Koba-Ko Upstairs — Restaurant in Birmingham

I have mixed opinions on this place. I went here a couple months ago The starter was really beautiful but the main was really quite mid and just missing something. The flavour lacked depth but the ingredients were cooked well. The friend I was with didn’t like it and felt the food wasn’t good. It wasn’t bad though. Maybe the chef had an off day or forgot to put something in the broth because again, the starter was really good.

The service was a bit hit and miss . It started off not so good and the wait time was long but the lady who worked there that then looked after us was very communicative and polite. She even helped with substitutions and options as I avoid pork. She also seems to work really hard.

The styling of the menu was a bit weird and seemed to be trying too hard. The Japanese on the menu and the selling of merch with Japanese writing seemed like the idea was to push that this place was authentic made by Japanese for Japanese people. Only thing is, this isn’t a Japanese owned business and that’s not your clientele. Kind of came across like it was made by one of those people with a fixation on Japanese aesthetic. Nice idea but a bit odd. A little tokenised.

I’m a bit undecided with this place. My friend does not want to go back and has been clear about that but I’d like to give it another shot at some point, and hopefully...

Whether it’s just me or maybe I understand what to expect from a husband and wife team running a Ramen restaurant in Kings Heath can do but I’ve been lucky enough to have come here at least once every time they change their menu and have loved it. The food is always superbly cooked, full of flavour and unlike one or two people when I order the wrong thing I blame myself not the kitchen.

I’m not sure why people would have issues with Japanese decor in a Japanese restaurant and not understand the limitations or wait time for made to order food with often just one person in the kitchen but then maybe some think more about themselves than others.

If you don’t understand Japanese, bring a dictionary or maybe speak to the front of house who are excellent at explaining the menu.

We had drinks each, a starter, and main course which came to £70 for the two of us. And for amazing food and another wonderful night out I don’t think that’s too bad.

Can’t wait to...

It is a fantastic eatery, and discovering it is an experience in itself. From the broth to the noodles to the toppings, it's clear that every aspect of each bowl was handled with the utmost care and love. The service was also personable and friendly - we felt looked after the whole time.

I was particularly impressed by the spicy chilli oil used to flavour the chicken hearts - if you're not squeamish about these things, do give it a try. The yellow wasabi that came with the chicken achilles also packed a proper punch, which in my opinion, is always a very good sign that the place means business (no photo of the chicken here as we were so focused on nomming). Only teeny tiny thing, and this is purely personal preference, is the chashu. Whilst it was certainly cooked beautifully, I still prefer the traditional method / texture that uses rolled up belly pork.

All things said, I can't wait to come back and sample new items on the...