We were in Manchester for the highly anticipated Sigur Ros gig. The band were so much in demand that they were playing three consecutive nights at the Apollo. When a bear goes to a gig, he must eat first and this is equally true for the humans. As well as being a huge fan of Sigur Ros, my Mum is insanely in love with Japan, so we took the opportunity to go to Shoryu Ramen. The restaurant is located in Piccadilly Gardens, just a short walk from Manchester Piccadilly Station and close enough to walk up to the gig afterwards.
The humans had been before but this was my first time and they told me I was in for a treat. We had Shoryu buns to start, char siu bbq pork belly and tiger prawn tempura, both with Japanese mayo. As we’re greedy we also had Chicken Karaage, which is soy marinated chicken served on a skewer. Of course, we couldn’t come and not have ramen, so that’s what we did. Mum had Kimchi Seafood Tonkotsu, a fiery kimchi broth, with prawns, scallops, squid, nitamago egg, kikurage mushrooms, nori seaweed and all the other usual trimmings. Dad had Kotteri Hakata Tonkotsu, which is a richer, thicker, meatier tonkotsu broth with double nitamago egg.
I got to try both and can honestly say no two mouthfuls were the same, the richness of the broth really is key, and there was real character in both. Thin ramen noodles swimming in a pool of thick, rich soup… and while my chopstick skills are not the best (with my tiny paws), we all had tremendous fun tackling these massive bowls of joy! All this incredible food was washed down with a nice pint of Kirin on draft (served Japanese style with a super froth in a frozen glass) and of course plum wine and green tea as well.
This place is always busy and has a vibrant atmosphere. Some people might find it irritating that they have a ‘thing’ where whenever a customer enters the staff beat a drum and shout. I love this though, it all adds to the experience! In the bland that is Piccadilly Gardens’ food offering, Shoryu Ramen stands out like a beacon of bounty. The food is superb and if you’re in the area, I would definitely stop in for a bowl and a bun! This little bear is very grateful that this became their first ramen bar outside London, bringing authentic Hakata tonkotsu ramen to the good folk of Manchester 😍