes.

Again, because he was passionate...about your friendship.

The camera zooms out to film both of you, a happy giggle taking him over as he saw just how chill you looked.

How unfair was it that out of all the instruments you could play, you had to play the one that just made you look even cooler?

You were laying in his tub while he sat on the very chair he was sitting on now, plucking strings seemingly at random but humming some bars and trying to fit them with his melody. Your feet were propped up on the edge and the soft brown color of the guitar meshed so well with the glowing blue lights of his room that he is so glad he picked this spot for his hidden camera because you looked ethereal.

“I still can’t believe you composed this. It’s pro-level.”

“H--Ha! Of course! This is nothing but a piece of cake for me! If it's about the Third Lord and Henry then I’m all over it!”

Eyes take in the way you sit up and position your bass higher, fingers having a better reach as you start to ‘slap’ the strings in order to create a more wavy and deeper sound.

“Okay...I think I got it. Can you play the melody from the beginning?”

Oh here it was.

Sitting up, Levi puts his cup noodle down and grabs the nearby music sheets, pen already in hand as his attention on you becomes laser focused.

The beat you play is, well, playful. It is a high contrast to his almost operatic piano melody and he could almost hear himself playing a bit slower as if wondering if you had even heard what he was playing

“Uh MC…?"

“Trust me.”

Levi bites his lip as he feels his heart skip a beat, not even having to look at the screen to see that he was blushing. His past self was so predictable…

Although wasn’t his present self all the more pathetic for reacting to your words a second time?

He’d rather not think about it too much.

Your purpose had come shining through the moment Levi started to really hear the notes you were playing. It was almost as if you were mimicking Henry’s character with the bass. Cool, collected and eager to learn more about the world he had been thrusted into, your bass managed to capture the curiosity of Henry’s while his piano clearly symbolized the shy but deadly Third Lord.

The bass would go high, the piano would go low but as the melody started to harmonize so did the way your playing did with his. It was if he was the Third Lord, shyly peeking at the way Henry interacted with the world around them…

Only to turn around and invite him to join along.

His eyes go up to the screen.

You looked so happy, your fingers plucking away as he continued playing along with you. Your eyes turn to look at him and he almost wants to punch his past self in the face for not looking back. The camera had been perfectly placed to capture the way you tilt your head as you stare at him, chuckling as he clearly gets far too into the music for his own good.

To miss such an exclusive UR moment from you, he should be ashamed of himself.

“Haha. Thank the devil I came up with this camera idea!”

Levi blinks as he looks around, coming face to face with his beloved Henry as the fish stares at him from his bowl.

“...don’t look at me like that, Henry…”

The fish blinks.

“I wasn’t doing it to be a creep! I just wanted to write down the notes MC played before I forgot them.”

Henry’s mouth opens and then closes.

“And see! I even missed such exclusive moments from them! Look!”

He pauses the video and turns the screen so his fish can take a better look.

“5:06. I even timestamped it. Right here, MC is smiling and looking at me so cutely that it would be almost a sin to not record it!”

His fingers tap a couple of keys as he goes back to another point of the video.

“3:58, they smile and do such a cool trick with their fingers that I didn’t even notice that they stick their tongue out whenever they get too into playing! Do you see that Henry?”

A couple more taps as he keeps the video playing, the goldfish swims close to the edge of the bowl.

“I missed so many great moments all because I was so lost in playing! And I just didn’t want to ask them if I could record them because then they might think I’m using the footage for some sort of weird purpose and I would never do something like that to them! My Henry is far too amazing for me to just watch them one time! I just wanted to make sure of the notes they were playing! This is all for passion--!”

“Levi?”

He stops talking as he looks back at the screen, Henry swimming away while Levi tuned into the video once again.

“Was that good? I don’t know why but having the bass go a bit higher as I mute the strings feels almost like--”

“Like a conversation! It’s like the instruments are talking!”

Okay maybe this camera idea wasn’t the greatest after all, that was such a stupid thing to say and if he could go back and just slap the words out of his very mouch, he would.

Yet once again, his MC showed just why they were at the top of their ‘favourites’ list.

“Yeah! Like a convo!”

