London is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world. The food, as you’d guess, is equally as international. Just think about Indian food: it’s well-known that London has some of the best you can find. But we’re not here to talk about Indian food. We’re here to talk about ramen.

I have a thing for hunting down ramen when I travel, inspired by a less-than-spectacular bowl in Paris (ok, it was outright awful). I was curious how other cities interpreted one of my favorite dishes and a trend was born. Hence, why I had a bowl of Japanese ramen in London.

A Bowl of Japanese Ramen in London

Ramen on New Year’s Day has been a longstanding tradition of mine ever since I started traveling on the holiday and missing out on my family’s Japanese food-filled celebration. This year the bowl hit two birds with one stone: ramen in London and ramen on New Year’s Day.

I met up with my new friend Jason, a whisky expert I met on twitter, for ramen at Tonkotsu in the famous department store Selfridges before a day of whisky drinking. Turns out, ramen is both an excellent hangover cure and a perfect pre-drinking meal.

Tonkotsu at Selfridges

Tonkotsu has several locations throughout London serving a full menu of appetizers, katsu, several types of ramen, and desserts. (Plus beer, wine, cocktails and Japanese whisky.) The Selfridges location is a 14-seat counter serving a slightly reduced menu, with several types of ramen and gyoza. (The special was a venison & walnut miso ramen that sounded so unique — and so British!)

I went for my favorite: Tonkotsu Ramen in a 16-hour pork broth and sea salt base. The menu boasts it’s “enriched with lardo for a fuller mouth feel,” which I can attest to, although it didn’t punch as much flavor as I’d hoped. The noodles are made in-house at the Haggerston location, and honestly the ramen lacked the just-made love that I was looking forward to. But still, the ramen was the perfect antidote to London’s rainy weather (and any residue of a hangover remaining from New Year’s Eve).

Ramen Isn’t Easy to Make in the UK

I admit I found new respect for my ramen in London long after I slurped my last spoonful at Tonkotsu. While doing research, I read about the owner’s struggle to replicate ramen like in Japan, even after importing a Japanese noodle machine. He explains the UK doesn’t have the same flours as Japan, the ones that give ramen noodles their specific characteristics. And, even more difficult, the UK doesn’t have the soft, alkaline water that gives Japanese noodles the trademark elasticity.

Here in the U.S., I’ve often read that our lack of certain flours and water make replicating French pastries next-to-impossible, but I never applied that same science to ramen around the world. And it makes perfect sense! On one hand, it’s a struggle for chefs wanting that authentic bowl of ramen. On the other, it makes ramen in certain places all the more perfect.

Thoughts & Details

Next time I’m back in London, I’d like to try ramen at Tonkotsu’s stand-alone locations to see if the flavors are a little stronger. In the meantime, I’m going to wish that department stores in Chicago follow Selfridge’s suit and open a ramen counter for my mid-shopping refuel.

Go to Tonkotsu for :: a quick bowl of ramen while shopping along Oxford street. Notes :: the menu is slightly reduced compared to other locations and note that the ramen is pretty much reheated and reconstructed before serving, although still satisfying.

Want more ramen? Read about ramen in Paris, Vienna, Zurich, Chicago, New York, and Salt Lake City.