Chinatown and it’s surrounding areas are full of cheap, plastic chinese restaurants. Bright lights and 70s decor welcome the tourists, but recently another breed of restaurants has opened shop offering simple, authentic food at affordable prices.

Tonkotsu has been around for a while now and is a firm blogger favourite. They serve ramen – big steaming bowls of it. The menu is wonderfully simple – one of three kinds with a few sides and extras (get the pork gyoza as a starter). They also serve an excellent selection of local beers, Kernel and Camden breweries being well represented. The staff are friendly and the ‘no booking’ policy seems to work great, turning up on a Thursday evening we were seated immediately.

So how does it taste? In a word – stunning. The pork stock is rich and savoury, the noodles are to die for. Just the right level of al dente and dripping with sauce. The pork is tender and sweet, the vegetables perfectly cooked and the egg delicious (order extra). Great value for money.