Kinoya London Halal Japanese Ramen

The word “ramen” is no stranger to the halal dining scene in London. However, authentic Japanese ramen is certainly one that’s lacking. The opening of Kinoya London is one that I’ve yearned for a long time after plenty of disappointments over the years and one that’s sorely needed in the market to show Londoners what proper Japanese ramen should be like. Japanese ramen is a true culinary art that’s meant to take days of labour to make with lots of intricacies to master. The closest is perhaps Ramoramen with its Filipino-Japanese fusion flavours, but it’s still not quite the same though, isn’t it? With its impressive accolades and hype from Dubai, I certainly had high expectations from Kinoya and really hoped this would be the one to finally make a true representation of the art of Japanese ramen.

Kinoya: Authentic Taste of Japanese Ramen & Izakaya from Dubai to London

Founded by Chef Neha Mishra, Kinoya started as a very popular supper club and later became one of Dubai’s hottest restaurants. Not only that, the restaurant was also awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2023 and was ranked seventh in the Middle East & Africa 50 Best Restaurants 2023.

London is Kinoya’s first outpost outside of the UAE and it’s all about open kitchen counter dining under the opulence of Harrods Dining Hall. The London menu is a tad bit smaller than that in Dubai, focusing on just ramen and a couple of izakaya-style yakitori snacks, with plans to slowly expand its menu later down the line. Booking is recommended as seats are limited.

The Food at Kinoya (what we ordered)

Date of visit: January 2024

Wagyu Tsukune (£22)

We started with a portion of the Wagyu Tsukune, which is a traditional Japanese meatball served with an egg yolk dipping sauce and is one of Kinoya’s robata specialities. There’s a lovely sweet teriyaki-like undertone to the dish that complimented well with the sweet soy dipping sauce enriched with egg yolk. Whilst enjoyably tasty, we were perhaps expecting a stronger beefy flavour from the wagyu and felt more to be desired. Especially when it only comes in two pieces per portion, we did find it a bit pricey for what it is.

Shio Paitan Ramen (£30)

Moving onto the ramen, after a long thoughtful internal debate, I decided to go with the Shio Paitan Ramen, which is Chef Neha’s special slow-cooked chicken broth with dashi served with seared chicken and drizzled mayu (i.e. burnt garlic oil). Upon the very first sip of the broth, I immediately nodded my head in approval as delicate layers of flavour depth emerged onto my palate. It was light and clean yet rich to taste, doing justice to the art of traditional Japanese ramen. The noodles were freshly made with an al dente texture and carried the broth incredibly well. We would have preferred the seared chicken to be seasoned more robustly but, overall, it’s definitely a worthwhile dish that I’d happily return for more.

Hojicha (£8.50)

As for drinks, we finished with a little pot of Hojicha, which came served charmingly in a cast iron teapot. It’s got a lovely toasty and nutty flavour, and is very warming against the cold wintery day. Without any doubt, the roasted tea is of great quality but still, we did think the pricing was a tad bit steep. It is Harrods after all, though.