IPPUDO

London, UK

Ippudo is a big, Japanese chain that recently opened their first restaurant in London. We have previously reviewed the East Village branch in New York on the Food Grid, which we liked a lot. Our expectations were thus high, and we were excited to finally go try out their place in Central Saint Giles, the colourful building by Renzo Piano Building Workshop near Tottenham Court Road. Just before heading over for a Saturday lunch, I did a quick google of reviews, and found that most people were negative towards the service there. We entered the restaurant, and were told that there was a 45 minute wait. This annoying fact isn't even that unusual in London, as more and more restaurants have no booking system. We sat down at the bar to wait. There were some nice touches to the interior, such as the timber pattern over the bar making out the shape of Mount Fuji, whereas other aspects were less successful. The huge chandeliers that are noticeable through the double height glass facade from the street look a little bit cheapo, as do some of the detailing on the glass staircase up to the second level of the restaurant. The restaurants in the St Giles development are quite corporate, and this Ippudo was definitely a lot less atmospheric than the one in NYC.

Following some back and forth, we got a table after 10 minutes, so the wait was not bad in the end. We had already studied the menu, and proceeded to order a lot of it right away. The first dish to arrive was the Tako Wasabi, raw baby octopus in wasabi sauce. I had been suspicious of ordering this, and it turns out I was right. It had a slimy texture with a crunch in the middle of the bites, and none of us liked it. I ate a few more bites of it because the wasabi sauce was so tasty, but the texture was just really strange. This is not just us being picky, as both of my friends had previously eaten raw octopus so fresh that it was still moving when going down their throats. Even looking at the photo now while uploading this blogpost is making me feel a bit queasy. The rest of the starters turned out to be a lot better. The fried chicken Hirata Buns were really tasty, with just the right amount of spice. The chicken and vegetable Gyozas were well prepared; grilled on one side and soft on the other, however the flavour of the filling could not compete with that of Tonkotsu. We also had the Ippudo Salad with crispy noodles on top. The dressing had an interesting flavour, but the actual vegetables were so normal (cucmber, lettuce, peppers) that it tasted a bit boring.  It was freezing outside, so I asked for a glass of hot sake, but I was told that during lunch they only serve two types of sake, neither of which could be served hot. Instead I went for a Sencha Tea, which was delicious next to such a heavy meal, but it was sadly taken away from the table before I had a chance to finish it.  Despite having lots of starters, we were very hungry when the main dishes arrived. I went for the Shiro Vegetarian with a seasoned boiled egg, and I also tried some of my friend's Shiromaru Hakata Classic with pork. Both dishes were perfectly tasty, and the noodles had a good bite to them, but I felt like the bowls were lacking something. Neither the flavour of the broth or the toppings were punchy enough. Considering the eggs were an additional topping, the dish could have been even more standard if we hadn't chosen to add to it. I overall enjoyed eating it, and finished my portion, but it was not a spectacular bowl of ramen. I have to agree with other online reviews in that the service was quite annoying. They were attentive in that they kept coming up to us and asking if things were ok and taking our plates, but they were not particularly helpful. Ippudo is a decent place, but as London now has plenty of ramen restaurants I expect more than just 'good' if I am to visit a place twice. Next time I would try Kanada Ya across the street instead. 

www.ippudo.co.uk

TONKOTSU EAST

London, UK

Tonkotsu East Bar & Ramen is the second to open in London, after the Soho spot, reviewed previously by the Food Grid. Unsurprisingly, the East branch is located beneath your typical railway arch, one block off Kingsland Road. It is simply and elegantly decorated, with huge, spherical lamp shades and timber furniture. Unlike its Soho counterpart, it is a very inviting space. At the end of the room there's a glass wall that displays their very own noodle-making machine. Around mealtimes there is a bit of a wait to get a table, but only about 15 minutes, so no Soho-style hour long waits. My first visit was on a Saturday at lunch time, and there was no wait at all. Once seated by the long table at the wall, we checked out the concise menu, and of course started with some gyozas. Out of the selection of pork, prawn and shiitake handmade gyozas, the prawn is the best in my opinion. All of them are pretty spectacular, but I don't think I would prioritise the mushroom one again. For the main ramen dish, we tried the Tonkotsu, a pork stock soup with pork belly and a soft boiled egg. In the menu, the meat is described as melt-in-the-mouth, and it truly does. Both the texture and flavours were delicious. We also checked out the vegetarian option, the Shimeji, Shiitake & Miso Ramen. I am a big fan of anything with mushrooms, but the miso-based soups always miss a bit of the punch of the meat based broths. The perfect situation is if you have a friend who is willing to share, so you get to taste the best of both worlds.  The portion size is more than enough to satisfy you, and along with a fried dumpling starter you will walk out very full and happy. 

www.tonkotsu.co.uk

IPPUDO

New York, USA

Ippudo is a ramen restaurant with two locations in New York, one in Sydney, lots  around Asia and one opening in London. I went to their East Village branch for dinner, hoping that the waiting time for a table wouldn't be too long. My friend and I entered just behind a large group of well dressed Japanese girls, and were told the queue would be an hour. Fortunately they let us leave our phone number, so we could walk around until it was our turn. We managed to move a bit too far away, so when they called after only 45 minutes we had to make a run for it and jump in a taxi. Although we were a bit late, the helpful staff had kept the table for us, and we sat down after ordering delicious cocktails at the bar. Since we were going to a second dinner later on at Buddakan we skipped the starters and only had a bowl of ramen each. We had the Shiromaru Hakata Classic and the Karaka Men, both with pork and kikurage mushrooms. We couldn't miss out on adding a poached egg as an additional topping, which provided an amazing texture and lots of flavour. The pork belly was perfect and the mushrooms were super tasty. All of these flavours boiled together in the broth created a hearty, but not too heavy taste. I couldn't ask for anything more from a ramen broth. We finished our bowls to the point of lifting them and drinking out the very last drops. To end this delicious meal, I had a glass of sake, generously poured to the brim and served in a small wooden box. Dinner at Ippudo was a pleasant and yummy experience, eaten within a cool and stylish atmosphere without any pretentiousness. We are very excited for their opening in London!

