Koya

Fun and casual Japanese food

Koya shouldn't be a stranger for anyone who lives in London, one of the most popular Japanese restaurants in Soho, a favourite place to go for chefs as well as the locals thanks to its silky udon noodles and well executed small plates. It is common to see a long queue outside Koya thanks to its no booking policy so if possible, best to go at a less busy time like on a Sunday evening. The decor is simple with wooden tables and chairs, we waited about fifteen minutes before getting in which was pretty fortunate considering I heard sometimes you need to wait up to an hour. 

Koya

For starters we ordered a sea bream tempura and a special off the board: Grilled wild boar with miso dressing. The sea bream tempura was of high quality, nicely deep fried and the sea bream still has a lovely softness, not overly dry. It went perfectly with the Japanese soya sauce and the sesame dressing. The grilled boar was heavenly, cooked medium, tender and moist with a lovely texture. Great seasoning along with the miso dressing and grilled shallot, one of the best Japanese dishes I've had this year.

sea bream tempura

grilled wild boar

For main I had a hot udon in hot broth with smoked mackerel and green leaves. As expected the udon was silky and well balanced in texture and softness with a lightly salted hot broth, the mackerel added a great contrast to the udon which worked really well together. 

hot udon with smoked mackerel

hot udon with chicken

I enjoyed the food at Koya a lot, it was simple but well delivered in taste, also service was of good standard, knowledgeable in the food offered with great suggestions, which is not that common in an Asian restaurant in London! I would need to return in the near future to try more of their daily specials as the boar dish I had was truly outstanding. They've just opened another restaurant call "Koya Bar" and it would be interesting to see the difference between the two.

Food 6
Service 5
Ambience 5
Value 6

£23 per head

49 Frith St, London, Greater London W1D 4SG

http://www.koya.co.uk/