One of the struggle meals you might reach to when you’re looking for something quick and easy is instant ramen. Invented by Momofuku Ando of Nissin, they were launched in Japan in 1958, before becoming popular in the states in the 60s. Slightly more exciting than the quintessential student staple of pesto pasta, the only problem is they don’t tend to have much nutritional value.
However, ramen at Shoryu satisfies that need for convenience whilst also giving you an affordable, nourishing lunch with their new £10 lunch deal.
Welcomed in by the traditional Japanese greeting, “Irasshaimase”, it’s easy to forget the restaurant is in Piccadilly Gardens once you’re inside. Floor-to-ceiling windows flood the space with natural light, just maybe face away from the window if you don’t want to see a building site. The restaurant’s interior has an authentic Japanese vibe too – high communal tables, beautiful Japanese tableware on display, and a kitchen so open that the pass separating it from the seating might as well not be there. Much has remained the same since we last popped by in 2020.
They’ve actually been at this spot for just under ten years, when it opened it was their first site outside of London.
Only announced in the last month, Monday to Friday, all day, students can enjoy a bowl of ramen and edamame for £10, not just in Manchester but Oxford and London too.
Initially you might feel a bit hard done by with the offer as the choice of ramen is limited to just two of their 14 options of tonkotsu ramen. All their ramen broths start in the traditional way: for meat eaters, a rich 12-hour pork bone broth paired with a soy-based stock, served with hosomen noodles — very thin, straight wheat noodles designed to soak up all that broth.
You get the choice between either their Ganso Tonkotsu Ramen (their signature offering, with pork belly, a gooey egg, and a bit of veg) or for my veggie or vegan pals, the vegan white natural (a tonyu miso broth with tofu and plenty of greens). Both normally would set you back £14.90, making it a lot more generous than the typical 10 or 20% student discount.
It’s always promising when the portion size looks like it’s going to be a bit of a challenge. The broth for the Ganso Tonkotsu was rich and full of flavour, but not so much that it dominated the dish, so the smoky pork and sharp ginger still came through. The egg was a particular highlight — slightly jammy and the ideal sponge for those flavours from the broth too.
For the White Natural, it was a certain change from what can be a stereotypical bland offering for the vegetarian. Often vegetarian ramen is a simple miso broth, still nice but a bit tiresome. I should have left my preconceptions at the door because this was a welcome surprise — a tonyu soy milk, miso, konbu and shiitake mushroom broth. The atsuage tofu was a great protein and held its structure well despite soaking up a huge amount of liquid. The tenderstem broccoli was a nice texture contrast, although I would have loved a little more.
The absence of a bit of spice left us both feeling like something was missing, but the chilli oil on the table was very welcome. And you can’t exactly go wrong with that classic starter of edamame.
It was the perfect amount of food for a lunchtime, not like a meal deal which can often leaving you wanting a bit more, or more conventional ‘fast’ food, the result of which can be a carb crash at 3pm.
Is taking the trip to Piccadilly Gardens as opposed to Chinatown for your next bowl of ramen worth it? For the student deal, I think so.