The conversation dissolves into randomness as Levi sighs and looks down at his sheet music. He only got a few notes down. Devildom, what was the point of having perfect pitch if he didn’t use it all the time? He straightens his screen out as he grabs a pencil instead of a pen, knowing full well that if he wanted to get this done he would have to rely on listening to you play and not looking at the screen.

If he finished this quickly then he would be able to stare at yo--it...he would be able to stare at it the rest of the night.

He goes to rewind the video but stops when he notices the scenery has changed just a tiny bit. You were out of his bathtub and looking at his aquarium, tapping the wall twice as some of his other fishes came up to greet you.

They were already so accustomed to you that he was sure even Lotan would know who you were.

Your attention goes from his aquarium wall to his computer, looking at all of his figurines and other merch he proudly showed off. A few more steps to the right and you were looking at his bookshelf--

Only for your eyes to lock with his.

He rolls his chair back immediately, his heart dropping to his feet as you reach out to the camera and pluck it from its hiding place.

No. No no no nononononononono!

This was it. You were done with him. Levi didn’t have a lot of friends but he knew that this was probably a friendship ender. His pupils contract as he sees you look at the camera with a confused look, already guessing your thoughts before you could vocalize them.

This weirdo was filming me the entire time. And he was hiding the camera? Disgusting. I’ll make sure to never come by his place again. What an absolute creep.

“MC...I didn’t--”

His jaw clicks shut as small tears gather at the corners of his eyes, not yet falling down his cheeks as he sees you smile and wave at the camera.

What--?

“Levi. If you wanted to film you didn’t really have to hide it. I want something to remember this session too. Next time you can just ask~”

You wink and Levi can feel his heart going from the floor all the way to his throat.

“Oh and send me a text when you have the footage ready. We can watch it together.”

He lets out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding as you place the camera back before his voice rings out from the video, exclaiming about all the snacks he had brought. So that’s why he had found you standing up, and here he thought you were leaving…

Send you a text...the footage…?

His hands scramble to his phone as he quickly enters the passcode, blushing as he sees a new message from you.

“Mind if I come over again? I have a new bassline I want to show off.”

Levi puts the phone down slowly before getting up---

Only to immediately fall down, hands over his face as he curled up on the floor.

Of all the characters he thought he would be in a shoujo, the last one he thought he would end up as is the heroine.

Not that he was regretting it, this was perhaps the best outcome that had happened in his now not so miserable life.

[wannabe-cartoonist-blog]

Reactions to Official SBM Recordings

A bit spoiler-y if you haven't seen the show or listened to the new recordings of the songs. So proceed with caution.

ACT 1

Intro/Bikini Bottom Day

-here we goooooo

-ahhhhh ze narrator

-love how they include sb's foghorn alarm, just gonna say that

-award goes to Ethan for the cutest yAWN

-ethan is using such a soft tone of voice and it's honestly perfect

-"meow"

-the shoe squeaks!!

-the laugh was a little weaker than other performances but I'll let it slide cause he's so cute

-I thought it was "where the sun shines down" not "when" but apparently not

-MY BOI PATRICK STAR

-"oOOO OOOO I want a verse!!!"

-I love the difference between his singing voice and the Patrick Voice (tm)

-the chorus harmonizing in the bg

-sQUIDY

-Gavin Lee sounds a little strange...like Squidward sounds like he could't care less about anything and is so resigned to his loud neighbors

-which...he is....but he sounds off idk. Still a good performance tho

-like with Pat, there's a distinction between his singing voice and speaking voice

-he sounds good though but not like the live performances....idk if that's good or bad

-the fart noise strikes again

-RIGHT INTO SANDY'S PART

-love the country track

-she sounds so nice 10/10

-that "daaaaAYYYYY" 10000/10

-they didn't include the explosion or like all of the dialogue that follows it but I like it. Keeps the flow of the song going

-KRABS

-THE WALKING NOISE

-plankton's voice is so deep and smooth, I love it

-KAREN'S "forever" WAS MADE TO SOUND COMPUTERIZED THAT WAS A REAL NICE TOUCH

-"CLeeeeeveeeeerr" melted butter

-I love krabs, Karen, and plankton singing together

-Squidward is so depressed 10/10

-pearls deep voice is 10000/10

-spongey sounds so sad after being shot down, perfection

-"everyone would say GOOD MORNING MR. SQUAREPANTS"

-the CHORUS!!!!!!

