As we cross our fingers in hope of some cloud-cover respite from a never-ending run of ‘Hottest Day in History’ news stories, Bone Daddies takes our minds off the continuing heatwave by rolling out their newly pimped-up Breakfast Ramen, with a couple of other new breakfast dishes on offer. And the best thing is that it will be available all day, writes Michael Holland.
Bone Daddies have outlets all over London, but me and The Boy went to the Bermondsey branch – of course – where we were greeted by Assistant Manager Pablo, who immediately brought iced water and aimed a large fan our way. Nice.
We were there to try all the new dishes, but we just didn’t know what order to have them in, so left that up to Pablo.
The Japanese Fried Oyster Mushroom Bun came first and was an epic opener. The bao bun, soft and squidgy; the mushroom, crisp and crunchy. And meaty! I had only glanced at the menu ingredients and remembered something about a Cumberland Sausage, so thought that is what was in there. You should have seen the look on my face when I was told it was mushroom! How do they do that?
And, if you’re a wimp, watch out for the red chilli in those beauties. Plus, the sauce inside was everywhere after two bites, which is where the Bone Daddies bib, wet wipes, and paper tissues came in handy. Very handy.
Next were the Buldak Tater Tots. A magnificent bowl of beige balls illuminated by red chilli and green spring onion. They had a satisfying crunch to enjoy before you got through to the tater inside.
Those two dishes were quite filling. We needed some time and space before the ramen. Pablo brought fizzy drinks and more ice, while we discussed holiday plans.
Eventually, two steaming bowls of Breakfast Ramen were set before us. Huge bowls! Inside was: Bloody Mary tomato, hash browns, spring onion, beansprouts, noodles, a boiled egg, and the Cumberland Sausage I knew I’d seen somewhere. But minced and not as we know a sausage. And all doused in HP Tonkatsu sauce, that needs to be stirred in. I would never choose brown sauce and a boiled egg in my noodle soup, but I’m also never one to say no to trying something new – Saying yes is good. And this works. Spectacularly so. Now I understand why this is available all day.
We really did need some time before the final course – Kinako French Toast with Matcha soft serve. But after a decent gap, Pablo was heading our way with an artistic creation in his hands. It looked good even before it reached the table. This had to be a sharer, so two spoons came with it. The soft serve was as close to ice cream as you can get, and the French Toast remains a delightful mystery that I don’t want to solve. There could have been chocolate in there, I’d say there was definitely custard, bread, of course, and a liberal sprinkling of magic. I really don’t need to know the ingredients when something tastes as good as that.
I couldn’t eat anything but fruit for the rest of the day, after that breakfast, or think of anything else but those mushroom bao buns. Hhmmmmm.
The Breakfast Ramen is a winner in my eyes, and is available in all the Bone Daddies from 10am until the kitchens close.
27, Old Jamaica Business Estate. 24, Old Jamaica Road, SE16 4AW.
