Authentic Tonkotsu Ramen in the heart of London

One thing that is not in short supply in London is a vast array of venues featuring different ethnic foods. As of recently, I wanted to give a particular person in my life a unique birthday that they would remember. Knowing they were a fan of authentic Japanese food, I set out in search of the one thing they had not tried yet, a traditional ramen bar. Now London is in no way lacking if you are looking for sushi or ramen restaurants, so at first, my search ended up with many places but most were quite pricey. When I thought I would have to spend an arm and leg to give them their first authentic ramen experience, I was about to accept the defeat of my pocketbook when hope shined its light with a familiar name from my time in Japan: Kanada-Ya.

The ramen house opened in Yukuhashi, located in eastern Fukuoka Prefecture. There you can experience the delicious pork broth ramen that has delighted taste buds in multiple locations at the very first Kanada-ya. Specialists in authentic tonkotsu ramen, the original Kanada-Ya was founded in 2009 by Kazuhiro Kanada, an ex-pro cyclist turned Ramen Chef. In just five short years, they went international with their first restaurant in Hong Kong in April 2014, followed swiftly by a UK chain opening in London's Covent Garden, then Picadilly, and finally Angel areas.

I quickly shot an email to their London restaurant to set up a special occasion and received word back just as fast. While the Covent Garden place does not take bookings, in the email, they informed me of their second location right near Haymarket(Picadilly) that had opened in December of 2015. After I popped in the day before to drop off the birthday cake I made, which they were kind enough to store for me, I could not help but feel like I found right what I was looking for; a traditional ramen-ya(roughly translated to house or shop)experience in the heart of London.

As we entered Kanada-Ya, you hear the traditional "Irashaimase" greeting from the staff before being seated. The environment was relaxed and welcoming as our waitress took our orders quickly, and with a smile, our food arrived just as promptly. We started with some delicious Karage Chicken before our ramen was brought to us. As soon as our meals were finished, it was brought directly to our table, mine the original ramen with pork belly was first but shortly followed by the birthday guest's Chashu-Men(pork collar).

After finishing our flavorful soups, the staff politely brought out the cake I had dropped off the day before and sweetly wished them a "Happy Birthday" in the relaxed way we were looking for; we didn't want a while scene of the restaurant singing at the top of their lungs(not really their style). As we chowed down on our lemon drizzle cake, the manager came to greet us and brought us some yummy Matcha ice cream to complement our cake. It was such a sweet gesture that made our experience feel more like eating at a friend's place rather than a chain.

With no shortlist of competitors: Ippudo, Seto, Sasuke, Shoryu, Bone Daddies, Etc., Kanada-Ya is definitely among my favorite restaurants. With traditional and delicious ramen, a chilled and friendly environment, and welcoming staff, I can not wait to return to one of their places for more. And with their nicely priced menu, it should not be too long until then. So if you ever find yourself in Covent Gardens or Haymarket in Central London, make sure to pop into Kanada-Ya, a great place to beat the England cold with some hot authentic tonkotsu ramen.