Shoryu Ramen

Shoryu Ramen is the first branch of the mini London chain to leave the capital. It’s located in Piccadilly Gardens but don’t let that put you off. The other eateries are, for the most part, bland brands with very little going for them but Shoryu Ramen is a ray of hope dedicated to The Land of the Rising Sun.

The menu consists of ramen and buns with a few sides. The ramen is very good – rich 12-hour pork broth (or soy milk, miso and shitake broth) filled with slippery slurpy noodles and all sorts of loveliness, from spot-on char-siu BBQ pork belly with a nitamago Burford Brown egg and kikurage mushrooms to spicy miso-marinated minced pork and chilli oil.

Steamed buns are another good bet with options like BBQ pork (there’s plenty of piggy ubiquity), chicken karaage and pumpkin croquette.

It’s a good value place at the best of times but there are also regular offers like Bun Monday and Takoyaki Tuesday which make food of this quality an absolute steal. The fit-out is quite minimalist – not a place where you’d spend hours, though there is a very respectable drinks list with beer, wine and lots of sake – but as a central meet-up spot, close to buses, trains and the NQ, it’s hard to beat.

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