When I lived in Japan (1996-97 in Kanazawa, Ishikawa-ken) a ramen was the equivalent of a kebab, the drunken pit-stop on the Friday night stagger home. Serried ranks of steamed-up salarymen and gaijin hoovering up the good stuff like Noo-Noo with his hose in a bowl of Tubby custard. Never pretty, always good.

In central London this winter ramen has been all the rage, with hipsters and foodies alike queuing round the block to dive into a bowl of hot stock and noodles. Waiting does, I’m afraid, slightly defeat the object. A steaming  pool of savoury delights should be under your nose three minutes after ducking under the noren to a rousing ‘Irrashaimase!’ and plonking yourself down onto a stool. Standing around in the cold comparing beards may well whet the appetite, but it is not for me.

This mad ramen rush is a spin-off kodawari, the obsessive pursuit of perfection, which noodle-nuts will know well as the focus of their very own movie, Tampopo (1985). The food scene has become all about doing one thing well – roast chicken, burgers, whatever. So while I appreciate the craze, I avoid the queues, and the reviews below reflect my aversion to waiting – when I am hungry, I am like a bear with a sore head, a gun, and an unexpected tax bill.

There are many types of ramen on offer, the standard bases of shio (salt), tonkotsu (pork bone, from Kyushu in Japan’s south), Shoyu (soy) and Miso (from Hokkaido in the north) with their traditional partnerships of cha-shu (roast pork), menma (marinated bamboo shoots), beansprouts, boiled egg, green onions, kamaboko (fish bits) and nori (seaweed) to brighten your bowl. There are other additions which are either right e.g. sweetcorn, or wrong e.g. chicken.

I haven’t eaten every bowl on offer – I’m greedy, not mental – but I have been to a bunch of outfits that are pretty authentic and a couple that aren’t e.g. Wagamama’s. Final point – a food that is based on a massive greasy boiling cauldron of pig, fish and other bones and is eaten by sticking your face into a huge bowl and inhaling the contents is neither refined nor subtle and probably not suitable for first dates. There needs to be a slightly seedy edge to a good ramen bar – the filth factor. Bowls come in around the £10 mark. The results, in reverse order:

 

Wagamamas (ubiquitous) – Feeble stock, like the liquid after washing up a roasting pan. Noodles lack bite, too many additions to bowl in the Wagamama ramen e.g. mussels, pork, chicken, prawns and a tea-stained egg! Chilli beef ramen best as actually tastes of something and disguises poor construction of base and noodles. Ramen – 2/10. Filth Factor – 0/10. Boring bowl of bollocks.

 

Tonkotsu (63 Dean St) – Excellent massive steaming cauldron of piggy stock in window. Queues likely, not much elbow room inside. Ramen good quality, stock a little greasy but rich and flavoursome. All other types of ramen on offer and decent sides – gyoza, salads etc. Ramen 7/10. Filth Factor 5/10. Ma-ma desu.

 

Shoryu (9 Regent St) – Queues inevitable after 6pm. Gyoza textbook, but minced ginger everywhere. Kimchee and tofu side weird as expected, like chilli jam on ice cream. Shoryu ganso Tonkotsu ramen a mix of tonkotsu and miso broth making for a less fatty and thinner stock but holding good flavour. Pork slices excellent, boiled egg nice and soft. Correct stock/noodle/bits ratio, with added garlic and spinach. But gari (pickled ginger) has no business on a ramen! Draft Kirin always welcome. Ramen 9/10. Filth factor 4/10 (rather ‘nice’ inside). Umai desu, but lay off the ginger!

 

 

Bone Daddies (30 Peter St) – Atmosphere deliberately seedy. Bloody noisy. Good pickles, tasty sides of fried chicken, soft shell crab. Bowl was well constructed and noodles just so, stock firm and punchy, but a little too neat and slightly on the small side. Ramen 8/10. Filth factor 6/10. Too cool for school.

 

Ittenbari (84 Brewer St) – Friendly, small and genuinely scruffy place. Never a queue, cash only. Mini cha-shu don for £3 arrived in 2 minutes. Excellent shoyu ramen arrived in 3 – deep inky stock, perfect noodles with bite, correct placing of seaweed, egg and juicy pork slice. No nonsense, good and tasty – the unwashed cousin of Mitsukoshi. Ramen 7/10. Filth Factor 9/10. Perhaps a bit too filthy.

