Noodles, fried chicken and Mr Whippy heading for Church Street
A new Japanese noodle bar is set to open in the Northern Quarter.
Tokyo Ramen has submitted plans for a space at 55 Church Street - in the old Walia newsagent next door to Dr Herman's bong shop.
The couple behind the new venture say the focus will be on Tsukemen (pronounced skew-men - which translates to 'dipping ramen'), Karaage (Japanese fried chicken) and soft serve ice cream from an open plan kitchen with room for 20 walk-in diners - no bookings.
"We will specialise in Tsukemen comprising of our house noodles, a variety of delicious toppings and a thick, rich, dipping soup made with a ten-hour chicken broth," says Danny Collins, who met his partner and co-owner Steph in the kitchens of Harvey Nichols.
"Our Karaage will be the best in the city, that's a promise. We will make everything from scratch on a daily basis and once the broth is gone it's gone - we'll close the shop and concentrate on tomorrow's batch."
The couple say after years of travel they hope to emulate the backstreet ramen bars of Tokyo.
"We've spent a huge amount of time in Tokyo over the past three years, we love the food culture there, and both being from Manchester, also the food culture here," says Collins.
"Whilst we respect the other restaurants serving ramen in the city, we are looking to create a ramen house like the many you'd find tucked down the side streets in Tokyo - tiny and intimate, often seating less than 10 people, where you can watch the chefs carefully craft each dish."
The city centre has a decent Japanese food offering currently by way of Umezushi in Victoria, Yuzu in Chinatown and Shoryu Ramen in Piccadilly Gardens, plus at least three branches of Wagamama, but there’s certainly room for another premium noodle bar - especially one serving Japanese fried chicken.
The proposed operating hours for the restaurant are Monday to Saturday, 8am to midnight, and Sunday 10am to 11pm.
Tokyo Ramen is hoping to open by Spring 2018.
