I haven't blogged about a restaurant in a month! Sadly I just didn't have the time to fill my stomach, today was definitely a ceremonious day, my return to restaurant hunting. Before my hiatus I had a few restaurants I really wanted to try one of which was Koya on Frith Street. Knowing it was going to be busy we arrived just after 6, even at that time it was nearly full. After spending quite some time looking through the menu, well actually my friend took quite some time not me, I chose the Buta Miso (pork and miso udon). Having read reviews I did want to try the tempura but I stuck with the udon I know and love rather than cold udon + hot broth. I realised the only thing different was that it was served quicker and on a different plate, obviously it was for those that wanted the udon to be extra chewy. We also shared the Kakuni (braised belly pork with cider).
The Kakuni was very tasty, I loved the sauce and the caramelised onions fitted perfectly with the overall taste. The belly pork was a little chewy though but the good thing was that the fat was separate from the meat so you could chose to be healthy or to pig out (we all chose to be healthy!) The portion was also very decent even for three to share.
The Buta Udon was lovely, but I did regret not choosing the Ten Hiya Atsu. The udon had a great texture; very large and chewy but also slid right in your mouth. I loved the soup but I wouldn't know how to separate a good soup with a great one however I did wish there was more pork. I think what makes Koya stand out is definitely the "bouncy" udon, I can't think of the right word in English because it's a rarely used description in British dining but commonly used in Chinese. I'm not well versed in differentiating whether a soup has been made for 20 hours or 20 minutes so I can't really judge on that.
My bill came to around £13, the total was about £40 for 3 so it's a reasonable price. I would definitely come here again. Next time I'll try the tempura.
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