-I freaking love this song

-it captures the town so perfectly

-they finish the song without being interrupted by the volcano, very nice choice

No Control

-the panic

-Perch Perkins could punch me in the face and I would thank him

-velvet voice. Pure velvet.

-sandy, sponge, pat, sandy, THE BABIES

-all of krab's parts sounds much better than the live versions, not gonna lie

-smooth-voiced plankton once again. He and perch need a duet but I think I'd actually melt from it

-kAREN

-I love the bg singing, heck yeah

-"the end. Is. Coming!"

-spongey

-ETHAN'S "WOOOOOH" OMG I WASNT READY

-there are 3 ticks instead of 2, that's interesting

-David Bowie did a really good job with this. So sad he didn't get the hear the finished product.

-Thank you, David Bowie. Rest In Peace.

B.F.F.

-oh, boy I'm ready

-that cute acoustic sound oh yes

-classic Plain White Ts

-I love how they remember that spongebob wears glasses sometimes 1000/10

-their voices compliment each other so well wow

-I love pat's singing voice, did I mention?

-the best friend dance part kills me every time

-the instrumental bit 1000/10

-"feeling good" part literally knocked the breath out of me

-"you're my best friend forever!"

-"B.F.F that stands for"

"Spongebob and Patrick" <33333

When the Going Gets Tough

-"give me some muuuusic, Karen"

-KAREN IS PERFECTION

-"exCUSE ME?"

-"e-he-he"

-this sounds so freaking cool

-for the 700th time, I love plankton's voice

-the sponge rap!!!!

-"you've got one day left go home and pack"

-plankton changes his tone slightly near the middle/end and I almost had a heart attack cause it sounded so good

-they included the krabs and plankton interaction about the sleeves, good choice

-"I'm a one-celled organism...I don't even HAVE sleeeeVES."

-the MAYOR!!!!

(Just A) Simple Sponge

-I've listened to this about 100000 times already

-but I'll do this anyway

-again, Ethan always sounds so pure

-he really nails the innocence of sb

-the bg chorus is fantastic

-I love all the references in this song

-Brendan Urie did a great job

-I really love how this song is in reference to krabs' opinion of sb. That's always been a really cool relationship dynamic

-sb is like a son to krabs and krabs is kinda a father figure? (I know sb has a dad but) sb is always looking to krabs for approval and when he looses it he gets real down (the second movie has a cool nod to this; "you were like an underpaid son to me")

-all these artists could've just written songs that these characters could sing, but they all wrote songs that these characters would sing. They all really nail the characters and I’m so grateful for that.

-the last note is so damn powerful I love ethan slater

Daddy Knows Best

-this song always sounds good

-love how pearl made sure to always keep her voice deep

-"money, money" that's 100% pure Eugene Krabs

-LOVE THE CONTRAST BETWEEN PEARL'S SINGING AND SPEAKING VOICE

-opposite of Patrick's

-she sings so softly

-THE BEAUTIFUL SCREECHES OF "DADDY"

-I love Krabs

-the cries

-"DADDDDDDYYYYYYYYY"

"MONNNNNEYYYYYY"

Hero Is My Middle Name

-spongey, I love you

-this song is such a cute bop

-it's so 80s, thanks Cindy Lauper

-"yeahH"

-"mine's Jennifer" was included heck yeah

-the slide whistle sound

-WHEN THEY SING TOGETHER

-"alriiight!"

-the way sandy says "courage" and "myyyyyy middle name" I love

-"us go!"

-love the instruments at the end

-the bandstand-y type music for when Pat dances, SO GOOD

SuperStar Seastar Savior

-this is one of those songs I didn't really care for live

-but MY GOD ITS AMAZING AS A RECORDING

-LISTEN TO THOSE HARMONIES

-it really does sound gospel-y

-pATRICK

-he sounds so pure "my new friends"

-"does anybody bake?"

-GOD HE SOUNDS SO GOOD

-THE TWANG

-"ME"

-"uh, I dunno"

-"figARO"

-the wrestling announcer towards the end

-"y'all praise pink!"

