Decent Ramen noodle bar 

LOCATION

I’m currently working in Bankside and Tonkotsu is about a 5 min walk from my office. They’ve got other sites in Selfridges, Dean Street (Soho) Dunston Street and Mare Street (East London).

THE SPACE

In the Bankside branch, the design is quite minimal; rich dark wood dominates the room in the form of chairs and tables, paired with a black floor. The glass walls that envelop the building and the glass staircase, leading to the upper part of the restaurant, encourage light to enter the building during the day, which is further illuminated by the large circular hanging lights that look like paper lanterns but crafted from heavy weight material.

FOOD & SERVICE

I went here one Tuesday during my lunch break and ordered their Tuesday special ‘Chicken Katsu Curry’ with rice – it’s a very decent portion for £6.95. The breaded chicken was actually pretty good but the curry itself was so so. I liked the fact that they had a pot of their ‘Eat The Bits’ chilli oil on the table which was free to use whilst dining and also available to buy, should you wish to. The bits that collect at the bottom of the jar are thick and flavoursome and had it been spicier, I would definitely have bought a jar of it.

I went back again yesterday with a colleague for lunch and we ended up ordering a bowl of their chilli chicken ramen , topped with a boiled egg (£10) and their fried chicken burger with chips (£6.95), to share. The thin chicken strips were fine, the veg could have been a tad crunchier and it really wasn’t spicy at all but their chicken broth was definitely better than the one I had at Salvation in Noodles. The chicken burger had a nice crunchy exterior to it but when I bit into it, the meat was a little pink, which alarmed me but not enough to stop me from polishing it off. The chips were a bit soggy, sad and somewhat over salted but because they’re inclusive with the burger, you feel like you’re getting a bonus (which I guess you are) so you shouldn’t complain.

If they decide to broaden their food offering further, it feels like Tonkotsu could grow into being a more ‘alternative’ option to Wagamama.

VIBE

Due to its location, at lunchtime at least, this place draws workers, a lot of whom work in the ‘creative’ industries in the Bankside area.

MOOLAH

This place is really quite reasonable – sharing a noodle bowl and a burger and chips between 2 people, we only ended up paying £9 each. You could get a sushi box for that price from Itsu – so it’s a good lunch time option if you feel like a cheeky slightly more expensive lunch or you’re after a very reasonably priced dinner.

RATING 

7.5/10