Ittenbari

RAMEN 3.0! Woohoo! It was a perfect day for Ramen – cold, rainy, and generally all around miserable. So a steaming pot of noodles and pork with some awesome Yelpers was just what the doctor ordered (and probably would have given I was soaked and chilled from our wonderful freak London rainstorms).

Some of the Ramen Club OGs

Josy had graciously organised for us to try Ittenbari as a counterpoint to the tonkotsu ramen we’ve opted for the previous two times. This place offers a Shoyu ramen which is a soy sauce based ramen (tonkotsu is a pork broth base for those not in the know). I admit, that does sound a bit odd, but it’s not like drinking soy sauce. Rather, think a rich hearty broth that’s a mix between beef and miso soup.

We got luckily and managed to get a table for 7 as we walked in. Given that there seemed to be a line of 10 people both immediately before and after we got there, I think someone up there must have liked us. There is a pretty high turnover (this is more a get in, eat, get out type of place mostly) so the wait isn’t that long as long as your group is fairly small. The line appears to be a wait there until seated without an option to put your name down and come back. I can understand why given the high turnover but it does mean you will have to wait until after your meal to browse the cute little grocery store next door where English is a rarity. I wandered through and had to go back later with Josy as a guide to work out what the popular items were. I do know their red bean paste mochi was delicious.

Alright, let’s get cracking on the food and drink. Our sub-group ordered gyoza, kara-age, edamame, and of course the Shoyu Ramen. I also opted for the umeshu (plum wine) since Josy raved about the servings. As a note, my ice came with a black spongy thing in it and when they noticed it they quickly replaced my glass with fresh ice (and I hope fresh umeshu too!).

A selection of starters to fill the belly!

Our food came in short order (and a lot faster than the other sub-group’s…must have been my dazzling smile) with the gyoza, edamame, and kara-age piling on one after another. The gyoza were perfectly steamed to just shy of painfully hot and pan fried to a golden brown crisp. As noted by other reviewers, the gyoza comes in batches of 6 stuck together. Now I don’t think this is because they couldn’t be bothered to thaw them properly (and since I saw them making a batch by hand I doubt they are ever frozen), but rather for efficiency they’ve batched them by serving size. A bit annoying given the extra effort but the taste more than makes up for it.

The edamame comes in fantastically large portions (none of this tiny miso bowl holding a bare handful of beans) and is generously covered in rock salt. We ate our fill and then some and still there were a few beans to be had. The kara-age deserves special mention as it hit that perfect balance of crispy breading and tender succulent meat. I think they marinate the chicken in some soy/ginger concoction before deep frying (excellent idea!) which gives it a deeper fuller flavour.

Shoyu Ramen Delux!

Finally, the Shoyu Ramen. It’s beautiful. Don’t believe me? See the pictures above and tell me you don’t want to shove that down your gullet as fast as possible and like Oliver T ask for just a bit more. As I mentioned above, it’s a rich lip-smacking broth (there is a word for this but it escapes me this early in the morning) based on soy-sauce. This helps it avoid the slightly oily after taste you sometimes get with its meatier cousins (I’m looking at you, Tonkotsu). You can get the regular or deluxe version (go deluxe…for just under 2 squids more you get extra meat, egg, and noodles) both of which include large slices of pork with succulent fat, crunchy green veggies, and a generous serving of noodles. These are the thin noodles which have been pan friend briefly to give it a slightly chewier texture than you would expect. I’m a fan of this technique and will be copying it the next time I attempt homemade ramen. Think of it this way. We were getting full on the starters but once the ramen arrived all was forgotton. We luxuriated in the tender mouthfuls of noodle and melt in the mouth pork. We happily crunched our way through the verdant spring onions, low moans of food-induced happiness emanating whenever our mouths were full of rameny goodness. And we slurped (it’s only proper manner to do so) savoury soy stock which filled our bellies with fire and fuzziness.

All this washed down with generous gulps of sweet plum wine while chatting to some great people. How can life get any better?

