Ramo Ramen Soho, a one-of-a-kind dining experience in the heart of London, is the brainchild of Omar Shah and Florence Mae Maglanoc. Along with chef Budgie Montoya of Sarap and the excellent supperclub LUTO, the dynamic duo are helping change perceptions of Filipino food in the city by introducing a unique fusion of Filipino and Japanese flavours through their innovative ramen dishes.

A standout here is the Chicken Sopas – a traditional Filipino breakfast dish whose broth incorporates both dairy and chicken fat is given the ramen treatment to magnificent effect, its base intensely savoury and rich, its pulled chicken tender and giving. Crispy chicken skin and jammy eggs top it all off because, well, why not?

We’re arguably even more enamoured by the heady and intoxicating Sinigang Ramen here, its rust-coloured, properly pert tamarind base given extra heft via roasted tomatoes. The whole grilled king prawns almost feel like window dressing before you squeeze their head juices into the broth and stir. Then you know…

Alongside their ramen, they also do rice bowls. We’re huge fans of their Wagyu Bistek Donburi, which features melt-in-your-mouth wagyu atop rice with toyomansi onions and a raw egg – it’s next level good. Katsu curry lovers will adore the Fried Chicken Katsu Donburi, too – it’s a symphony of textures and spice, packing a real flavour punch that will have you coming back for more.

With its innovative menu, stylish ambiance, and central location, Ramo Ramen Soho has quickly become one of the most interesting restaurants in Central London, and a fine purveyor of ramen to boot. What more could you want than that?

Website: ramoramen.com

Address: 28 Brewer St, London W1F 0SR, United Kingdom

Berenjak, Soho’s first Iranian-inspired restaurant, is the work of the increasingly ubiquitous JKS Restaurants, with skilled chef Kian Samyani, formerly of Gymkhana and Brigadiers, at the helm.

Inspired by Tehran’s hole-in-the-wall kabab houses (which may or may not actually be a thing) the menu features succulent charcoal grilled kababs and khoresht stews, as well as superb mazeh-style small plates, and, perhaps most famously, an incredible baklava ice cream sandwich.

Though the kebabs – complete with freshly grilled bread and peaks of saffron-hued rice – are no doubt the headlining act, it’s the small plates that steal the show. The black pea hummus is especially good. Ultra smooth and with a particularly pungent tahini-sumac one-two punch, it almost tastes like chicken liver parfait.

If you don’t necessarily want that effect from your vegetarian mazeh, then steer towards the equally luxurious tasting mirza ghasemi, which sees blackened aubergine’s flesh scooped out spun through with a mixture of garlic, tomato and softly scrambled eggs. It’s wonderful.

Yep, Berenjak certainly isn’t a carnivore-exclusive affair. The name itself is inspired by the brightly coloured, toasted rice snacks enjoyed at Persian funfairs, setting the tone for a playful, nostalgic dining experience, as well as the dining room itself; all beautifully intricate Iranian tiles and rich leather banquette seating. Indeed, whilst the spitting, dripping kebabs gently turning over coals certainly catch the eye, the restaurant is much lighter on its feet than just, well, meat.

What truly sets Berenjak apart, however, is the sense of family, community and conviviality that permeates the entire dining experience. Samyani’s long-standing relationships with his team members, some of whom he has known for over a decade, ensure that the restaurant operates with a genuine warmth. And that’s not just coming from the charcoal grill!

Website: berenjaklondon.com

Address: 27 Romilly St, London W1D 5AL, United Kingdom

Temper Soho is a one-of-a-kind barbecue restaurant nestled beneath Broadwick Street in a vast basement space, its grungy, below street-level surrounds feeling synergistic with the live fire cooking and nose-to-tail ethos of the restaurant and its founder, Neil Rankin.

Rankin has an interesting background in the culinary world. A physics graduate and former sandwich entrepreneur, Rankin began his cooking career later in life, retraining at Gordon Ramsey’s Tante Marie culinary academy and earning his stripes at Chez Bruce in Wandsworth. However, it was during his time at Jamie Oliver’s Barbecoa where Rankin developed a love for cooking with fire and embraced the art of barbecue.

Rankin’s passion for the grill led him to open the first Temper restaurant in 2016. Today, there are three locations across London – Soho, Covent Garden, and the City – each offering a unique dining experience centred around open kitchens, great cocktails, and top-quality barbecued meat.

If you’re expecting an American style barbeque joint with brisket and burnt ends, you’ll be sadly disappointed. That, or pleasantly surprised. Instead, Temper Soho is known for its Mexican influenced menu, where taco dishes rub shoulders with prime cuts of steak.

The restaurant’s centrepiece is a giant fire pit, where chefs expertly cook whole animals sourced from English farms. Diners can choose between counter seating to watch the chefs in action or comfortable leather booths for a more intimate feasting experience. Either works when the food is this show stealing.

Here, sustainability is a priority. The restaurant orders whole animals and butchers them in-house to minimise waste. The meat is then aged, cooked over fire, and served in corn tacos or on house-made parathas.

In addition to their mouthwatering barbecue, Temper Soho offers a Saturday bottomless brunch and a legendary Sunday Roast. The highlight of the latter is the ‘Three Beast Roast’, which sees aged beef, roasted pork and smoked lamb shoulder served to share, family style.

