Bone Daddies Old Street is the fifth offshoot of Australian Owner Ross Shonhan’s growing portfolio of crowd pleasing restaurants. He’s got Bone Daddies all over London now, Flesh & Buns in Covent Garden + Oxford St, Shackfuyu in Soho and Netsu in the UAE. Bone Daddies Old Street opens in June 2016 within the Bower St Development and specialises in, as fans will know ramen. There are monthly specials, ingredients that the seasons bring and it’s another addition to London’s essential ramen restaurants.
We ordered a side of crispy Brussel sprouts £6.50. They were a satisfying plate of deep fried, deeply nutty, squidgy little cabbages melded together with ponzu, pomegranate seeds and orange zest.
The sprouts were followed by KFC, not the dirty chicken place as many will know, but “Korean fried chicken” in wing form. Good KFC is a barrage of things hitting the senses – chuck out the meds and treat your self to some as they are balm for the soul. These had a crisp batter from frying to the point where the chicken within steams, tenderises and the bones impart their immense flavour. They’re then tossed in the sweet, funky, umami stench of gochujung – a Korean fermented chilli paste that can force any jaded palate into submission. You can tear the sesame pelted wings apart to reveal soft flesh that slides off the bone. It’s a classy opener.
The crab tonkotsu I ordered came with a viscous bisque-like broth intense with the sweet funk of shellfish and pork. There’s half a soft-shell crab, crisply coated from frying and a thinly sliced piece of char siu pork that’s fall apart tender to the chopsticks and dissolves on the tongue. All the tension of this protein melts away from slow simmering in liquid filled with aromatics depth. The only tension in the bowl are from the noodles, the right amount that give a good chew and they do a good job absorbing that delicious, umami sodden broth. They’re are beansprouts, thinly sliced spring onion and cabbage for texture and for your 5-a-day.
Verdict:
When did I go? Nov 2018
The damage: Expect to pay £20/25 per head with sides
The good: You can definitely get some thrills at Bone Daddies with not a lot of cash. There are a choice of ramens with pork, chicken or vegetable broth designed not just to slap your noodles awake but your tongue too. My broth had a good lip smack of gelatine from pork bits being simmered for hours giving their all and it was made more substantial with the funk of crab. The sprouts are festive but should be available all year round like those ludicrously compelling KFC wings that come with a combination of salty, sweet, spicy, soft tenderised meat and crispy bits that mustn’t escape fro your hungry mouth.
The bad: Not a lot to grumble about
Rating: 3.5/5
Would I go again? Yes
Address: The Bower, 211 Old St, London EC1V 9NU
Web: https://bonedaddies.com/location/old-street/
Leave a Reply