Tonkotsu

Before Tonkotsu came into fruition the proprietors have already done their R&D and the ‘guinea pig thing’ with friends and bloggers. The general consensus, especially the latter, suggested that Tonkotsu are on to a winner! So, no excuses for any teething problems I’d say.

My thoughts-

Chicken Karaage 

Greasy chicken pieces callously fried with the blandest coating imaginable. If Tonkotsu were using free-range birds then they’ve obviously mastered the art of how to make any chicken taste resolutely like the battery variety. It was Frank Chickens frankly poor and unnecessarily expensive

.

Oinky Gyoza

Woefully under seasoned and in need of immediate troubleshooting.

Have you ever wondered why pork remains pink when presented before your eyes?

a) When it is undercooked.
b) When it is Iberico pork, because God said it was ok.
c) When it is cooked from frozen.

The answer for the above pic is c.


Tonkotsu fell short with their Karaage and Gyoza, they need to take a leaf out of the below-

If one’s not too fussed about food being reheated in microwave ovens then Arigato (the Japanese supermarket on Brewer Street) knows a thing or two about dishing out tasty snacks at bargain prices. £2.40 for 5 pieces of deep-fried chicken (always brown meat and never the sacrilegious white) and likewise for a pack of the most passable pork dumplings (and never served pink). 
Rank amateurs, they are certainly not.


The ramen-

 The Tokyo Spicy.
 

I think it’s fair to say that we’ve all accepted that Japanese curries are devoid of any red-hot chillies. The above bowl of noodles, faithful to the said curry, possessed a similar Scoville rating of nearly no significant heat either. The condiment of chilli oil provided was toddler fodder and hopelessly mild as well.
That said, the ramen itself was rather good (i.e. the bite was there) and the stock was seriously well concocted.

 

The Tonkotsu
 

Like the Tokyo Spicy, these guys have perfected the soup stock. The entire bowl tasted quite delicious and that included vacuuming the last julienne of shinachiku (bamboo shoot). 

But my qualm lies with its price. Eleven quid for a not substantial bowl of noodles is taking the proverbial p*ss!

Whereas, MSG withstanding, this generous bowl of noodle heaven was only £5.50!

Or put the scrooge hat on-

Get yourself a 39p packet of instant noodles…

 …garnish at will and reap the rewards. 

The above serving was only a fifth of the cost of what Tonkotsu charges for their effort.

So thumbs down for Tonkotsu and besides, if I'm hankering after better bowl of ramen in London, I would come here instead.

63 Dean Street
London W1D 4QG


www.tonkotsu.co.uk