Ramen Korner, located on the (you guessed it) corner between the High street and Long Wall street, boasts a striking facade with bold lettering and hanging lanterns, and its manga-inspired aspect immediately catches the eye. When we arrived, the queue forming in the street (they don’t take bookings) seemed a promising testament to its quality; it was bustling with activity, with tables even set up outside the entrance.
The sister restaurant of Ramen Kulture, the ever-busy hole-in-the-wall on St Giles, Ramen Korner is still in its infancy, having only been opened a couple of months ago after much anticipation. Although it’s not a large establishment, they make good use of space, with small tables dotted like islands, and counter-style seats stretched along the length of the large windows. The aesthetic vision was easily discernible, aiming for an urban, street-food feel, with quirky, disparate adornments. But the lack of decorative cohesion, along with the industrial appearance of the ceiling, did make the interior look a little unfinished.
We take our seats by the window, the perfect spot for people-watching while we enjoy our meal. The menu is straightforward, with small plates, donburi, and, of course, ramen.
Unlike the original restaurant, Ramen Korner uses chicken broth as the base for all its non-vegetarian soups, appealing to customers who don’t eat pork products. Yet the paucity of vegetarian dishes, and the singular vegan option, was disappointing.
The Miso Tofu Ramen was topped with beansprouts, shimeji mushrooms, sweetcorn, tenderstem broccoli, and ginger. The fried tofu, although well-cooked, sat rather slab-like on top of the dish, and became somewhat of a chore to get through. The ratio struck me as a little off – the layer of toppings, while visually attractive and aesthetically varied, was barely more than surface level, just covering a fathomless depth of unadorned noodles. As a whole, the dish relied almost entirely on the broth for flavour, which, with a rich umami taste, would have elevated the meal if only there were more of it. It resembled a sauce more than a soup, and I was grateful for the soy sauce and chilli oil provided on the table, without which the keynote of the dish would have been banality. We also ordered the Ma-Po Chicken Donburi, a marked improvement in terms of its level of flavour (although the menu’s spice warning turned out to be unnecessary).The Sichuan sauce was delicious, but, again, formed only a layer covering a disproportionate amount of rather plain rice.
The service was quick and attentive, and the overall dining experience was enjoyable. But our high expectations were deflated: we were left with the regrettable impression that its effective marketing failed to make up for the mediocrity of its quality.
What we ate:
Miso Tofu Ramen (£13.50), Ma-Po Chicken Donburi (£14.90), Iced Green Tea (£3.95)
