Kanada-Ya 金田家 — Restaurant in London

I have loved and been a regular customer of Kanada-Ya since it opened in London but after a few months away I'm sorry to say it's losing its edge. First has been the gradual disappearance of the free condiments. The excellent pickled mustard leaves were the first to go and I can understand that because people like me were eating so many of them (hint - I would happily pay for a portion). Now it seems the pickled ginger and sesame seeds have vanished as well. I can't believe these were being consumed in the same quantity as the mustard leaves and they added a nice touch of astringency and nuttiness to a bowl. Small irritations I know but on my most recent visit on Sunday more serious issues brought me to write this review. The Tonkotsu broth did not have the same depth of flavour as usual nor the freshness that balances the richness of the fatty stock. Gyoza were flavour-free and flaccid. The dredge for the Kara-age has changed - much more like western fried chicken; bready, crumbly and not as good. And whereas before the chicken thigh had a good chew suggesting a bird that had done a bit of work in its short life, these were fattier and softer indicating to me that they've gone for a more intensively farmed bird - again not good. The service at the Panton St. branch was friendly but our ramen came out first and we were half way through our bowls before the starters arrived. We also weren't asked how we wanted our noodles cooked (though the texture was fine in the end). I'm worried that with the expansion of the chain standards have dropped. So if anyone from Kanada-Ya is reading please address these problems, you were so good but now I fear I may have to find another place to get...

I lived in Japan for several years and had a lot of delicious ramen when I was there. The ramen at Kanada-Ya is definitely comparable. I first visited on the recommendation of a Japanese friend and I am now a regular customer.

My personal favourites out of the ramen are the Tonkotsu X and the Gekikara. Both have delicious broth and taste very authentic. The Gekikara is very spicy and so I would recommend having the Spicy Yuzu or Tonkotsu X if you do not like your ramen very hot. I also recommend having the Hanjuku egg as an extra.

The small plates are very good, especially the Karaage and Pork Gyoza and I can never resist having a dessert and especially recommend the Mille Crêpe and Melting Matcha Fondant.

Despite being very busy each time I have visited, the service is also very good with the staff being attentive and helpful without being intrusive. I was particularly impressed that the first time I visited, they found me a table which accomodated my needs.

Personally, I really like the atmosphere, as it is very much like a ramen restaurant in Japan with no frills and minimal furnishing. However, it is something to bear in mind if you prefer something more sophisticated and/or for a leisurely meal.

I have tried other ramen restaurants in London and there are plenty of good choices, but Kanada-Ya remains my favourite in terms of taste...

1+ Hour-long queue for a average bowl of ramen.

TLDR: You'll get seated more quickly in pairs than in larger groups. Avoid peak hour food times.

Arrived at the store (just after 6 pm on a Thursday evening) with a modest size for the queue and expected to wait around 30-35 minutes for a group of 4. Didn't have issues with the queue itself, but we when we got to the front of the queue (about 30 minutes later), we were there for another good 30 minutes watching at least 3 pairs of couples who were behind us overtake us in quite a quick succession. There was a bar table at the front of the shop, one pair left first with another pair finishing (they've paid already, but drinking their tea and chatting away), and we thought our group of 4 would be sat there next. Nope, the pair behind us sat down, and when the other pair finished drinking their tea at the bar table just less than 5 minutes later, the other pair behind us then sat down. We couldn't believe it and were really annoyed because the wait for the next table of 4 was 30 minutes later. It's like the staff don't keep track of how long customers have been waiting outside. There weren't any stools to sit on whilst waiting.

Regardless, when our ramen arrived, it was nice but average-nice. We enjoyed our meal, but I think we'll try another ramen...