-the explosion what a perfect way to end it

Tomorrow Is

-lili, slay me

-oO the shift!!!

-the sb and sandy harmony yes very good

-squidy still sounds a little strange but I love him

-krabs always on point

-"oooo"

-god, plankton's voice is velvet

-"victoryyyyy"

-spongey boy, god, he's so hurt by Pat im crying

-tHE CHORUS

-bikini bottom day reprise, I'm in actual tears

-gOD

ACT II

Poor Pirates

-another one I didn't care for live

-but the recording captures it so much better

-it just sounds so different

-the KAZOO

-"en-c-i-n-o"

-"h-winds in our earrings"

"don'tcha know pirates have feelings?"

-"p-o-o-rrrrrrr people too"

-bg guy who says "we've too many too gold teeth"

-I really really love this

-"the BLOOMIN ONION"

-Talk Like A Pirate Day is now a fully international holiday idc what anyone has to say

-god, the instrumentation is on point

-Sara Bareilles did an amazing job (listen to some of the songs from The Waitress if you like her stuff. She wrote for and stared in that too. "She Used To Be Mine" is amazing)

Bikini Bottom Boogie

-okay, this also sounds better than it was live

-that guitar, man

-really does sound like a good ol' rock ballad

-nice job, Aerosmith

-IM FEELING IT ALRIGHT

-"rad, gnarly, and tIGHT"

-"kiss my JELLYFISH"

-what a freakin bop

-yEAH

Chop To the Top

-the banjo oh yes yes yes

-I'm in love with it already

-tHE FIDDLE

-sandy is so pure

-"keep it moving don't stop till you drop" that's new I love it

-sPONGY YOU CAN DO IT

-"way" the TWANG HAS PASSED ON TO SB NOW

-F THIS IS THE REAL BOP

-pURE TOO PURE

-LILI, GOD YOURE KILLING ME

-ehem, yes this was fantasic. 

-Great job, Lady Antebellum

(I Guess I) Miss You

-oh boi, here we go feels

-just imaging John Legend writing this while playing piano while Chrissy Teegan watches on in the bg is hilarious to me

-pat, my boy I'm in tears

-the "I"s in this song are good no matter how you're listening to it

-sponge is so HURT

-"nobody can make me laugh like you" :((((((

-the har-mon-iES

-IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-e-I'm in pain

-"bring my sunshine back again" the sad twang :,((((((((((((((((((

-nobody talk to me for a month I need to recover

I'm Not a Loser

-the piano, oh yes

-he's really doing the nasally thing

-it works tho

-he sounds much more put together and sure of himself than live, yet not, if that makes sense???? Gavin Lee gave it a different performance and I give him props

-the CRYING

-"huha?"

-*monotone* "this is weird"

-*just going with it* "okay"

-"look at me now mama!"

-okay, this is just my opinion but I think squidy just sounds better live???

-"I'm not a loooossar"

-the "stay at home" girl is always great

-"hey. Shhhhst."

Best Day Ever

-oh, we're here already omg

-pure sponge boy, pure

-I still get all choked up when the "best day ever" tune starts

-he sounds so SWEET

-sandy chiming in

-Pat joining heck yeah, yeah

-"dum, dum, dum, dum"

-really like how they changed "just tying my shoe" in the tv show version to "just being with you"

-I LOVE WHEN THE CHORUS COMES IN EVERY NOW AND THEN

-the Elvis impersonation is always great

-that bg girl after Squidward comes in? Amazing.

-"this is it, everyone" IM GONNA DIE

-this is so soft and so dark

-the soft countdown that gets more and more scared omg

Bikini Bottom Day Reprise

-the ukelele gets me every time

-it's the perfect instrument for sb

-"busy day" I'LL SAY

-I love everything about this

-Mr krabs?? I forgot he had a line in this?? Did he ever??? I LIKE IT

-the cymbals, play it pearl yes yes

-Pearl, you're killing it

-"a simple sponge can be handy when you're cleaning up spills" omg

-"sometimes you need a hero with some management skills" squidy that was such an amazing thing to say

-"hey there, that's me" it sure is, my son. It sure is.

