Name: Shoryu Ramen
Address: 2-3 Denman Street, London, Soho, W1D 7HA, UK
Rating: 8

If you’re still unaware of the fact that a fancy ramen scene exists in an around Soho, then you’re slipping on your food trends. The Japanese broth is such serious business that restaurants are opening multiple branches within a stone’s throw of each other just to keep up with demand. Shoryu Soho on Denman Street is the largest – so far – of the London Japan Centre’s offshoot ramen restaurant empire. However, despite the size there is always a chance you’ll find a queue, especially late in the week at dinnertime.

Of the many London ramen restaurants we’ve visited, this branch of Shoryu is one of our favourites. The contemporary design brings in traditional Japanese flourishes without going over the top. Window benches and communal tables make it a social place, which the staff emphasise with their yelled Japanese greetings as you pass the kitchen – a touch of class. We visit early on a Wednesday night and despite being made to wait ten minutes while staring out at a half-full restaurant, the smell of hot broth staves off a mardy mood.

Shoryu has a range of grilled meats, fish and vegetables in its yakitori section (and midweek lunchtime offers) but finds its fame from the ramen and its melt-in-the-mouth buns. Both the breaded soy marinated chicken and the classic char siu pork hirata buns are excellent. There is nothing bad to say about the spongy, pillows that come filled with sticky sauce-covered meat.

As for the ramen, the lack of negativity is echoed. The Kotteri Hakata is for those who can ante up on the slightly cloying nature of tonkotsu ramen, for this is the extra thick version. It is a rich, salty pork soup filled with fatty globules that dares you to finish it. Obviously I do. The BBQ pork, nitamago egg, onion and fine soft noodles are almost an afterthought. If you don’t like the thought of a broth as thick as Heinz Cream of Chicken then you can choose from the range that includes the likes of peri peri or curry ramen.

We drink Kirin beer on draught to wash down the ramen – of which a frozen version also exists – but there is also a range of cocktails and wine. The Shoryu Soho manager also doubles as the in-house sake sommelier, which is a pretty good excuse to get stuck in.

The London ramen scene continues to expand and Shoryu Soho is certainly one of the best around.

Shoryu Ramen

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