 

Mitsukoshi (14 Regent St) – Small, cosy ramen bar with limited menu. All staff Japanese. Gyoza good and savoury, not too big and nicely cooked. Fried karaage chicken mouth-watering and authentic, lots of salt and pepper. Value ramen in soy base did the job. London ramen same, saltier stock and no sweet corn. Egg, pork, beansprouts all good. Ramen 9/10. Filth factor 8/10. The real deal – WINNER!

 

David Makinson is a man of the world who was once moved to tears by a particularly good dinner and gets visibly angry in the presence of bad food.

Having stalked @wishbonebrixton’s Twitter feed for several months, we were so keen to feast on the free-range fowl we even braved the scrum of the first Friday night. Scrum it certainly was – the upstairs hadn’t opened yet and we were packed in wing to wing, but service struck just the right balance, and exceptional brandy sours and punchy Czech lagers made the wait for a table pass in a gentle alcoholic haze. A soundtrack of 90s hip hop added a certain something to the occasion too.

We had Korean fried wings which were herb fragrant down to the bone, zingy juicy Thai style-thighs with shallots and mint, and Buffalo wings which were delicious, but could have been hotter, though that is personal of course. A ‘hot mess’ of fries, cheese, pickle strips and jalapeno slices is also recommended if you think two millimetres of chilli oil left at the bottom is the mark of a good dish (and I do).  I will be going back for the ‘salt and pepa’ thighs, deep-fried mac and cheese, and classic fried chicken.

Of course the place was still finding its feet. You can’t visit a restaurant two days in and complain that they don’t have everything on the menu, or that staff are still wrangling with the till system. What we ate and drank was largely brilliant, the staff are clearly experienced. Within a short space of time, the operation will be as slick as the design, and Wishbone will have assumed its place on the vibrant and brilliant value scene at Brixton Market.

@wishbonebrixton

Wishbonebrixton.co.uk

Supper last week was a piscatorial delight.  It had started to rain and the dark, wet streets around Oxford Circus were stuffed with scurrying bodies all with heads down, marching forwards to get under cover. So it was with a huge sigh of relief that I escaped the throng and stepped inside the tiny white clap board clad shack that is Bonnie Gull

Born from a pop-up seafood shack in Hackney last year and with the successes of further projects (The Bonnie & Wild and the Bonnie-on-Sky) under their belts the folks there have decided to take things up a step and open up a full-time permanent restaurant on Foley Street, just off Great Titchfield Street.

The menu is simple and sweet. Two large suitcases brimming with glistening crustacea sit behind the bar, reminiscent of chests of Pirates treasure. We duly sampled the oysters, Isle of Lewis mussels with Aspell cider, creme fraiche and bacon (so good I was drinking the glorious liquor from the enamel pot after all the mussels had gone), Beer battered North Sea haddock chips, mushy peas and onion rings and special mention should be made of the Bonnie Mary – locally infused vodka, roasted clamato juice and served with an oyster. Super cute and very delicious – much like the restaurant itself!

By Laura Tovell

www.bonniegull.com

21A Foley Street
London
W1W 6DS
Book a Table: reservations@bonniegull.com

 

London’s love of the ultimate fast food brings Scandinavian legend to town

It really does amaze me, as I write my first blog post in my new position at Sauce Communications, that the people in London are still absolutely mad about burgers!  And I use the term ‘absolutely mad’ in the best possible taste, as it probably was never considered a trend that would set the London food scene alight.

We’ve had burger vans turned restaurants, major chains rising from modest beginnings in a very short time, and even world renowned Michelin starred chefs making room on their menu for minced meat in a bun.  Next on the list for London burger fans is the legendary Tomas Tómasson, who boasts an impressive career as restaurateur, burger eater and globe trotter with his Burger Joint in Marylebone.  While only being open for a few days, the social media buzz for Tommi and his take on the burger has already turned a few heads!