Go to Ittenbari. You’ll be happy you did. I’m already thinking of when to go back…

Cocoro

RAMEN! It's been a long time, my friend, and I'm happy to get you back in my belly. 

I've had a long history with ramen, starting with those rectangular packets of dried interwoven cardboard masquerading as noodles that came with a little pack of seasoning we learned to call MSG. At a couple of bucks for a 36-pack, you can't really expect much quality but a starving highschool student doesn't really care for quality. You could make it in a kettle that you kept hidden under the bed (for some reason they were convinced we would burn the dorms down with it) for those last night snacks in between rounds of Cstrike.

Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen

College came along, and I branched out into 3-minute ramen noodes that came in Styrofoam cups and bowls. Better, but not by much. Then I was introduced to Naruto, and the sheer joy this anime character has at devouring huge bowls of steaming ramen noodles and meat intrigued me. What was this dish that looked like real food and not something akin to the leftovers from a recycling plant?The US (and my asian friends) provided many opportunities to sample ramen (and Pho) yet when I moved over to London a few years ago I couldn't find a decent place to feed my addiction. Luckily, Josy A joined the Yelp community and jumped to our aid when Kevin L called for a Ramen outing. And now (Finally! I heard you say it...don't deny it) to the point of the review: Coroco.Tucked away on Marylebone street a stone's throw from Dover Street Market (that cool set of shops just behind HMV across from Bond Street Station), Coroco's is a haven of Japanese goodness. It's easy to walk past (as we did) and at first glance looks incredibly small. There are actually three different areas so don't be dismayed if the front area looks packed as there is seating downstairs (more traditional style with cushions around a low table) and also another area that requires you to go downstairs, through a door past the sole bathroom, and up another flights of stairs.

A very realistic looking Dragon Roll

The menu is anything but small though. There is a special Ramen menu with 4 types of broths (Pork, spicy pork, veggie, and something else). Sadly, they only had the regular pork broth so not sure why we were given a choice. There is also the usual spread of sushi and sashimi and hot Japanese favourites like katsu curry. There are a couple of unique items like deep fried camembert although I have no idea why.The vast majority of our group ordered the pork Ramen and some edamame and gyoza (dumplings) to share. The edamame was delightful and cooked just enough. I would have preferred a heavier sprinkling of salt but not a big issue. The gyoza came out pan-fried and tongue-burning hot but once cooled down had plenty of flavour to enjoy (assuming you hadn't burnt off all your tastebuds). 

Takoyaki!

The ramen arrived fairly quickly and in two parts: i) the bowl of broth with noodles soaking just below the surface and ii) a plate of add-ins which included chopped scallions, julienned mushrooms, sesame seeds, half a softboiled egg soaked in soya, and a couple of slices of pork. I tossed it all in (carefully having learned when Uli went too quickly and splashed all over his tshirt) and let it warm in the hot broth. The textures and flavours from the various ingredients provided a variety of sensations from the crunchy sharp scallions to the mellow tang of the sesame and the fatty decadence of the pork. The noodles were soft and surprisingly easy to collect with the chopsticks and spoon provided. The broth was phenomenal and I could have easily drank that all day. I can see what Josy meant when she said it would be an excellent hangover cure! The hot house sake was slightly sweet and an excellent accompaniment to the dish. Service at Cocoro's is a bit hard to get despite there being a number of waitresses just hanging around (maybe only one spoke English?) and Uli and Linzi had to almost yell to get her attention for us to pay. But a relatively minor item. Also the bathroom is very small (and there is only one!) to the extent I had to duck my head to wash my hands and I would never consider myself a tall person at 5'9". The drinks menu is incredibly extensive with page after page of various Shochus (a potent Japanese liquor) and quite a few types of Sake and other fruit liquors.Overall, for £12-14 for Ramen and a total bill of £25pp (for Ramen, drinks, and the appetisers) it's a fairly affordable dinner outing especially for groups. I'm definitely keeping it mind for next time and I've also got to try Tomoe which is just down the road.