London Ramen #1

Was in London for a couple weeks recently, then Amsterdam. Here are some articles that talk about the recent ramen revolution in London:

http://metro.co.uk/2013/10/14/top-five-ramen-noodle-restaurants-in-london-from-ittenbari-in-soho-to-dozo-in-bloomsbury-4145222/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/restaurants/10261965/From-Tonkotsu-to-BoneDaddies-Londons-best-ramen.html
http://travel.cnn.com/london-ramen-restaurants-526921

And here are my pics of Shoryu, Tonkotsu and Bone Daddies.







Of the three I would rank them in order for my taste from best down as Bone Daddies, Tonkotsu and Shoryu. Shoryu's pork slices were as thin as possible and they make you pay for the same "regular" toppings that other places include. Shoryu has a "cafeteria" vibe going on - they will probably be the first to become a chain. The restaurant in the Mitsukoshi might be a better choice in that area. Of Bone Daddies and Tonkotsu, Bone Daddies was more spacious and the soup was richer. Tonkotsu was very cramped but the portion was a bit bigger. At Tonkotsu you can optionally sit at the ramen counter but due to the high counter height there isn't much to see. Bone Daddies provides a water picture and is near Burger And Lobster if your cholesterol level isn't high enough afterwards. And all are expensive (but on par with NY, but perhaps 25-40% more expensive than Tokyo ironically) - these bowls average 9-13 GBP each (15-20 USD). And the ingredients don't contribute to the price as much as rent does. In Tokyo many the best ramen shops are sort of the reverse - they get cheap real estate in the suburbs and charge reasonable prices and then have lines around the block all day every day, and they build customer efficiency into their model (no empty seats, no dawdling).