Walking into Tommi’s joint transported me back into my childhood tree hut (the one that I always imagined), with hand written signs coloured in with “felt tips” and James Bond posters on the walls as an ode to the person ‘I wanted to be when I grow up.’

Before ordering, eyes are drawn to the huge framed picture of a grey-bearded man, which turns out to be the man himself, Tommi.  With facial hair that thick I’m sure a few drops of tomato ketchup or mustard have found themselves lodged once or twice over the past few years.  Ordering from the menu is easy, and what I really find pleasing is that this place isn’t trying to be a burger joint disguised as a restaurant, it’s proud to be a burger joint! A burger joint that doesn’t need to disguise itself as anything else.

So to the main event: the burger.  I went for the standard cheese burger with chips, and when it arrived, wrapped in paper with a side of chips, together as one in its 50s diner-style wooden basket, it certainly didn’t disappoint:  easily unwrapped, perfectly sized for even the most modest of hand spans and the full force of the flavour you would expect from a gas-grilled beef burger, with well-matched burger accompaniments of lettuce, onions, tomato and a special house cocktail sauce.

What really is apparent when tucking into one of Tommi’s Burgers is the dedication to select great quality meat, which is tender, juicy and full of flavour; everything you would want form a top-quality burger.  At under £10 for a burger, fries and a drink, I reckon this will prove to be a popular place for the London burger craze to continue.  One thing’s for sure, I will be back very soon to try the steak burger with cheese and béarnaise sauce, and hopefully fit in a board game or two while I am at it.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TommisBurgerJoint

Twitter: www.twitter.com/BurgerJointUk

By Ryan Bartley

 

This is a quick round up of some of the mind bogglingly brilliant places my two sisters and I ate and drank at in New York earlier this month…

PDT

PDT is the hot-dog joint for grown-ups.  Accessed through a vintage phone booth within Crif Dogs, a fast food joint known for its deep-fried frankfurters, PDT (aka Please Don’t Tell) is a lot of fun.  Don’t be thwarted by the obstacles to getting inside: the tiny space, rules of beahviour, the fact the earliest you can make a reservation is 3pm on the same day, not to mention then actually finding the booth hidden inside a hot dog joint, just think of it as a grown up’s equivalent of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and you magically appear the other side and into the perfect little speakeasy.  It just works.  The staff were lovely and the cocktails were smashing.  Mixologist Jim Meehan (formerly of Gramercy Tavern and Pegu Club) clearly knows his stuff and likes to whip up unusual seasonal concoctions such as an Old Fashioned made from bacon infused bourbon and maple syrup. It’s a fun spot just make sure you leave time to eat at Momofuku Ssam Bar nearby afterwards…

PDT113 St.

Mark’s Pl. , New York, NY 10009
nr. First Ave.

The Breslin Bar and Dining Room

We enjoyed a stonkingly good dinner at April Bloomfield’s latest gastro-grub outlet, The Breslin, an English style pub from the forces behind popular West Village gastropub The Spotted Pig and housed within The Ace Hotel which opened late last year on West 29^th  St.  The staff wear t shirts and tattoos, the booths are dark and leathery, the tables covered in butcher paper.  There’s plenty to drink (a seven page wine list) but it’s the meat which meat is the main event here.   The protein heavy menu includes heart stoppingly unctuous terrines, crispy sweetbreads, ham, pig’s foot and steak.  We snacked on curly salty fried pork scratching served in little paper bags, then a Scotch Egg, followed by a small but perfectly formed intensely flavoured beef and stilton pie and the hit char-grilled lamb burger served with tangy feta and sweet potato triple fried chips and a pot of cumin spiked mayonnaise ($17). We failed to make room for puddings and judging by a quick snoop at some of our neighbouring tables this was an error.  Next time…

