Panton Yokocho

Before heading to the Harold Pinter for a night at the theatre, we made a pre-show dinner stop at Yokocho, a ramen bar nearby the theatre. The venue is a food hall style - and as it fills with people the chatter and laughter and anime artwork on the walls helped to make it an energised and optimistic space for a drink and meal before the play. According to the menu blurb the restaurant celebrates regional ramen styles from across Japan, there’s a map on the menu that explains this if you’re interested in getting a basic idea of it. To start, we shared Chicken Karaage and Prawn Tempura Buns. The buns weren’t as light and fluffy as I would have liked, but on the whole they were fine. We got a Siu Loong Bao and Cheese Tsukune skewers - the skewers were a surprising winner for me, I liked the flavours and textures and they were easy to share. We ordered a mix of things, reminding ourselves as we ordered that if we couldn’t finish it, we could doggy bag it if we needed to, but surprisingly we ate it all. For drinks, I started with the Sake Flight, just so I could say I’d done it. It included the Nihon Sakari No.14, Gekkeikan Tarusake, and a cloudy Nigori. My daughter got a Yopparai Melon Cream Soda float with Midori liqueur and cherry garnish, the ice cream sat on top of the ice and it didn’t look like it quite worked as a float, but she liked the flavours. After my Sake Flight, I moved on to a Japanese Ice Beer and Asahi Draft as the meal progressed. As mains we shared the Yokocho Ramen came with a rich soy-based chicken and pork broth, tender pork belly, and the traditional fixings. If I was coming again for only one thing, I think I might just grab one of these. The meat was tender, the broth had depth and breadth in flavour and on the whole it was hearty and enjoyable. The Wagyu Beef Udon was good, the broth and noodles were okay, but the beef was better than I was expecting and lifted the whole dish. We also got a Char Siu Mini Don, which I also really liked, and would get again. It was good and if you’re not super hungry and want one thing, I can recommend one of these. Despite it being busy, the service was friendly and fast, the food arrived hot, and the whole experience was good. There was a security guard standing near the entrance, and the menu has a large warning about pickpockets. Being from Australia this was a bit of a surprise, but given the busy, open-plan layout - and the opportunistic nature of the crime, those inspired by nearby production of Oliver! might just have to “pick a pocket or two.” Yokocho is worth a visit: it wasn’t super expensive, was fun, flavourful, and a nice way to relax and chat before the show.