ITTENBARI......?
Two words!...........Tasty Ramen!!!
I don't know if you have ever tried to find some good, honest, traditional Japanese food in the UK, but when you do, the taste of a good one will come to your tongue like a "bolt from the blue" as to how tasty it actually is.
When compared to the amount of times I have had to face the anticipation of the requested Ramen dish from the menu to arrive, only for it to have something not quite right about it, either the noodle is the obviously "instant" type, or the broth is like water with some soy sauce thrown in, or the person adding the topping has misplaced their personal copy of the menu notes of what's actually supposed be in it.
So!.......when I first visit any Japanese style establishment, I always hope for at best an OK palatable bowl of......Soup!.
At first glance form the outside, it looks like the usual double cloth draped above the entrance one might expect from any Japanese Sushi place.
Going inside, the temperature is quite high and steamy. Also with the heat comes the smells and aroma from the very large pots boiling on the stove (over the counter), to your immediate left.
Once further inside, the server comes and tells you that this is a cash only restaurant and if you agree they quickly show you to your table.
The décor seems on the "minimalist" style, with simple chairs and tables, good thing there seem to be enough servers about, and they all look fairly happy, although not very Japanese looking, in fact the only one that looked quite Japanese was dressed as a chef and was one of them who later actually brought one of the bowls of ramen to our table.
At first glance around it seems on the small side, (makes me think it's not very authentic, or not very busy and can not afford to upgrade to larger premises), these are my own personal initial thoughts before being seated, but later on it became quite busy, so that was a relief.
Once the actual menu comes lets hope what arrives looks like the pictures, now between which to choose?. They have a choice of 3, between Shoyu and Miso, with a Tonkatsu unavailable at the moment
Yes!......They do offer the other items like the Gyoza, amongst other items, and of course the obligatory Sushi. Where would we be without some Sushi.
I chose the Shoyu, oh!, and I have gone for the 'deluxe' size, (£10.90) and why not some Gyoza for an appetiser before the ramen arrives. It's cold outside, so I will try their Barley tea...... The drink called Calpico I have never tried before, so I will try today. It tasted quite nice, it's very refreshing although perhaps more for a hot sunny day.
I chose the Shoyu, oh!, and I have gone for the 'deluxe' size, (£10.90) and why not some Gyoza for an appetiser before the ramen arrives. It's cold outside, so I will try their Barley tea...... The drink called Calpico I have never tried before, so I will try today. It tasted quite nice, it's very refreshing although perhaps more for a hot sunny day.
When the bowl arrives it really looks promising with the "look" of authentic ramen, all is well at first impression, it even has the correct ladle, (which some places just give a tablespoon!).
The smell drifting up from the bowl smells really good, if it's going to taste anything like it smells I will be really happy.
The bowl is fairly large and although it's not quite full to the brim, it does hold a lot of ingredients and plenty of broth.
The smell drifting up from the bowl smells really good, if it's going to taste anything like it smells I will be really happy.
The bowl is fairly large and although it's not quite full to the brim, it does hold a lot of ingredients and plenty of broth.
There are 3 slices of roast pork. The toppings look correct with the right amount, (too many and the broth, well, there just wouldn't be enough).
It's all looking good!.....I'm going to taste!
Oooooh!................ Wow!............The flavours!......... Now at last, that's a very very good one. At least my search was not in vain. the UK actually has at least 1 very good Japanese ramen house. I have tried a few others, which I will write about at some point.
All too soon the bowl is empty. I can't wait for my next visit.
All too soon the bowl is empty. I can't wait for my next visit.
Yes! the bill does arrive way before your actually finished your meal, but that's probably because the building inside is relatively small,(although they do have seating upstairs too), and they don't have the spare table space for people who stay and chat long after finishing their meal.
It does seem to get very busy at times, with a lot of Asian also frequenting, which is a sign (in my mind), of a good noodle house.
Some of the other items on the menu, well, they may not be the main reason why you would go looking for Ittenbari, but I most definitely highly recommend the delicious ramen.
Conclusion:....... ITTENBARI......Yum!
Conclusion:....... ITTENBARI......Yum!
My personal rating system gives (out of 10)
Taste of the Ramen: 9
Price 9
When you find a good ramen all of the other points won't really matter too much apart from cleanliness.
ITTENBARI
84 Brewer Street
London
W1F 9UB
Tel. 020 7287 1318
www.ittenbari.co.uk info@ittenbari.co.uk
ITTENBARI
84 Brewer Street
London
W1F 9UB
Tel. 020 7287 1318
www.ittenbari.co.uk info@ittenbari.co.uk
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