Koya City
10-12 Bloomberg Arcade
London
UK
EC4N 8AR
What’s the draw?
Forget Fifty Shades of Grey; Koya City has thirty-six shades of udon to choose from. Located in the futuristic food hub of Bloomberg Arcade, opened a few years ago, Koya specialises in these thick and chewy noodles, and forms part of a three-strong family of Japanese restaurants with siblings based in Soho and Hackney. Expect to chow down on deeply restorative bowls of brothy noodles surrounded by minimalist interiors, with counter tables and wooden stools typical of a Tokyo noodle shop. London loves Koya, and the queues outside the door testify evidence to this.
What to eat?
The menu is impressively adaptable, catering for hangovers, date nights, business lunches and flu-ridden invalids alike. There are four variations of udon noodle dishes to choose from – cold or hot noodles with hot broth or cold udon with cold sauce to either dip or pour. For those who like the mighty and meaty, we recommend the slow-braised beef shin udon, whilst the smoked mackerel udon is excellent for a lighter appetite. There are also various supporting dishes, consisting of mainly fried and pickled bits to compliment a bowl of noodles. We love the crispy prawn heads and miso presa with watercress surinagashi and pickled runner beans.
What to drink?
At Koya there is a hefty selection of sake, alongside several wines, teas and soft drinks like homemade lemonade, hot ginger and cloudy apple juice. We suggest veering towards the Japanese beers – a cold Asashi is the perfect accompaniment to all the fried paraphernalia.
