Thanks to a little show called Chef’s Table, Ivan Ramen has become one of the most famous ramen restaurants in the world
If you’ve seen his episode, you’ll know Ivan Orkin’s story, If not, here’s a potted history. He lived in Japan after graduating from college, before returning to the US to attend culinary school in the nineties. He then returned to Tokyo and opened a ramen restaurant in 2007, which soon became one of the best in the city, a massive accomplishment for a foreigner. Ramen joints in NYC soon followed (his Tokyo ones have since closed) and following a sell-out London pop-up in 2023, he recently opened a permanent restaurant in the capital.
It’s a relaxed and casual space, with a long open kitchen running down the spine of the L-shaped room, with a small bar and a handful of tables at the bottom. There’s not much too it, save for a few photographs depicting Ivan’s story and some manga artwork – all the effort has been poured into the food.
Eat This
It’s a tight menu of small plates and ramen bowls and it really is all killer, no filler. Ivan’s karaage is rightly getting all the plaudits – the batter has a nice kick of spice, it’s super crunchy, properly coats the chicken so you get a crisp exterior and juicy meat inside, and there’s real citrus hit in the yuzu kosho mayo. It’s certainly a contender for the best karaage in town. But don’t sleep on the pickles; the soy, ginger, sesame, chilli and vinegar marinade is really punchy and will have you diving back in until it’s all gone.
In a nod to London, Ivan has put a salt beef bun on the menu. With dill pickles and a potent mustard mayo it hits all the notes you’d expect to find in a good salt beef bagel but it’s no improvement on what you’d find on Brick Lane.
As you’d hope for a restaurant and a chef with such a stellar reputation, the ramen absolutely delivers; deep, rich broths and bouncy noodles that retain their texture. The tori paitan is a celebration of chicken with a creamy chicken broth (plus an egg yolk to mix in for more body), minced chicken and crispy togarashi chicken for extra crunch. On a cold January evening, the spicy miso red chilli ramen was a real winner; dashi and chicken broth is layered with chillies, miso, savoury pork, togarashi and pickled garlic to create a hot and complex bowl.
The singular dessert, yuzu cheesecake, wasn’t available on our visit – it’s unclear whether it was just for the night or it’s going for good – so if you’re partial to a pud, you might need a plan B in your back pocket.
Drink This
Like the food, the drinks offering is concise – a couple of beers, a couple of wines, a couple of sakes and a handful of softies. We’ve got a real soft spot for an Arnold Palmer, and the Ivan Palmer (half yuzu lemonade, half iced barley tea) hits the spot.
Why Go
If you have more than a passing interest in ramen, you’ll have heard Ivan Orkin’s name before and his food lives up to the hype. It’s a touch more expensive than other ramen in the city but it’s worth the extra few quid and we’re already plotting a return to try the tonkotsu.
Key Information
Address | 98 Farringdon Rd, London EC1R 3EA
For more information | ivanramen.co.uk
