Kanada-Ya is the best ramen in London. Arriving like many others as a chain from Japan, founder Kanada Kazuhiro has brought his original recipe to spank all would be ramen pretenders off their butts. You can keep your Ippudos and I don’t need no Bone Daddies cuz the Tonkotsu broth at Kanada-Ya is enough for me! (That line should be read outloud as Laverne from Scrubs).
Kanada-Ya is situated near Tottenham Court Road and directly opposite Ippudo (which these days can’t decide if it wants to serve ramen or masquerade as a Chelsea night club). The restaurant is small, minimalist and simple. You queue, you get let inside, you order from a menu of 3 ramens (all tonkutsu) and then you eat.
Not all ramens are made equally – Some are better than others. What makes a truly excellent ramen is one that does everything well, from the perfectly balanced rich and creamy broth, to the molten yolked soft boiled eggs and of course the melt in your mouth pork collar. A single square of nori that crumples and softens like tissue in the broth. Wood ear fungus and spring onions help to cut through the richness. Everything a bowl of Kanada-Ya ramen complements each other beautifully and the end result is a ramen that is well worth the queue.
mmm brothy
The only other thing you can really order is the onigiri which is pleasant enough, but also guilty of taking up valued noodle space in your tummy. I call this the “Onigiritunity Cost”.
Onigiri
Nowhere else in London currently comes close. Go! Now!
shuggybites 