-I LOVE BIKINI BOTTOM DAY JUST SO YOU KNOW

-the ending, the ENDING OMG

-"meow" I LOST IT

-the crazy instruments all at once, god it's great

-everyone in this town is a child

The SpongeBob SquarePants Theme/Closing

-*HEADBANGS*

-oMGGGGGGGGGGG

-THIS IS THE THEME REDUAL I NEEDED AND DIDNT EVEN KNOW IT

-THE GUITAR AT THE END

-well, I'm in tears and throwing all my money at this show

-and you should too

-also congrats if you made it this far with me on this incredible journey of pain, references, and fluffy feelings

[twocoursemeal-blog]

TCM Ramen Month: Hokkaido Ramen Santouka

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka (Harvard Square)

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka is another one of the international ramen chains that’s recently expanded to the Boston area. Santouka’s decor is clean, well lit, and sharp, and their soup is all tonkatsu-based with options for shio, shoyu, miso, and spicy miso, as well as a long-term special, negi nanban (jalapeno). Their original Boston location (and the location we’re reviewing) is in Harvard Square, but another store has recently opened near Newbury St. in Back Bay. Congratulations, Back Bay residents -- if their Newbury St. location is anything like the Harvard Square one, you’re in for a real treat.

We ate:

Takoyaki

Shio Ramen (with aji-tamago)

Shoyu Ramen (with aji-tamago)

Hojicha (Roasted Green Tea)

Mochi Ice Cream

Angela’s Thoughts

Yay! Santouka! Finally! My Favorite!

We went to Santouka on a cold, crowded Friday night. Fortunately, they have a cute little waiting area, and a phone texting-based waiting list. We were seated in a corner with nice lighting (good for pictures!), and started pouring over the menu. Every time I go back to Santouka, I marvel at how long their menu’s gotten; there are so many dishes now! They offer 5 different types of ramen, with numerous ways to customize your ramen as well; there are a few toppings, different types and amounts of pork, and tsukemen (dipping-style ramen with thicker broth). This doesn’t even address their combos, numerous apps, side dishes, and desserts. Santouka is becoming more than a ramen shop, in a way, but its ramen is clearly still the star of the show.

I am a creature of habit when it comes to ramen. I usually order the shoyu ramen when I come to Santouka, but one thing I *always* get is the hojicha, or roasted green tea. Santouka has chosen their tea so that it pairs well with their ramen... I know this seems weird, but you have to try it! The roasted tea takes on rich, dark, and nutty elements that balance the grassy earthiness of green tea. It cuts through the fattiness and salt of the ramen broth perfectly. It’s only a dollar, you get free refills, and it’s delivered to you at a drinkable temperature. This is a must-order for me, even in the summer.

We ordered the takoyaki (at Matt’s request). They were beautifully presented, and the fragrance of the takoyaki sauce and fishy bonito flakes blended together was delicious. They were crispy and very savory, though the fried oil taste was quite strong on the crust. The inside was smooth, and not too sweet, nestled around a pretty hearty chunk of octopus on the inside; the octopus was briny and flavorful. The herb mayo on top wasn’t too bad, and I generally hate mayonnaise. Though I only had one, it was a very tasty takoyaki!

This time (and pretty much every time, tbh), I ordered the shoyu ramen. The shoyu ramen comes with two slices of pork, a square of nori (seaweed), bamboo shoots, scallions, sesame seeds and naruto (swirly fishcake). I also ordered it with aji-tama (marinated soft-boiled egg).

The broth is very fragrant; the shoyu ramen highlights the fishy notes of the dashi stock clearly, and I think that compliments and lightens the pork broth considerably. The scallions and garlic are also lead notes in the broth. The broth is oily and definitely salty; it’s the saltiest broth I’ve had so far during Ramen Month. The salt did start to catch up to me by the end of the bowl, but the tea is perfect for cutting through that! I didn’t dislike the heavier salt content, but this is definitely a broth that is best coating the pork and noodles, and definitely isn’t for drinking and finishing at the end.

Speaking of the noodles, they are really flavorful and clearly darkened by soaking up the shoyu broth. They’re a wavy-curly noodle that is thinner and softer, without too much spring. They are really delicious, though, and harmonize with the broth by absorbing all the flavor. The egg was also perfectly cooked -- brothy, marinated outside, and gooey soft inside. This is the best egg we’ve had during Ramen Month, by far.

