Before the trip to England, I did some research on Top Ramen Joints in London and each of the lists and articles I found called out a funky place named BONE DADDIES somewhere in its favorites. Add to that, BONE DADDIES RAMEN BAR was a 10-minute walk from Hotel in Soho, made me realize I found my meal, score! So with that in mind, it was time to try an English take on my beloved Ramen.

A light rain that turned to sun and a walk through the amazing Soho district and we arrived at our destination just as it opened. Obviously this place was popular as we were one of four tables that awaited an opening table and by the time we were done, the place was packed. The place itself is very cool, filled with art and pictures of Japanese Rockabilly Bikers and Nick Cave blaring on the sound-system. Everyone sits on hightop tables and shares as needed. There’s lots of great appies to choose from while the five of us enjoyed sharing but we were all here for one thing. BONE DADDIES has four choices: Soy, T22, Tonkotsu and Spicy Miso. I opted for the straight Tonkotsu Ramen which included Spring Onion, Chashu Pork, Black Garlic Oil and ofcourse it’s legendary 20-hour pork bone broth. I only added some additional Ground Pork and fresh garlic which was available on every table.

When the bowl arrived, I was pleased to see that an egg, mushrooms and bamboo were also part of the meal. It was a good looking bowl of ramen, a nice creamy looking broth, bright colors, a hell of a golden egg and a drizzle of that lovely black garlic oil. I mixed it together, dug in… and was somewhat let down. Now don’t get me wrong, it was good, solidly good but not great. The broth was creamy, but not too rich and frankly, a little bland, especially for a touted 20-hour broth. The chashu was a chewy and dry (overcooked?), and the noodles weren’t that astounding. The ground pork and egg were fantastic, the black garlic oil legendary and with a little of the chili from the table added to the bowl, a nice little kick.

As I said, this was a good bowl of Ramen but not great due to its overall uneveness. That said, I would give BONE DADDIES another go thanks to its cool ambience & decor and other unique bowls of soup delight to try. There are a lot of Ramen Joints in London and I know that I will have to try a different one next time I am there but knowing that it’s close to my regular hotel and that it will be a decent meal, I would go back.