If anyone has seen the Japanese film Tampopo, you know that ramen is not just any bowl of warm noodle soup. It’s almost a work of art, one that takes years to master. In the movie, a pair of truck drivers help the widowed, old Lai Lai turn her struggling ramen shop into the epitome of ramen making. After many tweaks (and hilarious critiques), the film ends with the iconic scene of five men chowing down Lai Lai’s now perfected ramen.
If Tampopo is any indication, it will be hard to find a ramen place that remotely matches Lai Lai’s ramen in London. Ippudo? Kanada-Ya? Shoryu? None stand a chance. But Kokura in Southwark might at least put up a decent fight.
Kokura isn’t bold or gutsy in any way, but it does invite you in. The ceramic models of ramen bowls and Japanese paintings by the window display already pique your curiosity. The shop is quiet, with only a few wooden stools and tables lining the walls, reminiscent of the modest ramen bars in Japan like Lai Lai’s. Japanese music plays softly in the background, which only makes you want to sit down with your own bowl of ramen.
I ordered their classic Kokura ramen (which was only £11!), and it was swiftly prepared within five minutes, although every ingredient was placed carefully and meticulously. The torched char siu pork, soft-boiled egg, and ramen float in a rich, umami pork bone broth, with wood ear mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and a large piece of seaweed to decorate. If your taste buds aren’t satisfied, your eyes certainly will be.
If you’re looking for something a bit more adventurous, Kokura’s got you too. The tom yum tonkotsu blends spicy Thai flavours with its signature bone broth, paired with the typical char siu pork and mushroom toppings. It packs a punch, even though it overpowers the delicate flavours of the bone broth. Kokura’s ramen isn’t perfect. As the truck driver says when critiquing Lai Lai’s ramen in Tampopo: “They’ve got sincerity but lack guts”. But like the five men that devoured her ramen at the end of the film, it’ll still have you finishing every last drop.
Matt Chau
Address: 49 The Cut, London SE1 8LF