Koya Soho

Restaurant review: Koya Bar lives up to its big brother's reputation ...

Well you should have because Koya in Soho has been providing classy Japanese comfort food, via a menu built around freshly made udon, since the summer of 2010.

But what made Koya special was its attention to detail: the noodles made in the traditional manner on the premises each day; the dough kneaded by foot; the freshness of the dashi, the umami-rich stock that is at the heart of all Japanese soups; and an authentically understated, utilitarian interior.

He did time behind the stove in leading London restaurants before focusing his attention on Japan and the sanuki udon, the flat-edged, stiffer variety of noodle that hails from Shikoku in the country’s south and upon which Koya’s success is built.

The all-day menu, overseen by Shuko Oda, previously second-in-command at Koya, is roughly a re-tread of Koya when it first opened, various udon, donburi and small plates, with the daring addition of Japanese breakfast dishes.

If it’s udon you’re after and you don’t fancy waiting in line at Koya, you don’t have to – the noodles at Koya Bar are every bit as good, judging by the Kinoko Hiya-Atsu I tried – my favourite cold-udon-meets-hot-broth combination, made with mushrooms and walnut miso.

Koya Bar, London W1, restaurant review - Telegraph

The main event is the udon noodle, hot with a hot sauce (atsu-atsu) or cold with a hot sauce (hiya-atsu).

The noodles were slippery and unbiddable, as if alive.

Other people had thicker sauces… The cold noodles looked interesting, moved in a different way… I had terrible udon envy, and the urge of the completist, who can't be satisfied until she's tried them all.

A tiny place that serves huge portions of street-style noodle dishes from Thailand, Malaysia and Japan.

Space is tight, but it's worth the squeeze when a large bowl of authentic Singapore noodles arrives, tossed with roast pork, prawns and pak-choi (£8.95)

Koya restaurant review 2011 July London | Japanese Cuisine | food ...

In Japan it is common for restaurants to specialise in a particular style of food e.g. sushi, shabu shabu or noodles, and to do nothing else.

Most London places offer a range of Japanese cooking styles, so it is interesting to see a restaurant that is pretty much entirely about one thing: udon (thick wheat- based white) noodles.

A large bowl of udon noodles, in this case with pork and miso, featured noodles with really lovely texture (the flour is imported from Japan, but the water used is good old Thames, albeit softened).

At a visit in July 2013 I tried cold udon noodles with venison, the noodles having very good texture, the minced venison having plenty of flavour (14/20).

Prawn tempura was again good, the batter not of the level of delicacy you find in Japan, but certainly even, and the prawns were carefully cooked; this came with a few tempura vegetables as well as the prawns (14/20).

Koya City, Bloomberg Arcade: restaurant review | Foodism

Shuko Oda and John Devitt's dark and intimate Japanese noodle bar on Frith Street is one of our favourite spots in London, but Koya's second outpost in the harsh glass concourse of the Bloomberg Arcade had us wondering how well the unique thrill that oft comes with snagging a much coveted seat at Koya Soho would travel.

Koya City might not seem as cosy, but as soon as a bowl of those famed handmade udon slide to a stop in front of you, you'll be back to feeling like it's just you, the noodles and nothing else in the world.

There's an extensive sake offering (as you'd expect), but whenever we're due to slurp up hot noodle broth, we often vie for a beer.

When it comes to the udon, you can go three ways: hot noodles bathed in hot broth, cold udon in a steaming bowl of the stuff, or chilled through and through.

Like us, you could say hello to the rest of your prawn with the astu astu (hot udon in hot broth) prawn tempura or mix things up with cold noodles served alongside a hot, umami-laced broth with ribbons of tender beef.

Koya | Soho, Fitzrovia, Covent Garden | Restaurant Reviews | Hot ...

Koya Bar, London W1, restaurant review - Telegraph

The main event is the udon noodle, hot with a hot sauce (atsu-atsu) or cold with a hot sauce (hiya-atsu).

The noodles were slippery and unbiddable, as if alive.

Other people had thicker sauces… The cold noodles looked interesting, moved in a different way… I had terrible udon envy, and the urge of the completist, who can't be satisfied until she's tried them all.

A tiny place that serves huge portions of street-style noodle dishes from Thailand, Malaysia and Japan.

Space is tight, but it's worth the squeeze when a large bowl of authentic Singapore noodles arrives, tossed with roast pork, prawns and pak-choi (£8.95)

Restaurant: Koya, London W1 | John Lanchester | Life and style ...

The third type, ramen, originally from China but now a Japanese speciality, is a wheat noodle that's always served in a bowl of stock.

The key ingredients – noodles, stocks and sauces – have to be made a long time in advance, so the dishes are slow to prepare but quick to assemble and to serve.

The Japanese like their noodles al dente, with a resistant texture; but noodles in hot stock keep cooking in the liquid and go soggy, so you have to get on with it.

There are three basic types of dish: atsu-atsu, or hot udon in hot broth; hiya-atsu, cold udon served with hot broth to dip in; and hiya-hiya, cold udon served with a cold sauce to dip in or pour over.

It was a very cold day, but I felt I had to try both sides of the menu, so I had a cold dish of smoked mackerel with fresh herbs and leaves on a bed of udon with a sensationally good sauce.

Koya Bar | Restaurants in Soho, London

This sibling to the original Koya doesn't stand in the shadow of its departed neighbour - it's asserted its own personality with Japanese breakfasts.

Koya classics such as udon with mushrooms and walnut miso (kinoko) are available here, but unlike the original, breakfast is also served.

Though you can get a standard Japanese morning meal – grilled fish, miso soup, rice and pickles, innovative bowls of udon and rice porridge are the major draw.

Placed before us by head chef Shuko Oda, a bowl of ‘English breakfast’ udon in earthy broth was topped with fried egg, bacon and shiitake mushrooms – not the easiest thing to eat with a pair of chopsticks.

The rice porridge (okayu) and accompanying soft boiled egg, spring onion and sweet, salty marinated shiitake makes for a soothing bowl of East Asian comfort food.