Tomo No Ramen: ‘Popular pop-up proves well worth the wait’ – restaurant review

It has been no easy feat securing a booking at the hottest new pop-up in Bristol.

Word spread quickly about the collaboration between Tomo No Ramen, the brainchild of home-cook-turned-chef and ramen obsessive James Stuart, and the Cardiff-based Matsudai – and reservations for the Old Market restaurant were snapped up just as fast.

Having finally secured a slot for late Thursday evening, two hungry diners head eagerly towards the twinkling fairy lights in the window of the West Street premises. Inside, the heady aromas wafting from the kitchen feel like a well-deserved reward for the wait for a reservation.

Many people have their heads down over steaming bowls of ramen while, across the long room of the building most recently occupied by West Street Kitchen, one lone diner is being particularly effusive in his praise as he passes empty dishes back to the waiting member of staff.

For those still trying to get a booking at this popular new pop-up, there is good news as it is now due to reopen in January as the permanent home of Tomo No Ramen. One of the wait staff happily passes on this news as she talks through the ultra-modern ordering system accessed by scanning a code on the polished wooden table. A chalkboard behind the bar with drink and dessert options is the only nod to the old-school traditional menu formats.

It has been no mean feat securing a booking at the hottest new pop-up in Bristol

Options on the minimalist menu include Tomo No’s signature dish of rich, dirty shoyu – a golden chicken soup, with ‘dirty’ shoyu tare (soy sauce seasoning), noodles, smoked pork collar chashu, whole ajitama (marinaded boiled eggs), diced shallot, spinach and nori (£13) and Matsudai’s yokohama sunset – a rich pork and chicken soup, with trappings that include garlic and negi schmaltz (chicken fat), thick chewy noodles, pork belly chashu and more (£14).

There are plenty of local brews on the drinks menu, with Wiper & True, Pilton Cider and New Bristol Brewery among the names on the list.

We opt for a half-size bottle of organic sparkling white wine (£16), with two oyster mushroom karaages (£7.50 per portion) and two yasai dirty shoyu ramen (veggie) (£12 per dish), putting through the order on a phone as the server patiently hovers nearby to check it goes through successfully.

With exposed red brick walls, a vast white concrete bar, wooden tables, chairs and benches, a few green plants and the merrily twinkling fairy lights, Tomo No Ramen is minimalist yet cosy.

As some diners head out into the cold, yet more pile in for the last bookings of the night. Our food arrives all at once and is proof that you don’t have to choose between quality and quantity.

There is no having to choose between quality and quantity at Tomo No Ramen

A generous heap of oyster mushrooms in a light, crisp batter is accompanied by an equally generous smear of house Japanese curry mayo and wedge of lemon. Impossible to put down, the hot bite-size morsels paired with the rich curry sauce are an exquisite combination.

The steaming bowl of ramen is the ultimate comfort food on a cold December night. Oodles of noodles soak up the hot earthy broth, which has an impressive depth of flavour and comes topped with a half ajitama egg, golden tofu that is cooked to perfection, a sheet of nori (dried seaweed) and fresh mushrooms and greens.

Stuart, the chef and owner of Tomo No Ramen, is a ramen lover from Bristol who spent months during lockdown creating his own using local ingredients and traditional techniques. The hard work has certainly paid off.

The tarte au citron with yuku packed a sharp punch

Having set our hearts on the chocolate with whiskey and sea salt dessert to finish the meal, we were told it had sold out so opted instead for the tarte au citron with yuku (£5.50) to share. While a less generous portion than its savoury counterparts, the bright yellow tart more than holds its own in terms of flavour, packing a sharp, tangy punch with a consistency that is decadent if perhaps a bit too sticky.

This popular pop-up has proved well worth the wait and is set to be a welcome permanent addition to Old Market.

Tomo No Ramen will reopen as a permanent fixture on West Street in the new year

Tomo No Ramen, 55 West Street, Bristol, BS2 0BZ
www.tomonoramen.co.uk/

All photos by Ellie Pipe

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