Tonkotsu to open Shoreditch restaurant in October

Ramen restaurant chain Tonkotsu is to open its 11th London restaurant with the launch of a new Shoreditch site at the end of October.

The restaurant will be the 12th overall for Tonkotsu, including its site at Selfridges in Birmingham. The group was founded in Soho in 2012 by Ken Yamada and Emma Reynolds.

Tonkotsu Shoreditch will occupy a space in a new building on New Inn Yard near Shoreditch High Street. Designed with Moreno Massey Architecture, it will feature a huge light installation made from 1,600 recycled bamboo Tonkotsu chopsticks.

As with all other Tonkotsu restaurants, ramen will be at the heart of the menu in Shoreditch, with three different types of fresh noodles on offer, made in-house daily using mid-century machines imported from Tokyo. Stocks for the dish are also made fresh each day.

The menu at Shoreditch will feature the signature Tonkotsu ramen - a pork and lardo broth with thin-cut noodles, and topped with roast pork belly, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, spring onions, burnt garlic oil and a seasoned egg. Tonkotsu's kara-age fried chicken will also be available, along with sides such as the new squid and prawn popcorn, and the padron pepper and okura tempura with matcha salt.

A short drinks menu includes a sake made specially for the restaurant by the Tsuji Brewery in Okayama, Japan, and a custom Shimoda Session Pale Ale made by Magic Rock Brewing. It will also offer Japanese whiskey, beers, wines, and cocktails, as well as a range of low alcohol options, soft drinks, and teas.