Review
Kinoya | Daikan | Konjiki Hototogisu
I enjoy a good Ramen just as much as the next person, and I love all three of these establishments for very different reasons.
If you are looking for ambience, and a licensed establishment, go to KINOYA. I recommend sitting at the Ramen Bar. So close to the chefs there’s a good chance you can get your eyebrows singed if you lean a little too far over the bar. I don’t think you can wrong with any of the ramen bowls on the menu. We ordered the Shiyo Ramen and the Miso Ramen. Rich, flavoursome broth and beautifully tender chicken, a hug in a bowl.
Kinoya has great atmosphere, friendly staff, and the eggs… oh the eggs… jammy, sweet, salty, umami eggs that are truly to die for. (The eggs are called ajitsuke tamago or ajitama. Aji means taste, and tama means ball/egg, so literally translates to taste-ball). In case you want to impress your date, or the people sitting nearby you, since everyone on the Ramen Bar are seated quite close together and are very much in earshot of all conversation.
The miso eggplant, with self-sprinkled white sesame seeds and bonito flakes, is also a must order.
Awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2023 and currently rated number seven in Middle East & Africa 50 Best Restaurants 2023, and now also open in Harrods!
Where DAIKAN RAMEN perhaps lacks in ambience (situated in Nakheel Mall, Palm Jumeirah) it makes up in big bold flavours. I order the chef’s special, because it is always consistent, and absolutely always hits the spot if you are starving, or perhaps had a late one the previous night. A warm, spicy and comforting flavour bomb. Broth is punchy, eggs are good but what I enjoy the most is the addition of Menma (bamboo shoots). I politely refused the offer of a bib to avoid spillage. Possible trauma response from having kids, but I will take my chances without one… Daikan Izakaya has recently opened in the licensed C2 district of City Walk.
KONJIKI HOTOTOGISU – also located in a mall (Mall of the Emirates), and also lacking in a bit of atmosphere. That’s about the only downer though. Try their signature Shouyu Soba, which is made from two types of soup stock: wa-dashi and hamaguri clam dashi, and topped with truffle sauce and porcini oil. Our lovely waiter explained to add the toppings at different sides of the bowl, to experience different flavours during the course. Hubby and I jumped straight in and couldn’t taste any truffle. Momentarily thinking we might have COVID, the waiter came rushing over and had forgotten the toppings on the pass. Honest mistake, felt more relief than anything else.
A spectacular ramen, with a broth that has astonishing depth of flavour, so delicate yet so complex and developed. An absolute must try.
Bib offering was also politely declined here.
Under the helm of chef Atsushi Yamamoto, Konjiki Hototogisu has won the Tokyo Michelin Bib Gourmand title for four consecutive years. In 2019, it became the third ramen restaurant in the world to be awarded one Michelin star.
You can’t go wrong with any of them in my opinion, but if I were to choose, I would lean more towards Kinoya.