I’ve been meaning to write about Kanada-Ya for awhile and now after a few visits it has concreted my opinion that it is the best ramen I’ve had in London and possibly Sydney (as of 2 years ago). So of course I couldn’t leave London without telling you what makes it so good.

Normally when you see a constant queue outside of a restaurant you sometimes think that its just a fad and the hype will wear off. Well in the case of this restaurant, constant queues are the norm and I can see why.

They only have a limited menu. There are three types of ramen to choose from and you add great toppings for an extra cost. You are also able to choose how “hard” you wanted your noodles to be (ooh yeah). There are also sides on their menu which I’ve never bothered with cos come on, you come here for ramen..man.

The pork bone broth is the same in all three types, just a slight difference in ingredients hence price. I’ve always gone for the Chashu-Men (pork collar) bowl with an Hanjuku egg as a topping, and with my noodles “normal” in hardness. The stand out is the 18hr pork broth, the texture is silky, creamy but delicate and rich in flavor from the bones. Everything else in the bowl is just an added extra. I’ve seen people order extra noodles just to savor that delicious broth. The complimentary baby pots of pickled mustard and pickled radish (I think its radish) really adds something extra to the bowl.

This is authentic Japanese tonkotsu and Kanada-ya’s first restaurant was in Yukuhashi Japan and I swear I think the man on the logo is the founder who works in the London restaurant. Founder or not he is always friendly and polite. The waitstaff are friendly and efficient and turnovers are regular because it is a ramen bar. This place is a good place to eat and go. Feels a bit awkward when you’re eating and there are hungry faces peering at you through the window silently wishing for you to hurry up!

Can sincerely say that I’ll miss this place when I leave London. I just hope Sydney has an equivelent.

Kanada-Ya
64 St Giles High Street
London WC2H 8LE