Restaurant Review: Shoryu Ramen Shoreditch. Homeboy had noticed this ramen restaurant on Great Eastern Street, so we booked a table for three people last week. They specialise in bringing us the taste of authentic Tonkotsu Ramen and they do this very well indeed! If you’re a fan of ramen, you must check out Shoryu Ramen Shoreditch or one of the other branches. It’s the perfect place if you want a Japanese restaurant near Great Eastern Street or noodle bars near Curtain Road.
“Slurp a steaming bowl of authentic tasting Tonkotsu Ramen from the Hakata district of Fukuoka city in Kyushu Japan but be warned you may overheat so wear layers of clothing in case you need to strip off!” Homegirl London
Shoryu Ramen Shoreditch Menu
After looking at the website, I realised this was a small chain of restaurants so, to be honest, I wasn’t expecting that much from the ramen. I was pleased to discover that the ramen here is delicious and that’s the vegan and vegetarian versions. I can only imagine how good the meat options are. The emphasis is on Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen made from white pork soup accompanied by thin, straight ramen noodles. The ramen recipe has been created by Kanji Furukawa (executive chef) who is from Hakata. The owner of the restaurants is Tak Tokumine, also from Hakata, so you can see where the passion for promoting this ramen dish stems from.
Vegetarian Ramen
If you try one of the Tonkotsu ramen noodle dishes, you will enjoy a rich pork broth which has been simmered for a lengthy twelve hours. The Origin Tonkotsu is topped with char siu barbecue pork belly, kikurage mushrooms and spring onions. The Kimchi Seafood Tonkotsu has a fiery kimchi broth with prawns, scallops, squid and more. If you’re not getting lucky later, you might want to tuck into the Dracula Tonkotsu with caramelised black garlic mayu and garlic chips. My friend tried the Karaka Tan Tan Tonkotsu with spicy minced pork marinated in white miso with garlic and chiu chow chilli oil. He gave this the big thumbs up.
Halloumi Shoryu Bun
Homeboy and I went for the White Natural (vegan ramen). The broth was delicious, which they make from tonyu soy milk, miso, konbu and shiitake. I asked them to omit the atsuage fried tofu which they did. The other ingredients were kikurage mushrooms, spring onion, menma bamboo shoots and nori seaweed. This was a delightful tasting dish, and you could detect the shiitake mushrooms in the broth. The Spicy Vegetarian was also fantastic with a beautiful hit of heat. The base is the same as the White Natural with the addition of spicy miso sauce, tender broccoli and garlic mayu.
Tempura Prawn Shoryu Bun
If you fancy starters before your ramen you can try the Shoryu Buns which are very good. I enjoyed the Halloumi Bun with avocado and Japanese mayo. Homeboy and Rich went for the Prawn Tempura Bun. Chicken Karaage Buns, BBQ Pork Buns and Wagyu Burger Buns were also available. Sides included Soft Shell Crab Tempura, Tiger Prawn Tempura and Salmon Sashimi.
Matcha Cheesecake
We shared two desserts between three, which was plenty because the buns are filling, and the ramen bowls are quite sizeable. These were the Matcha Cheesecake which was very green in appearance. The Sakura and Azuki Chiffon Cake was something different to try and didn’t last long. The Mochi Ice Cream, Yuzu Sorbet and Yuzu Cheesecake were also very tempting.
Azuki Chiffon Cake
Drinks include Sake and Shochu, which is a distilled alcohol native to Kyushu island made from sweet potato, rice, buckwheat or barley. The cocktails are exotic, I treated myself to the Yuzu mojito, which was excellent. To give you the idea of price points Ramen is £10-£14.50, Shoryu Buns are £4.50-8.50 for one, Sides are £3.90-9.50, Desserts are £4.50-5.90.
Shoryu Ramen Shoreditch Interiors
Restaurant Interior
The interiors are contemporary with design nods towards authentic ramen bars. A natural wood floor with light pouring in from the windows gave this space a bright and airy feel. You can sit facing the open kitchen, the street windows or at a high counter on a stool. We settled at a reserved table towards the back of the restaurant. The floaty cloud-style light shades are very striking. It’s a pleasant place to catch up with friends and enjoy the delicious Ramen and Buns.
Shoryu Ramen Shoreditch Information
Restaurant Exterior
To find out more about the restaurant, go to the Shoryu Ramen Website. The Shoreditch restaurant address is 45 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3HP. The nearest stations are Old Street and Shoreditch High Street. Check out the current opening times online. This is a small chain with other branches in London, Oxford, Manchester and Japan.
Author: Homegirl London. Photographs: Food images by Homegirl London, interior pictures from the restaurant website. Thanks: Rich and Homeboy for dining with me.
