Tonkotsu Birmingham Grand Central — Restaurant in Birmingham

After eating at a Tonkotsu in London recently, I was very excited to eat at this Tonkotsu in Birmingham on Saturday the 17th. Nothing to complain about with regards to the food, at least initially, as it was delicious. In this Tonkotsu, you sit on stools overlooking the restaurant kitchen. Our food was served quickly, and everything was going well until one of the waitresses started to clean the work surfaces in front of where we were eating. She sprayed several discharges of a pink surface cleaner without any consideration for us, or for our food and drink that was situated immediately adjacent to the work surface. It was clear that the surface cleaner dispersed beyond just the work surface and into our vicinity based on the droplets we could see, and I would imagine the smaller droplets travelled further still. My partner and I looked at each other in disbelief, trying to process what had happened. The waitress sprayed again, before I could get the chance to ask her to stop. Without apology she just stopped and moved on.

I suffer from chemical sensitivity, reacting to harsh substances in a variety of different ways depending on the exposure, from coughs to fatigue and fever. I hoped that the spray wouldn’t affect me, and I continued eating. I returned home after the meal with fatigue, went straight to bed, and I’m only just leaving this review now as I have been ill with a fever since then. It is incredibly frustrating that this has happened. Not only am I certain that the use of chemicals caused me to fall ill, but when has it ever been okay to spray chemicals near people? - especially when they are eating. This is true irrespective of my chemical sensitivity. I understand that, due to the seating arrangement, customers will be close to the kitchen (which must be cleaned), but chemicals should only be sprayed when customers aren’t in close proximity. I loved the food, but I won’t be coming back after this experience – I wouldn’t feel safe after falling ill...

I ordered the Geki Kara and evaluated it based on three criteria: broth, noodles, and toppings

The Geki Kara is truly for spice lovers. Since coming to the United Kingdom I have rarely encountered a ramen where the spice level lives up to its promise. At Tonkotsu the Geki Kara exceeds expectations in that regard. The broth is a pork bone broth but it has not been boiled long enough for the pork flavor to fully infuse the soup with a rich impression. However, the scotch bonnet chilli mash makes a significant difference and sets this ramen apart. It is very spicy so caution is advised when ordering. Every sip of the soup adds to the heat in your mouth and body while still preserving the pork bone broth flavor. I rate the broth 8 out of 10

The noodles are thin and slightly overcooked. I prefer them to have a firmer texture and would have liked them to be al dente. I rate the noodles 5 out of 10

The toppings come in a decent portion. There are two slices of roasted pork belly that melt in your mouth with a slight musky flavor that adds interest without overwhelming the dish. The pork belly is fresh and both the meat and fat are tender enough to absorb more flavor when dipped in the broth. The seasoned egg, however, shows a slight flaw as the yolk is more solid than the jammy texture I prefer. I rate the toppings 7 out of 10

Overall, I give the dish a rating of...

DEAD BUG FOUND IN WHITE BROTH. Busy Saturday lunch hours.

Ordered a regular Tonkotsu Ramen, half way through eating my noodles, found a black dead bug swimming in the white chicken broth. At first thought it was a black peppercorn/ a black saseme/a lump of seaweed.

I fished it out with my chopsticks, placed it on the napkin and had a closer look. A-FIRM, it was a DEAD BUG WITH WINGS ATTACHED and it's DEAD BODY CURLED UP.

The napkin was place in front of the service place. I was waiting for a staff come to how me how was the food, so I could show them.

Though nobody came to ask me about my food during my meal, so I didn't say anything. The atmosphere was quite intimate so I didn't feel comfortable to wave the staff forwards to my ramen.

Told the staff when I paid, and he looked it it and say no way I'm sorry. That was it. To be fair he was nice.

I still paid in full plus the 10% automatically added on discretionary...