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Shobu – Ramen – Nottingham
The flurries of rain and the crisp, cool air have only deepened my craving for a comforting bowl of broth. How lucky that Shobu opened this month. The space used to be home to Tasnack, next to the cat café — a spot that had become a little tired and run down. But the Shobu team has transformed it beautifully. The place now has a clean, modern Japanese vibe that feels warm and inviting. For a small restaurant, the layout is surprisingly versatile, with tables for two, a high counter, a low counter, and cozy booths. The menu is refreshingly simple and thoughtfully designed, focusing mainly on a few variations of Shoyu and Tonkotsu ramen, with a handful of other dishes to round things out.
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I decided to order a side dish to try something extra alongside the main event. Being a big mushroom lover, the teriyaki mixed mushroom skewers immediately caught my eye — I imagined an exciting mix of different varieties glazed in a rich, sticky sauce. What arrived, though, turned out to be one of the biggest restaurant disappointments I’ve had in a long time. Three plain button mushrooms, lightly cooked and finished with a sprinkle of seasoning powder. That was it. Bland and uninspired. Definitely not £6.60 well spent.
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Thankfully, their spicy tonkotsu ramen (£16.60) was a huge step up. The broth had a beautiful depth of flavor — only mildly spicy, but true to how it’s often served in Japan. The egg was an amber jewel, perfectly cooked and full of flavor. The grilled pork had a lovely smoky char, and the noodles were excellent quality with a fantastic texture.
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Surprisingly, the bowls were quite tall and narrow, which made them a bit awkward to eat from and didn’t exactly give the impression of a generous portion. It ended up feeling a little pricey, and since I visited at lunchtime, there wasn’t a set menu or any cheaper option — something that might have made me more inclined to return. The service was a little slow, with a few small missteps, like our soft drinks arriving only after all the food had been served.
That said, I did enjoy Shobu’s traditional aesthetic and approach. The ramen itself was impressive, but it’ll take a bit more to truly challenge Everyday People, which still sits firmly at the top of Nottingham’s ramen scene.
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