The Breslin Bar and Dining Room
Ace Hotel
20 W. 29th St.
New York, NY 10001

Momofuku’s Ssam Bar

For our last night in New York we opted for David Chang’s insanely popular Momofuku ssäm bar (“lucky peach” in Japanese), I was practically drooling with excitement having heard nothing but great things from the likes of Rene Redzepi and Heston Blumenthal (it’s #37 on the S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best list if you’re counting). The bar is casual and the food inventive: here Chang fuses Korean, Southern and Soul cooking with extraordinary results, his flavours really pack a punch.  You can’t book but we were lucky enough to nab a table by the kitchen, the room was throbbing with hungry chattering New Yorkers. The constantly changing menus display a familiar fondness for pork (“We do not serve vegetarian-friendly items,” says the menu at Momofuku Ssäm Bar) the menus revolve around country hams, raw bar items and “off cuts”. From Monday – Friday the ssäm bar serves an all-rotisserie duck menu for lunch.  Small dishes average about $10 and bigger dishes $12-26. The bar next door, Booker and Dax is open late but let’s face it, it’s all about the food. We had:

We had:

naked cowgirl oysters – ham powder, lime, satsuma
spanish mackerel – black garlic, strawberry, lime
steamed buns – pork belly, hoisin, cucumbers, scallions
bbq bun – crispy pork belly, coleslaw, smoked mayo
chili soft shell crab – avocado, tomatillo, mole
poached chicken – sticky rice, maitake mushrooms, spring onion
spicy pork sausage & rice cakes – chinese broccoli, sichuan peppercorn
tri-star stawberry sorbet – celery root, ritz crunch

Reservations are only accepted for the bo ssäm pork shoulder (serves 6-10 people) and the whole-rotisserie duck (serves 3-6 people)

Momofuku Ssam Bar
207 second ave @ 13th street
New york city
http://www.momofuku.com/restaurants/ssam-bar/

By Laura Tovell

One could be forgiven for not noticing La Bodega Negra at the end of Old Compton Street. Disguised as a sex shop from the outside, I am sure it has resulted in quite a bit of confusion for unassuming diners. Dimly lit with edgy decor, the cushioned bonkets made for a welcome and comfortable change from Soho’s recent influx of new on-trend restaurants. The underground restaurant is deceptively large with seating areas hidden around corners and in nooks and crannies so the likes of Keira and Kylie can enjoy their tacos away from prying eyes.

We decided to kick off with some refreshing mojitos and guacamole with sesame tostadas before moving onto a selection of starters and mains to share. The crab tostadita was a delicious mound of meaty crab with mango and lime, contrasting the crunchy tortilla and making for a satisfying starter when paired with chorizo tacos which packed a serious punch with plenty of chorizo, squash and sweetcorn. The white bean and chorizo side was moorish but a tad runny. However, it complimented our seafood and rice main which had plenty clams, mussels and prawns; a Mexican paella if you will. I imagine the white bean side would have mixed in nicely with the green rice to make a substantial and tasty main. Our potatoes with mole negro sauce came as an un-ordered extra but turned out to be the star of the show with a rich chilli, chocolatey sauce and crispy potato wedges to dunk. With churros off the menu, we decided to bypass pudding and go for another classic mojito to cleanse the palate and round off our Latin American feast.

With the buzzing atmosphere and friendly knowledgeable service at La Bodega Negra, this new underground restaurant is sure to be a hit with the Soho crowd.

www.labodeganegra.com

Laura Urquhart
Food and Restaurant PR

 

After a rather entertaining Friday night in Clapham a month ago, a friend and I felt the need for a hearty pub lunch.  We chose to walk the taxing 200-metre journey from where we were staying to The Railway Tavern (18 Clapham High Street, SW4 7UR).

There are tables outside, perfect for people-watching when the sun is out but on this stereotypically rainy, British day we opted for the warmer option.  Inside has a very quirky, art deco look, which I love.  There is a vintage feel about the furniture with many mismatched retro/antique-looking tables and chairs both downstairs and upstairs.  From my first experience here I have decided that it is, in my mind, the ultimate place to eat out for a relaxed weekend brunch.  They serve great gastro pub grub at extremely good prices and as an added bonus they have board games aplenty – perfect for an afternoon of recreating childhood memories with your friends.  To eat, I had a delicious meal of Gloucester Old Spot sausages,  mash made of cabbage and potato mixed together and a  red wine gravy.  WOW!  I can honestly say that it was definitely the tastiest sausage & mash that I have ever had.  I have to get my hands on some of those Old Spots!