Though it does have a reputation as being a great place to dine solo in the capital, all three branches of Temper have a party-like atmosphere any day of the week, which is only louder if you dine on the weekend, as you’ll be able to pair your beef with bottomless drinks for £45 per person all-in. Just make sure you pack that paracetamol!

Address: 25 Broadwick St, London W1F 0DF

Website: temperrestaurant.com

Established in the early part of the 20th Century by the Italian businessman Peppino Leoni, this iconic restaurant and private members club has seen many transformations over the years, from its early days as a notorious brothel to being the home of Karl Marx, who began writing Das Kapital within its walls.

Today, Quo Vadis – or the ‘Grand Old Dame of Dean St’ as some like to call it – continues to evolve, with a significant refurbishment earlier this year doubling its capacity to 40 covers and heralding its return to a grander, more spacious public restaurant.

Some constants remain, though, and the beating heart of the modern day Quo Vadis isn’t as much the building, per se, as the renowned, charismatic chef behind the last decade of evolution, Jeremy Lee.

Lee, a tall Scottish cook with a passion for regional British produce, has been at the helm of Quo Vadis since 2012. Known for his bold and generous culinary creations, Lee is a rare phenomenon in the London food world – a chef universally adored for his dedication to simple, delicious food. With the voice of a thespian and the culinary generosity of the old French masters, Lee has made Quo Vadis very much his own.

Thankfully, the new look Quo Vadis hasn’t led to a complete reworking of Lee’s signature dishes; the smoked eel and pink pickled onion sandwich is still here and still bloody satisfying. It’s undeniably one of London’s most iconic dishes.

Then there’s always a pie – golden, pastry bottom intact, filled generously – on the menu. Whether it’s chicken, lamb, beef, or game, it will probably be the best pie you’ll ever eat.

Desserts – or, puddings, rather – are, unsurprisingly, as good as ever; if it’s on the menu don’t miss out on the simultaneously nostalgic but grown-up rice pudding served with rhubarb and pistachio. Come summer, you’re likely to find a sprightly lemon tart and as the months progress, a soothing sticky toffee pudding, which is worth visiting the restaurant for alone. As in, on your own; this is one you want to spend some intimate time with.

Of course, part of the appeal of Quo Vadis are the larger rooms upstairs designed for intimate (or, let’s face it, debauched, group dining). This legendary restaurant boasts not one, not two, but three private dining rooms on its second floor, with a capacity of over thirty guests in each. Whether you’re planning an octogenarian’s birthday celebration or an orgy, this is the space for you.

Address: 26-29 Dean St, London W1D 3LL

Website: quovadissoho.co.uk

Shuko Oda’s Koya is one of London’s most straightforwardly enjoyable, soul-nourishing restaurants, Japanese or otherwise.

A walk-in joint serving a variety of hot and cold Japanese dishes, there’s nothing quite like stepping into Koya on a properly cold London day; inside you’ll be greeted by an understated and utilitarian interior that transports you straight to Japan, the steam rising off various stovetop stockpots steaming up the windows and helping you forget the bite outside.

Founded by the talented Shuko Oda, Koya has quickly become a beloved favourite of London’s culinary scene, offering a unique blend of traditional Japanese cuisine with a touch of local flair – see the English breakfast udon noodle bowl, which deploys bacon, and shitake, its nod to the capital’s fry-up culture the perfect encapsulation of that ethos.

In the same vein, the smoked haddock and poached egg porridge with curry sauce comes billed as ‘kedgeree’ but may in fact be several notches better.

It’s not all fusion dishes on the menu, of course. Koya has earned itself a reputation as a go-to spot for traditional Japanese breakfast in Soho, too.

A traditional Japanese Breakfast often comprises rice, fish, miso soup and other small sides. It’s this kind that you’ll find at Koya. It’s light, sure, but packed with umami; the richness coming from the savoury miso broth a gentle kickstart to any morning. Breakfast is served here from 10am to midday.

Of course, the udon noodles are the star of the show here, and as the day cranks into gear, the restaurant offers various types of udon dishes, broadly divided into three categories; hot udon in a hot broth (Atsu-Atsu), cold udon in hot broth (Hiya-Atsu), and cold udon with cold sauces to dip or pour (Hiya-Hiya), the latter just perfect for the hottest summer days.

Each comes with a choice of toppings and accoutrements, with extra flourishes available too – do not miss the tamago poached egg. Pick your poison depending on your mood that day – however you play it, these bowls of sustenance and subsistence are sure to improve it.

While the iconic traditional Japanese breakfast and steaming bowls of udon noodles with tempura prawn are the headliners, sure, but there’s so much more to enjoy here, from the perfectly poised house pickles all the way to braised pork belly with cider, gelatinous and giving in all the right places.

With the majority of Koya’s vegetables sourced from Namayasai Farm in East Sussex, there’s a immediacy and freshness to the flavours here that hasn’t been lost to airmiles. Yep, this is certainly a place that will nourish you.

Koya also has branches in Hackney and Bloomberg Arcade.

Website: koya.co.uk

Address: 50 Frith St, London W1D 4SQ, United Kingdom

Nearest tube: Tottenham Court Road or Leicester Square