Although it has been a while, the “Gyudon in London” project has not been entirely derailed. There are not that many places that advertise gyudon, as I have said before but I have noticed a few more places serving it on menus (usually posted outside). And number ten was spotted in such a way.
Returning from the lovely East Anglian city of Norwich[1]
Only after ordering my chicken ramen did I notice that this Ramen bar was not just a ramen bar. Next door was another place called the Japanese-sounding “donburi” and next door to that was another Japanese-sounding place called "Kano Udon". Most intriguing. They were all connected behind the counter and so shared kitchen space meaning that even though they were shut, you could order from those other menus within Shitamachi Ramen 
What it didn't have was that many people; plastic food to illustrate nor a ticket vending machine. But it was pretty close and it had hope. I texted Paul the menu and we were on our way[2]
- but only after I had actually had dinner which was that chicken ramen. I had to text it as there did not appear to be a website - just an instagram account @donburiuk.
A few weeks later (which you must appreciate, after almost a year, is actually pretty quick) we found ourselves walking over London Bridge towards Liverpool Street Station in something of a reunion after eleven months. Were we still friends? This walk would be a test - and that it was not even 6pm meant we had to kill some time too so the test was more than just a walk, it incorporated a drink too. But, not for too long as Shitamachi Ramen closed at 7 pm so we needed to have a fairly early dinner.
Next, was to start on the gyudon and that could be different visually. The gyudon was at the basic end without egg or pickled ginger. That would add some different flavours but also adds some colour - in this case, the green lettuce seemed an odd look. I am not sure I have seen lettuce with a gyudon before. As I mentioned, I was a bit concerned because of the size issue. This was a misplaced concern as, once I dug in, I could see that it was also deeper than I had thought and was pretty good value. That wasn’t the only concern allayed and, as ever, I started with the rice and this was well cooked with just a hint of beef on it - that lovely clean white taste was still there. And the beef itself? Well, it was a bit stringy and really tasty. This was a winner from the first mouthful - and the few after that. Paul was in agreement too, this was a good gyudon and after a little mixing with the lettuce to try it out, it could also be judged to be well balanced with the greens. Delving deeper and deeper into it, the beef flavour started to mix with the rice in that pleasant way and this I found particularly satisfying. I then tried the other sides we’d ordered with the gyoza being pretty tasty but the karaage being quite exceptional. The sides at Shitmachi Ramen are pretty cheap and the karaage was just £2.10. The same chicken is also used in the ramen (which I had had earlier) but in this form is truly brilliant. I have to be honest, I am not quite sure why, but the coating is really nice without being at all overpowering. It tasted so nice, it even reminded me of the quality of the sweet potato at Machiya although maybe not quite there. But, taking the price into account, it was really quite excellent. Finishing off the gyudon after having more sides meant I was left with the flavoured rice that is always a joy to mop up.
Shitmachi Ramen was a surprisingly good find and the gyudon was fantastic - especially after so long and after a few disappointing meals in the last few. The gyudon was great and grew on me over the course of the meal. It is absolutely the kind of thing that I was searching for: quick, cheap and unpretentious. I think it is probably the second-best gyudon that I have had over the project behind only Koya (link) but it is far cheaper and is much closer in style to what I was actually after. It is a bit of a shame that I don’t commute via Liverpool Street station any longer! It is a shame that there is no egg or pickled ginger which would make it have the perfect feel for me. But it is very, very close to what I wanted from a gyudon. And all of that is without taking into account the karaage chicken which is just excellent. It was wonderfully soft and the coating was moreish.
Shitamachi Ramen
1. Norwich really is quite delightful and I have only become aware of its charms recently. It has also recently been described as one of the most irresistible cities in the world [link] so you should check it out if you have not been before.↩
2. The way to planning, not actually eating, yet.↩
3. When I had come before, I got chatting to the owner in a way that is not really normal for me and would seem quite out of character for most that know me. I asked a few questions about the gyudon (whether they had pickled ginger) and I got asked a few questions back about why I knew the food and so on. It was nice, we spoke a little and I explained that I had lived in Saitama many years ago [see my reblog for more details] and that I was doing a gyudon project. He seemed intrigued by this but I explained that I could not have gyudon as I needed to have my gyudon buddy with me.↩
in the evening, I was hungry and fancied some dinner. I used to work around Liverpool Street and was sort of familiar with it and, although it changes, knew there were a few lunch places that might be open. In the arcade, a place was open amongst the shuttered stores - Shitamachi Ramen. I used to have lunch in the arcade fairly often and was always struck by the incredibly long queues outside the foreign exchange place that would stretch for a few shops - I guess that counts as good footfall for the other shops there too.
Checking the menu, I saw that there was gyudon and then that meant, most of all, there was hope.
Externally at least, this felt right and ticked boxes for a gyudon shop:
Cheap
Quick, bar seating or *standing*
Inside a railway station
A few weeks later (which you must appreciate, after almost a year, is actually pretty quick) we found ourselves walking over London Bridge towards Liverpool Street Station in something of a reunion after eleven months. Were we still friends? This walk would be a test - and that it was not even 6pm meant we had to kill some time too so the test was more than just a walk, it incorporated a drink too. But, not for too long as Shitamachi Ramen closed at 7 pm so we needed to have a fairly early dinner.
Walking in, I was rather tickled that the owner seemed to recognise me from my previous visit
[3]
so we had a quick chat and introduction. After a little discussion, Paul and I had a look at the menu to decide the side to go with the two gyudons - some gyoza, karaage and takoyaki. Classic
The order came all at the same time and we separated the three sides evenly amongst us. The rice bowl was surprisingly big but the topping of beef was not over all of that rice and was accompanied by a fairly large handful of lettuce to fill that space. I could tell that it was a good portion size but it did feel that they had skimped on the beef. Initially, at least. The sides all looked pretty standard - there isn’t much you can do with them visually but the proof would be in the eating.
I started with the takoyaki which I already knew. I really love takoyaki and these were passable - they set off the memory of takoyaki and that is good enough for me at this price (less than £3). I’m not sure I have ever had good takoyaki in the UK as it feels a little cold but even poor takoyaki tastes great!
I would really strongly recommend Shitamachi Ramen. I want to try out the other shops under the banner too but first, I want to have the gyudon and chicken again.
Cost of gyudon: £7.90
Shitamachi Ramen
The Arcade, 5, London EC2M 7PN
1. Norwich really is quite delightful and I have only become aware of its charms recently. It has also recently been described as one of the most irresistible cities in the world [link] so you should check it out if you have not been before.↩
2. The way to planning, not actually eating, yet.↩
3. When I had come before, I got chatting to the owner in a way that is not really normal for me and would seem quite out of character for most that know me. I asked a few questions about the gyudon (whether they had pickled ginger) and I got asked a few questions back about why I knew the food and so on. It was nice, we spoke a little and I explained that I had lived in Saitama many years ago [see my reblog for more details] and that I was doing a gyudon project. He seemed intrigued by this but I explained that I could not have gyudon as I needed to have my gyudon buddy with me.↩