I returned to The Railway this weekend (Sunday 6^th May) but unfortunately my favourite S&M dish was nowhere to be seen on the menu. I have since discovered that this was because we were looking just at the Sunday Menu, so I need to return on another day of the week to enjoy my new foodie obsession of Gloucester Old Spot sausages.  On this second visit, to replenish my body after a big 1940s themed night at the Blitz Party in Shoreditch, I chose their gourmet burger.  It was giant;  one of those that needed a thick wooden cocktail stick to keep it all together.  Crispy streaky bacon, lettuce, mayo, a slice of chunky beef , oozing cheddar cheese and a crispy white bap made up this gem of a burger.  It went down a treat and was only £9.75!

This time we made the most of the board games on offer and so our food was accompanied by an epic game of Cranium.  One table next to us braved The Game of Life with a bit of Scrabble on the side; they were either Railway Tavern veterans or maybe just a tad over ambitious.  Nevertheless, it seems that good pub food with board games on the side is a popular combination.

So, if you are looking for somewhere to go for brunch the morning after an eventful night out then The Railway Tavern near Clapham North station is the place to go. I have two visits under my belt and have loved them both but my relationship with this place, and in particular the Gloucester Old Spot sausages, has only just begun…

www.therailwayclapham.co.uk

By Lizzie Scanlan
Restaurant PR

I recently visited Trullo (300 – 302 St Paul’s Road, London N1 2LH) which is located just by Highbury and Islington station. It opened last year and serves Italian food. The head chef is Tim Siadatan who trained at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen.

I went on a Saturday lunch time and the restaurant had a really nice buzz, it wasn’t too packed. The clientele was quite young – 30 somethings and it seemed to be a local crowd. The room was very pleasant – wooden floors and navy blue furniture and walls. It was a nice sunny day so even though it’s quite a small restaurant, it felt airy and spacious. They have a mezzanine which is where we sat, but they also have nice tables along the front window – good for people watching. The waitresses were quite young and trendy, and were really nice and helpful. Our waitress talked us through the dishes and seemed to have a really good knowledge of the menu.

I ordered butternut squash fritters which were delicious, but maybe a little too oily after you’ve eaten a few. My guest had spaghetti with a lemon and pepper sauce which was really good. For main, we both had roast lamb which came with sautéed aubergine and was delicious! The lamb was cooked really nicely. We were super greedy and ordered three desserts to share as we both wanted to try their salted caramel ice cream which was amazing! We also had caramel pannacotta and chocolate and quince tart – both were fantastic and the dessert was definitely my favourite course. Price wise it’s quite reasonable for a smart restaurant – starters are around £7, mains £16 and desserts only £5. Definitely worth a visit!

By Syamala Upham

 

 

Jose, the first of Jose Pizarro’s two Bermondsey restaurants, opened in May 2011 and is yet another small, no bookings place (groan). Since that is where so much of the exciting, best value food is to be had at the mo, I sighed and sucked it up. Or rather, I found a sneaky way to get round it, by going at midday on a Sunday – we were the first ones in the door. 40 minutes later it was full with a queue…

The venue itself is perfectly pitched to the after work, often creative crowd  in the area: pretty pared down, only bar/counter/stool-based seating with some barrels serving as occasional tables. The lack of comfy seating doesn’t encourage lingering, which I suppose is fair enough given that it’s tapas,  but given the quality of the cooking itself, some might prefer a cosier atmosphere in which to enjoy it. Having said that, service was very attentive, meaning that dishes were served in succession and potential plate pile-ups were avoided.

Now for the food. Moreish, indulgent plates ranged from elegant to in your face (in the best way possible). Braised lamb shoulder with white beans was gutsy and warming on a freezing day, ham and blue cheese croquetas melty and salty and well-balanced, charred squid with chilli, aioli and capers a punchy standout dish I would go back for again and again. Tortilla was squidgy perfection and an unusual chocolate tart finished with salt and olive oil rounded things off nicely.

Dishes are very well priced, and entry level wines and sherries by the glass equally affordable. Our bill came to about 70 for two, but that included a greedy seven or eight dishes and several sherries, you wouldn’t need to spend anything like that to eat and drink well.  As for the ultimate test of whether I would spend my own money there? For sure. Another raging success story for Jose… but then you knew that, didn’t you?

by Jenny Goss