Harden's survey result
Summary
“High-quality udon” – Japanese wheat noodles served with a wide choice of extras, including tempura, katsu curry and various soups; plus the option of rice-based dishes – are the USP of this Kobe-based global chain which arrived in the UK three years and now has nine branches across London (plus one in Reading) to add to its 800+ back in Japan and further 250 globally. Be prepared to specify what you want at the counter as you enter – then you collect your cooked-to-order dish, add garnishes and find a table.
Summary
These “functional Japanese canteen-style restaurants” serve “lovely udon noodles at cheap prices” – “possibly the most reasonable in London” – along with tempura, rice bowls and “fabulous chicken katsu curry”. The Kobe-based chain has more than 1,000 branches around the world, with a dozen across the capital since arriving in 2021.
Summary
“Decent noodles at rock-bottom prices” means these “new, authentic, incredibly reasonably priced Japanese canteens” are “always busy”. An 800-strong global chain, it launched in London in July 2021 with a 100+ cover site just off Liverpool Street and is adding branches willy nilly, with the second half of 2022 seeing debuts in Oxford Circus, The Strand and Waterloo. “The food cannot be fresher than here: noodles are made on-site and tempura is fried just in front of you” and “they cater for both non-vegans and vegans”. Finish your meal with “unlimited ice cream, which is unexpectedly delicious too”.
For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
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