The pork slices, at first glance, kinda look pale and sad. Fortunately, looks can be deceiving. The slices are pork belly cuts striated with fat. They certainly weren’t the most tender slices of char siu we’ve had during Ramen Month (that award goes to Ganko Ittetsu), but when you bite into a slice, the pork fat melts like butter. It’s *amazing*. The fat makes the slices super rich, so the two slices that come with a standard bowl of ramen was enough for me.

We finished the meal with comped mochi ice cream (so nice!). I was pretty full, so couldn’t appreciate it as well as I could have on an emptier stomach. The vanilla bean mochi tasted pretty standard, and the red bean mochi, interestingly, tasted like bubble gum. Weird, but not bad...

I think, from my review, it’s pretty clear how much I like Santouka. I have 3 Santouka Loyalty Cards in my wallet right now, with stamps on all of them (You get a stamp for each bowl of ramen -- 5 stamps gets you free gyoza, and 10 stamps gets you free ramen!). Though other ramen shops have better noodles and pork (in my opinion), Santouka’s broth is brilliantly balanced, and that elevates pretty much anything else they put on or in it. Their excellent service doesn’t hurt, either. Santouka is still top dog in my list of favorite ramen shop in Boston.

Matt’s Thoughts:

I had been to Santouka once before, and while I didn’t have a strong memory of the place, I did recall it being pretty tasty, and I was excited to give it another try in the context of Ramen Month.

On a cold Friday night after Boston’s first snow storm, Santouka was packed. A wait for two was listed as 30-40 minutes, and we consented. Santouka is one of the wonderful places where you can give your name and phone number at the host stand and get a text when your table is ready. If you’re facing down a long wait, consider hopping next door to Grafton Street Pub for a drink. Fortunately, Santouka has a reasonably large waiting area - a three (read: four) person couch and maybe seven or so chairs in a little area off to the side. We waited, chatting and catching up about our day and talking about how I was doing a bad job of playing Fire Emblem Awakening (my first tactical JRPG).

We checked through the menu and after a bit of discussion, I settled on the shio ramen. Though I had a very wary eye towards my experience at Ganko Ittetsu when I went with “trying something new” over “following my heart,” I have never had shio ramen before, and was told that Santouka would be a great place to try it. Our minds made up on ramen, I saw that they had takoyaki as an appetizer! Largely due to my advocacy, we ordered the takoyaki. I friggin love takoyaki.

As we were waiting, I noticed some of the smaller touches that Santouka had - clean, sharp decor, a narrow window into the kitchen where large pots of simmering broth were fed with a thin trickle of water to replace lost moisture, and a small folding mesh bin where we were able to put our bags and coats to keep them out of the way. To date, this is still the only restaurant I’ve ever been in that’s offered these, and I think they’re a wonderful display of hospitality.

Our takoyaki came first, lined up five strong on a long white plate, bonito flakes flapping gently in the heat. I grabbed the most sauce-laden one I could find, popped it in my mouth, and proceeded to breathe out as fast as I could in a desperate, futile attempt to protect what little soft tissue was still left in my mouth. These were HOT. The perfect temperature. These were some killer takoyaki. The sauces were solid and well-balanced, the bonito added welcome textural and fishy flavor, but the star of this takoyaki show were the balls themselves. *Perfectly* golden and crispy on the outside (a feat that some takoyaki unfortunately fail to achieve), the interior was gooey, well-seasoned, and contained two reasonably large pieces of deliciously chewy octopus. I was in heaven. To be completely honest, this may have been the best takoyaki I’ve had in Boston (vs. Totto, Bon Chon, Shabu and Mein, Pikaichi, Ittyo, and Hojoko [sorry Ittoku - I promise I’ll try you some day]). Good enough that I would go back just for the takoyaki. If you’ve never had them before, this is definitely a good place to go for your first time.

