A ramen bar from a self-taught Indian chef based in Dubai is the surprise arrival in the roster of new outlets announced for the reopening of Harrods Food Hall next month.
New Delhi-born Neha Mishra was a successful video producer when she became obsessed with the notion of cooking ramen 10 years ago – in fact, she says, “I started making ramen before I had actually ever tasted ramen! Initially, I was making the most basic ramen construction possible. It was a good six months of intensive cooking before I felt as though I was in a decent place.”
Once she was happy with her recipe and had visited Japan for the first time to sample the best examples, she launched a supper club in her own home in Dubai, under the name A Story of Food. It sold out six nights a week for three years – prompting her to pack in her original career and open her restaurant, Kinoya (meaning ‘little house’ in Japanese) in 2021. Again, it was an immediate success – leading eventually to the call from Harrods.
“It was never my intention to run a restaurant, or indeed a full-time supper club,” she says. “The whole journey started with me saying ‘I’m just going to do this thing for myself because I love it.’ And I think guests could see how much I loved doing it – people generally enjoy watching others do something that they love.”
Other notable chefs in the new Harrods lineup include Tom Kerridge, whose 22-seat space will serve day-boat-caught Cornish fish and deep-fried cockle popcorn under the title Tom Kerridge’s Fish & Chips; and the already-trailed Japanese chef Masayoshi Takayama, whose Sushi by MASA will showcase sushi and cooked dishes from his three New York restaurants. They join an all-star cast in the Food Hall, including Gordon Ramsay and his old sparring partner Jason Atherton, Sweden’s Björn Frantzén, Parisian pâtissier Angelo Musa and even fashion label Prada, muscling in on the act with logo-plastered pastries.
Harrods Food Hall reopens on Saturday 7 October. Five flavours of ramen will be available at Kinoya, costing £22 a bowl.
