Introduced yesterday, news that the divisive jiro ramen has arrived at Oxford’s Shoryu had us booked in at the first sitting. Said to set husband against wife in terms of its divisiveness (like Marmite you’re in or you’re out), and inspiring fierce devotion, it was a dish that had to be experienced.
First created in Tokyo in the 1960s, jiro ramen is more than just a noodle dish, more a cultural phenomenon famous for its enormous portions, complicated ordering system, queues and rude servers achieving cult status, first in Japan and now worldwide.
don’t hang around because the jiro ramen is only available until November 9
in Oxford you’ll be pleased to hear there is none of the above. There is however a speed-eating competition in place from 2pm-5pm where you need to finish every last drop within 5 minutes to qualify for merchandise and a place on the UK leader board. The monthly leaderboard champ then gets a year’s supply of Shoryu ramen.
But judging by the enormous portions we experienced, you’ll need to be Herculean to achieve it, especially when using the chopsticks and large ladle utensils.
What can you expect for the hype? A brimming bowl of delicious hot pork stock, piled high with futomen noodles, fresh, crunchy bean sprouts, and tonnes of garlic. And boy that punch of garlic hits you hard, we understand now why it’s been described in Japan as “the face punch of the ramen world.”
It’s been a while since we’d visited Shoryu in Oxford’s Westgate which opened there in 2017, novel at the time with its love of ramen, but with Japanese restaurants flooding the market, now is the time to bring something new, literally, to the table.
Obviously being in The Westgate, Shoryu is well versed in providing an endlessly shifting clientele with a quick lunch or a great meet point and a way to finish off a good day’s shopping in style.
So while it has an authentic Japanese vibe, a refined bar for the evenings, an open plan kitchen, it’s also a space for a quick turnaround, which works judging by the people queueing for tables yesterday on a Monday lunchtime.
While gearing up for the jiro ramen we kicked off some Pumpkin Korokke (£6.95) a pumpkin croquette, lettuce, cucumber, spicy sauce and japanese mayo in a bao bun. Then the prawn tempura with grated daikon, ginger and a tempura dipping sauce (£11.50), some of the apparently addictive Yamitsuki Cabbage (£3.90) tossed in a soy umami dressing, plus some Goma Kyuri Cucumber (£5.50) sliced and served with shichimi togarashi chilli, sesame and sea salt, to whet the appetite.
The pumpkin was crunchy and soft in the middle, the bun springy, the sauce oozing out, napkins are a must. The prawns were generous, light and crispy, the sauce both sweet and sour. The cabbage’s dressing was what made it, and yes it is strangely hard to leave alone, while the cucumbers were almost bare, enlivened by the sprinkled flavouring.
Tables clear, we waited for the main event, the jiro ramen (£23), SEE MAIN PIC not knowing what to expect. Arriving steaming in a large bowl, its immediate attraction were the huge succulent slices of thick pork belly, shared amidst a mountain of beansprouts and cabbage which then sit atop the mound of futomen noodles surrounded by the rich and fatty soy-sauce-flavoured broth.
Did we attempt the speed-eating challenge? No way. We wanted to savour each mouthful, and it was like The Magic Porridge Pot because as much as you ate the ramen never seemed to reduce.
The same could be said for the spicy white natural ramen (£15.90) rich with atsuage tofu, kikurage, menma, spring onion, tenderstem broccoli, nori and tonyu miso broth with added spice for extra kick, a much cleaner, more refined dish.
After half an hour we opted for takeaway cartons rather than spontaneously combusting, and when the dessert menus were wafted in front of us we could only feebly opt for the the Little Moons mochi ice cream, sporting of us we know.
The jellylike sweet coating, housing the ice cream within, came in vanilla or mango and we tried both (3 cost £9.50) and they were the perfect antidote.
Dining again in splendour that night on our leftovers, for £23 the jiro ramen is good value for money. But who knows – enter the competition and you might be able to eat as much ramen as you want for free. So don’t hang around because jiro ramen is only available until November 9.
Shoryu Oxford, 134, The Westgate, https://www.shoryuramen.com/stores/82-oxford
