Kanada-Ya

Japanese founded ramen bar in two friendly, informal restaurants in Covent Garden and Piccadilly.

Kanada-Ya | London specialists in authentic Japanese ramen

http://www.kanada-ya.com

Kanada-ya Best Ramen in London ? - Le Captain Foodie

Over the years, Ramen restaurants have flourished in London and you will find a lot of restaurants offering what they describe as “Authentic” Ramen.

Kanada-Ya is a famous Ramen Shop located in the heart of London at St Giles High street near Tottenham court Road tube station.

After several attempts to master the perfect broth, a visit to a Ramen school and years of practice and devotion Kanada-san opened in 2008 the first Kanada-Ya restaurant in the city of Yukuhashi.

In addition to the Ramen, Kanada-Ya serves small plates of dishes such as Kaarage (Japanese fried chicken), Edamame or Aburi Chashu (Pork belly).

A good broth can save bad noodles and pork, but a flavourless broth will ruin your Ramen experience no matter what.

Kanada-Ya, St Giles High Street - Samphire and Salsify

Based near Tottenham Court Road, opposite what was once Jamie Oliver’s Union Jacks (before it unsurprisingly closed), Kanada-Ya is a tiny little restaurant which specialises in ramen.

Like a muppet, I went for the spicy one; the Gekikara ramen (£12), which featured minced pork, slices of pork belly Chashu, Wood Ear Fungus, nori seaweed and spring onion.

The slices of pork were tender and fatty, the noodles soft and the broth (the pork bone broth is simmered for 18 hours) was super rich and creamy.

My gentleman companion went for the Chashu-Men (£12.50) which wasn’t in the least bit spicy but equally as creamy and utterly divine.

With some really sweet and charming service thrown in, Kanada-Ya is well worth a visit if ramen is your thing.

Machi-ya review – Kanada-ya spin-off does Japanese comfort food ...

Tonkatsu, Japanese curry and yakitori are often ignored or done in a horrifically slipshod manner by most Japanese restaurants in the West.

Despite its ostensible focus on cheap and cheerful Japanese comfort food, Machi-ya couldn’t help but offer a far pricier and much smaller version of the pork tonkatsu with wagyu beef in place of pig.

Gyudon is one of those dishes that’s ubiquitous in Japan, to the point that it’s become cheap ¥300-ish fast food in many cities, but is uncommon in London.

Although the latter is an integral part of the dish in Japan, I felt its strident zing detracted from the comforting combo of beef and rice.

Grilled eel with rice, or unagi don, is one of the most expensive dishes on Machi-ya’s menu, alongside the wagyu tonkatsu.

Restaurant Review: Kanada-Ya | The Soulmates Blog

Kanada-Ya has recently opened a second ramen restaurant just off Haymarket, in the heart of the West End.

This popular joint makes the perfect date spot in London.

My date and I are fortunate to be ushered through the awaiting diners and shown to an understated table in the middle of the main dining room on the ground floor.

As we read through the simple menu while sipping our ‘local London beers brewed in Japanese style’, we’re drawn to almost every dish.

An all-round fantastic evening out in London at Kanada-Ya: we departed with full tums and big smiles, already talking about what we’ll be trying on our next date.

Restaurant review: Kanada-Ya | The Soulmates Blog

Sloppy, soupy noodles might not scream ideal date cuisine, but before you write off ramen as a dish for a date, we recommend you check out Soho’s Kanada-Ya.

Sloppy, soupy noodles might not scream ideal date cuisine, but before you write off ramen as a dish for a date, we recommend you check out Soho’s Kanada-Ya.

Kanada-Ya is a Japanese restaurant with two locations in central London: one in Piccadilly, the other in Covent Garden.

Specialising in ramen dishes, the restaurant also offers tasty sides and an extensive drinks menu featuring Japanese whisky, hot or cold sake, authentic beers and fruits-shu.

Founded by Tonkotsu specialist Kazuhiro Kanada, on the Japanese island of Kyushu, Mr Kanada’s hand-pulled noodles and bone broths – notoriously cooked for 18 hours – have won multiple awards.

Grace Dent reviews Kanada-Ya: I beat the queue to get in, but I'll go ...

The first one on St Giles High Street is perpetually crowded with earnest ramen devotees.

I say ‘earnest’ because, for pit-stop food pivoting around noodles in porky stock, ramen attracts geek gourmands and food pedants like a jam sandwich next to an anthill.

Real ramen, to the groupies, is only found in the Fukuoka region on the island of Kyushu, in a basement kitchen that simmers its bone broth for at least a week.

At this point, I’d like to counter that London’s best ramen is probably served at Tonkotsu, Mare Street, Hackney.

I beat the queue at Kanada-Ya, yes, but I’ll still be beating a retreat to Tonkotsu when my ramen habit next comes knocking.

Kanada-Ya | Restaurants in Covent Garden, London

Small, brightly lit and minimal, it is not the place for a leisurely meal.

We queued outside for a chilly 45 minutes for a (shared) table.

But there’s a reason for Kanada-Ya’s already-large fan base, which includes plenty of Japanese and Chinese customers: this is exceptional ramen.

Pork bones are simmered for 18 hours to create the smooth, rich, seriously savoury tonkotsu broth – one of the best we’ve tried in London.

If you want nothing more than excellent noodles in broth, Kanada-Ya’s the place for you.