Shoryu Take 4: where I had ramen you can never order on a date

My beautiful friends, G/Man and G/Lady aka The Lovely Laurels, are in the UK for a year (G/Man is doing his MBA in Cambridge) and I am super ecstatic. =) They were in London last week so I caught up with them over dinner. So many places I wanted to take them but as it was a grey and rainy Septembrrrr night, we opted for the ramen route for comfort.

I took them to Shoryu on Regent Street because I like their food better than the last ramen place I visited. They’ve changed the menu a bit; they didn’t have my first love (spicy pork miso) anymore but there were a few new cold ramen dishes and sides. Exciting times.

We tried the new shrimp kara-age (£5.5). I’ve never been so delighted to see those little shrimps again as steamed suahe has been a classic family favourite and I’ve not had this since the last time I was home. They were lightly battered which was great as you can still taste the sweetness of the shrimp. Good to pair with a cold pint of beer.

We had a serving of gyoza (£5) and man that other ramen place could learn a lot this. On the superficial, it wasn’t dripping in oil and it came with dipping sauce and garnish. Sure, good dumplings don’t need to hide under any sort of sauce but it was just nice to have that option ready for you. Also, Shoryu’s gyoza is actually really good and filled with well-seasoned meat. G/Lady actually said “Ang sarap!” on first bite. I concur.

Let’s talk mains: G/Man chose the karaka tantan tonkotsu which is my favourite Shoryu ramen so far; G/Lady went for the Hokkaido curry ramen; and, as I was not planning on kissing nor rubbing elbows with anyone that night after dinner anyway, I finally went for the Dracula tonkotsu (£11.9)

Topped with char siu, nitamago egg (which I gave to G/Man), garlic chips, black garlic mayu
kikurage mushrooms, beansprouts, spring onion, sesame, ginger, nori & lots of sesame seeds.

I like the flavour profile of this ramen. The broth, albeit not as rich as Tonkotsu‘s, had a deep roasted flavour courtesy of the caramelised black garlic mayu and a slight sour note (I say that in a good way!) courtesy of the balsamic vinegar. The char siu cuts were thick and delicious, and I actually like how lean they were this time. The hosomen noodles were consistently springy and firm and plentiful. Ramen love, yes indeed.

I was surprised how we actually managed to stay at the restaurant for a good 2.5 hours. Normally, staff would ever so discreetly hurry you out the door especially during busy days but this time around I’m pleased nobody buggered us despite the constant turnover of punters. Made our catch-up dinner such a pleasant one.

Happy punters indeed!

We were full to the brim after our meals. Yet another deliciously satisfying dinner from Shoryu. =)

Shoryu Ramen Bar
9 Regent Street, London, SW1Y | No reservations, walk-in only
Average spend: £10pp for ramen, £25 with sides, dessert and drinks