the Koya life

Restaurant: Koya
Cuisine: Japanese (udon)
Phone: +44 (0)20 7434 4463, no reservations accepted
Location: London, UK (Soho district)
Address: 49 Frith Street
Price Range: 10-20 pounds

So my first blogpost about my summer adventures in London starts at Koya, a popular udon store in the Soho district. I've quickly learned that the Soho district is essentially the foodie mecca of London: all restaurants and places I want to try, as well as the more popular and well-known restaurants that have been recommended are all in Soho. It basically is the place to be on a Friday evening.

But I digress - back to Koya or more appropriately what I consider my search for decent asian food in the UK. Thankfully I've been recommended some good asian locations in London by my asian labmates, who have now accepted me as one of their own :) - this was my biggest accomplishment of the week (jokes). One of the restaurants they mentioned I could try is Koya. 

Koya, a humble little restaurant tucked into the corner of the many streets and abbeys of Soho, is a rare asian find in a city obsessed with potato dishes. Japanese food is actually my favorite type of cuisine and so Koya, a Japanese restaurant specialising in udon noodles, was naturally a must-visit location for me. It has a great reputation amongst online bloggers winning various awards, including the prestigious Michelin Bib. These types of udon restaurants or abodes originate from Southern Japan and since its inauguration in 2010, Koya has been consistently described as "authentic", "lovely" and "fresh" by critics and bloggers alike. 

However, I was still slightly skeptical, because the owner of the establishment, John Devitt, is not Japanese himself of course. That being said, Koya does indeed make their udon fresh on-site daily. And the the two headchefs, Junya Yamasaki and Shuko Oda, have previously worked at Kunitoraya, a Japanese restaurant in Paris specialising in udon as well unsurprisingly.

Unfortunately, they do not accept reservations, so as I arrived with my friend at 6:15 pm, it was completely packed with quite a long queue. Luckily, the queue moved relatively quickly, so we managed to get a seat not soon after so we could eat then attend the Book of Mormon London evening showing (which I must say was unbelieveable, I highly recommend it). It was also nice to see many Japanese people in the queue, which for me at least, reassures that you will likely get decent and perhaps authentic Japanese cuisine.

the queue outside Koya with a lovely blue overhanging noren

We were lucky enough to be seated at a table of two separate from the rest of the restaurant. However in general, seating proximity is quite intimate - most tables are communal and you will likely have to share your table with another group. However, it all adds to quite a cosy feel to the restaurant. Service was nice, especially from the one Japanese waitress in the restaurant.

ON THE TABLE:

Tenzaru - 14.9
fish and vegetable tempura + an order of umeboshi

• 2.5/5
• the umeboshi was nice - sour as expected, but I wish it was more sour even
• I went for zaru udon (I was craving some sort of zaru soba alternative) and the tenzaru was a nice choice
• the udon was not as chewy as I would like, but it was fresh - I would have liked if it was served over a bed of ice
• the tempura itself was delicious (the batter was perfect) with the green pepper and fish tempura being the highlights

Gyushabu - 11.8
beef shabu shabu

• 2/5
• in this case, we went with an Atsu-Atsu (hot udon in hot broth) selection, which was also apparently one of the most popular items on the menu
• the broth was warm and light, however personally I felt it lacked a bit of flavor
• overall it was good, but nothing spectacular - if anything I was expecting more

Final Ranking (/5):

I enjoyed the simplicity of everything: from the restaurant decor or the menu, to the dishes themselves. If you are looking for a lighter alternative to the general greasy food of London, come to Koya for a visit. I would not call it completely "authentic" - having had real Japanese udon both homemade and purchased in the Shikoku district, this was still not at that level.

But overall... I think it's overrated :S

Food: 2.5

Service: 3
Ambiance: 2

Overall: 2.5

Additional Comments: be prepared to queue, but then again, you're in Soho. if you are looking for truly good udon, you probably won't find it in London... :(