I was so lost in reverie that I almost didn’t notice the ramen come! Fortunately, the ramen arrived on a huge ass plate and I couldn’t miss it. The broth was creamy and glistening with fat, while the two pale slices of char siu were almost camouflaged into the broth. A single wood ear mushroom, a slice of naruto, and what turned out to be an umeboshi plum added striking contrast to the bowl.

The shio broth was simple, clean, and rich. Though I didn’t particularly notice an addition from the sea salt, it’s very likely that without it the dish wouldn’t have had the same profile without it. I have to say that while it was good, I can’t quite put my finger on any one thing that made it stand out so much… go figure.

Santouka’s noodles were deliciously chewy, and carried the broth and the fat well. I liked them enough that without the takoyaki, I would have sought out a side of kaedama to go with my order (oddly, I didn’t see kaedama on the menu anywhere).

On to Santouka’s beautiful soft boiled eggs. They’re served in a bowl on the side - a touch I appreciate, as it allows you to decided when you eat the eggs without having to worry about the heat from the broth overcooking the yolks. As you can see from my picture, the yolks hit that excellent point of soft runniness plus a bit of slightly congealed silkiness. In a word, heaven. I ate both in a state of sheer bliss. It’s hard to imagine coming here and not getting these eggs again.

The pork was interesting… One piece was very pale, and though the fat on it was rendered wonderfully into pig butter, it didn’t carry much flavor aside from what it picked up from the broth. Additionally, it was a bit chewy, which isn’t an objection from me per se, but it was more of a piece of pork belly than char siu, and definitely wasn’t chopstick-tender. My other piece was noticeably darker and had more pig flavor with the same wonderful fat. You can bet I savored every bite of it.

I tried a bit of Angela’s shoyu broth, and surprising perhaps nobody except myself, loved it. The simple broth was fantastically complex, highlighting and elevating the soy, pork, and deep dashi flavors woven throughout. Though I’m glad I got my shio ramen, I think next time I’d go for the shoyu or try the miso. A final note - at the end of the bowl, after I’d gone through and eaten all the toppings and noodles, I went after the broth but found it very salty. Angela and I both agreed that while the salt didn’t come through in the rest of the meal, it was prominent at the end, and we retired from our bowls.

Finally, as we realized how full we were (and were bemoaning our lack of foresight to get some of the mochi ice cream for dessert), we got a gift! Our server brought us a small plate of two mochi ice cream (one vanilla, one red bean) along with two cute, dainty forks to eat with. We laughed, thanked her, and took a bite. The mochi wrapper was great - chewy and a little gummy as expected. The ice cream, however, was fine but unremarkable. The vanilla was clean and mild - I’d never had vanilla mochi before, and though I’m not sure I’d have it again in the face of matcha, black sesame, or strawberry, it was good to try something different. The red bean was straight up odd. Once in awhile, I’ll have some red bean ice cream that makes me pause and think “did they mess up and replace this with cotton candy ice cream?” and this case was no different. Funnily enough, both Angela and I didn’t really want to stop eating it. Maybe it was the odd juxtaposition of nostalgia? The world may never know.

I’ve got to say, I liked Santouka a lot more than I remembered liking it the first time. Their broth was awesome, their noodles were awesome, their egg was *on point* and they were very hospitable. If you’re in the area, it’s absolutely worth a stop.

Overall:

We both had a great time at Santouka! The service was impeccable and the food was great (and felt different from the other ramen that we’d had previously, which was welcome). Though you should be prepared for a wait (especially during dinner hours), and in the mood for a saltier broth, it’s a wonderful take on how ramen can be prepared. Combined with the impeccable service, this is a standout ramen restaurant.

We give Hokkaido Ramen Santouka 4 perfectly runny yolks out of 5.

Post-Script: How are we doing?

Angela: Santouka really lifted my spirits! It’s always reaffirming to be critical about one of your favorite restaurants and have it hold up. I could probably eat a bowl of Santouka ramen every week for the rest of my life (everyday is excessive…). Only two shops left, and I’m honestly a little sad that the end is in sight.

Matt: Somehow, still going strong! Going into Santouka, I was worried that I’d just come up against a wall, but somehow I was able to blast right through it with the help of Santouka’s phenomenal takoyaki and delicious broth. Will I really be able to weather this month of fat, salt, and carbs without faltering once? Is it a bad thing if I do?