Wow, just wow. I could stop there, but I guess I should elaborate a little. So… Mum hates sentences being started with the word so… but it’s so so apt here, so I’ll go on. So, we were in Manchester for a gig and it’s become routine for us to grab some food beforehand. We booked at Shoryu Ramen… or did we? Well, no actually. Mum booked for the day before! Ooops! School girl error… or was it?
We thought the best chance of finding something else was in the Northern Quarter. It turned out the Ramen Gods were on our side that day. As we walked round a damp and miserable Manchester, there it was before our eyes, Toyko Ramen, in their own words, Manchester’s #1 ramen shop. We would end up agreeing with this with every inch of our noodle and broth full bellies. The restaurant is small, but luckily there was a table free.
What more can you ask for on a rainy Manchester day? Noodles, warming broth, melt in the mouth meat and amazing garnishes. Mum is a massive fan of ramen and got Dad hooked pretty quickly. The menu here is small, but it’s about quality not quantity. They make 200 litres of the chicken broth (which is the base of the ramen) per day and once it’s gone, it’s gone. You have a choice of three ramens, four small plates and drinks. Dad had the Tantanmen (Koji Fried Chicken) ramen and Mum had the Shoyu (Torched Pork Belly) and there is also a veggie Miso option with mushrooms and onions. We shared the Koji Friend Chicken small plate as well. There is no such thing as too much fried chicken, according to Dad that is. There was also a crispy octopus dish that I’m sure we’ll try next time. The open kitchen is just behind you, so you can see everything is super fresh.
You can wash this down with a few different Japanese beers like Kirin or Asahi or there are some soft drink options or even a hot green tea. What a discovery we made here. It was only January, but this was an early contender for find of the year. Absolutely delicious 😋