Fans of the humble ramen soup throughout London, get ready to rejoice. This criminally underepresented comfort food is about to gain a new foothold as sushi mini-chain Tsuru introduces a dedicated ramen night. Hot Dinners were lucky enough to gain a seat at the table to check out the first in the series.
Tsuru creators Emma Reynolds and Ken Yamada are hosting several ramen pop-up events over the next few months before creating a permanent ramen bar. Taking the time to perfect their recipes - from stock to to gyoza - these one-off nights will be taking place on the 10th December, 7th January, 21st January and 4th of February, with more to follow. Each night will focus on a different traditional style, including Tonkotsu, Tokyo Spicy and Hakkaido, and lucky attendees of more than 3 events will automatically get an invitation to the private opening night.
Japan alone apparently has 34,488 registered ramen shops, so it's high time London added to their number - and Tsuru served up a mean Tokyo Shoyu ramen for their inaugural voyage. We enjoyed the simple, soy-based ramen with springy noodles and a 15-hour simmering stock twinned with pork and vegetable gyoza (and a cheeky bottle of wine) over lunchtime, and can't wait to see the results of their upcoming research trip to Japan (what a great excuse to visit as many noodle bars as possible!).
With Udon taking over the West End, ramen may have just found its niche in the City, and it's time to get slurping!
The Ramen nights are held at Tsuru Bishopsgate in Broadgate Plaza. For more details on the upcoming ramen pop-up events check out their blog or follow @tsururamen on Twitter