Update: Read the review of the London branch here (we were slightly disappointed)

   www.ippudony.com

TONKOTSU

Tonkotsu is one of the many delicious ramen bars in Soho. I went there at noon on a Saturday, so we were the first to arrive. I got comfortable and put my jacket on the chair next to me, and my bag on another, but quickly realised that wouldn’t work. Within 15 minutes all the seats around us were taken. So although there are many ramen restaurants in the area, there’s enough of a market for them, because they’re all usually packed.  I had the pork gyozas to start. The texture of these gyozas was absolutely amazing; soft and juicy on one side, and deliciously crips on the other. Among the best gyozas I’ve ever had.  When looking over the menu of several pork and chicken stock noodles soups, I decided to order the Shimeji, Shiitake & Miso dish. This is the only vegetarian option, and I have to say I regretted choosing it. I got a case of food-envy when I tasted my friend’s Tokyo Ramen with soy-marinated pork belly. My vegetable-based stock just didn’t have the same intensity of flavour, so I kept adding soy sauce and chilli to it. I also took advantage of the self-service option to peel and crush fresh garlic into it. My friend was in a rush and had to leave before we finished the meal, which was a blessing in disguise for me. I took his tastier bowl and finished both of them. The half soft-boiled egg is the most heavenly part of the ramen meal, and I would recommend adding an extra one, which is an option given on the menu. Because of the high density of ramen per area in Soho, I feel it necessary to compare it to its competitors. Although I really liked Tonkotsu, I would say that Koya’s décor is more pleasant and Bone Daddies still reigns supreme on taste. 

63 Dean Street, Soho, London W1D 4QG

KOYA

London, UK

Koya is a Japanese noodle bar in Soho that specialises in udon; thick soft flour noodles. There is usually a long line outside, but it moves quite quickly, and it’s definitely worth the wait. There are three main types of dishes to choose from; hot udon in hot broth, cold udon served next to hot broth and cold udon served with a cold sauce. These options are meant to reflect the seasons, meaning you eat hot noodles in the winter and cold in the summer. The last time I went it was sunny and warm outside, so I opted for the cold Kinoko Hiya-Atsu (mushrooms with walnut miso). This is a very good dish, with a great set of textures. Udon is my favourite kind of noodle, and Koya’s authentic Japanese ones are chewy and amazing. Apparently they are made on the premises every day in the traditional way that involves kneading the dough with their feet. I couldn’t get enough of the walnut miso, and when my friend tried she also had to order some on the side for her dish. The broth, however, was lacking a bit of flavour, which led me to add a lot of chilli powder. My friend ordered the hot Niku (beef) and I had a taste. In my experience, the hot Atsu-Atsu dishes are generally better. The £12 bowls are not as big as I would have wanted, so a starter or a side is necessary to fill you up. We went for the Kamo Roast, which is duck served in a really tasty broth with spicy mustard. Koya overall feels healthier and lighter than Bone Daddies, but this is perhaps a compromise that means their noodles lack some of the punchy tastes of the latter. In any case I wholeheartedly recommend Koya, even though it doesn’t get the top score of the HangerMeter. 

www.koyabar.co.uk

49 Frith Street, London, W1D 4SG

 

BONE DADDIES

Bone Daddies Rock n Roll Ramen Bar serves huge bowls of deliciousness in a small venue in Soho. Created by Ross Shonhan, former head-chef at Zuma and Nobu, this restaurant serves authentic ramen. I arrived with a group of four in the evening on a weekday, and obviously had to queue in the cold. I didn’t mind though, as the chef came outside and served free Sake. This definitely helped my first impression and my hanger, although we did eventually give the guests by the windows mean looks for still sitting there when their plates and glasses were empty. We were seated after half an hour, ironically by the window bar, meaning we had to suffer angry stares from the queue throughout our meal. Each table is set with some very likeable details, such as a glass of garlic cloves and a garlic press, and elastics to get your hair out of the way when you’re eating soup. The crowd is young, and I liked the ambiance set by the loud 60s and 70s rock music, but it makes Bone Daddies less than ideal if you’ve come to make conversation. We started with the Soft Shell Crab with chili and ginger sauce that had a good amount of crabmeat, not only deep-fried shell and batter. I went for the T22 as my main, which contains soy ramen, chicken and cock scratchings. I was amazed by the amount of different flavours and textures! And they didn’t melt together or dissolve with time. My companions were also very impressed with their dishes. The only thing I wasn’t satisfied with was the cocktail list. I tried the Maiken-Me and it was very sweet, and the rest of the cocktail list seemed to be too. The restaurant lacks a cool selection of drinks to go with its menu, so next time I will stick to the Sake that we begun with in the queue. I loved Bone Daddies both for the service and care that went into little details, and simply for the exciting tastes of the food.

31 Peter Street, Soho, London W1F 0AR