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Is there anything better than autumnal noodles? Cool crisp evenings juxtaposed with the comfort and warmth of ramen. Perfection.

And so I found myself with my friend Melissa gorging on ramen at Shoryu a few weeks ago back at the scene of my very first blog!

I arrived early and despite signs saying they would only seat complete parties, I was able to grab a table at the counter (my favourite noodle eating position) and order a cocktail (my favourite preprandial activity).

A Koyo was described as an ‘elegant blend of roku gin, apricot brandy and sake’. I think the apricot made it a bit too sweet for me, and perhaps I’d have prefered something a bit sharper. Melissa arrived and grabbed an umeshu sour, which tried and she definitely made a better choice.

Not wanting to make the same misordering mistake with food I examined the seasonal specials. None of them took my fancy though, so instead opted for the Chicken Katsu Curry Ramen, oh and two steamed buns becuase what is life without a starter?

This feels a little bit like blasphemy. To me, ramen is simple whereas curry is such a complex blend of flavours. Both are delicious but in purist terms, something about mixing the two felt wrong.

However, the noodles were delicious; the rich spiciness (warmth rather than heat) making them even more perfect for a cold night.  The toppings were more limited than in the tonkotsu options, but there was a swirly fishcake. I’m not entirely sure what they are (and about 99% sure I don’t want to know) but they definitely make a bowl more instagrammable. Oh, and I fully don’t remember that prawn being there?!

Is Shoryu my favourite place: no. It feels a bit like ramen by numbers. I’d like it to be grittier, edgier or adventurous.

However, is Shoryu a dependable option, somewhere you could take a first date or your mother? Absolutely. If you’re desperate for ramen, which I often am, you can make worse choices.