Bone Daddies Ramen, Old Street Review
Located off the main roundabout at Old Street in the new The Bower development, Bone Daddies, which is not an American restaurant despite the odd name, offers a selection of tasty Japanese-inspired foods at reasonable prices. Bone Daddies is set in an extremely modern part of Old Street that has only been established in the past few years with wide open windows allowing in plenty of light into the restaurant. There is some outdoor seating which currently is useful for groups of 6+ people, however this being Britain and despite being the day of the Summer Equinox, was extremely grey, rainy and gloomy.
Bone Daddies is part of a small London-chain of Japanese restaurants which includes branches in nine locations as well as Shackfuyu and Flesh & Buns in Soho. All specialise in Japanese cuisine but with different focusses - Bone Daddies doubles down on tasty ramen dishes. Walking in you'll notice the ambience is attempting to emulate that of downtown Tokyo with the pseudo-neon signs and illuminated lanterns creating a cosy atmosphere. Tables are flanked with little Japanese food cans holding chopsticks and spoons whilst the windows are lined with empty Sake bottles. This is then juxtaposed by rock and roll music playing throughout the restaurant - an odd combination but one that kinda works, so much so they call themselves "rock 'n' roll ramen in London". Personally, I would prefer to have music that is more aligned with the Japanese culture but it does not detract from the good quality food on offer.
The menu focusses on its famous dishes, ramen, that are split into pork bone, chicken bone and plant based broths which give slightly different flavours - making it suitable for anybody who is visiting the restaurants. Alongside this, they offer sides including:
- steamed bao buns - a Chinese steamed dough filled with different options including crispy duck
- poke - a Hawaiian dish inspired by Japanese raw fish dishes served with sushi rice and raw vegetables
- snacks including edamame, kimchi and more
Drinks include the usual selection of soft drinks, beers (including UK-brewed Asahi), cocktails as well as Sake rice wine.
Since I was joined by a group of friends, who introduced me to this restaurant, we settled on the Bao Buns for starter - this is great since two or three buns for a starter are just wayyyyy too much. Bone Daddies only offer a deal on two buns for GBP 9 or three for GBP 12 - so sharing is definitely caring in this situation! Although not noted on the menu, you can select different bao buns for each of your two or three buns if you want extra choices. If you have read my review of Hutong at The Shard you will know I love Peking-style duck - although not to the same level or style, the Crispy Duck within the bao bun was delightful and screamed umami (external link - Vox).
I am not a ramen fanatic so I did need some help from the waiter on what is the best dish to go for - he recommended the Pork Pork Chilli for those who are a fan of spice or the Tonkotsu (The Original). Naturally, loving a little extra heat I opted for the former and added in extra toppings of fresh tofu and fried chicken. Bone Daddies quickly served up the ramen dishes to everybody on the table, alongside SeaWorld splash zone-esque plastic bibs to protect your shirt from the tasty ramen soup. Pork Pork Chilli had a rich flavour that was pleasant to the taste but it was only spicy once I actually added on the optional chilli paste and oil on the table - this really dialled the heat to 100 and made it even more beautiful. Almost entirely, it is the flavour of the broth with the chilli that makes ramen tasty - the rest of the dish is just supplementary and will not be good if a restaurant can't get the base of the dish perfect. The noodles were well produced and closer to vermicelli noodles than regular egg noodles - although I would not say these were the best noodles I have eaten. I was glad I opted to add both tofu and a couple of pieces of fried chicken to the ramen since Bone Daddies were lean on the pork included with the dish. Although the pork was tasty and well cooked, there just wasn't enough - so I recommend those who are visiting to add extra pork or additional toppings to the dish.
The meal was then topped off by Sake, specifically Bone Daddies Ho-Ne produced in Aichi, which my friends drunk and said it was nice but relatively weak to other rice wine they had tried. It was presented uniquely in a wooden box filled with ice to keep the Sake cold.
I wouldn't usually comment on toilets in restaurants, unless they're super fancy, but what is it with London restaurants having highly sexualised anime wallpapers in the bathrooms? This must be the fourth restaurant in London I've seen wallpapers like this in toilets!
Is Bone Daddies somewhere I would take special guests to who are visiting London? No. Their restaurants are not the fanciest but they are a few notches better than other casual dining establishments like Wagamama, which can be found in almost every large city and town in the UK. You will not be disappointed to come out and visit Bone Daddies for a casual, hearty Japanese meal to catch up with friends at a reasonable cost - and if you want to wear a super-trendy plastic bib!
Bone Daddies can be found at The Bower, a few minutes from Old Street Underground Station. Reservations are not possible.