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Just as you’d expect from a branch of this hip Japanese chain, the rock ’n’ roll music at BD Victoria is loud and the atmosphere is informal. The space is dotted with ceiling lamps that give it a moody feel while the exposed ceiling ducts give it an industrial edge. Communal wooden tables and low stools – some made out of beer kegs – mean you sit side by side with strangers.
As the restaurant’s name is inspired by the rich bone broth that makes up most ramen recipes, unsurprisingly a third of the menu is dedicated to the dish itself, but other items caught my eye too, from poké and sushi to chicken wings and buns.
The sticky braised pork belly that spilled out of a handmade steamed bao was meaty, indulgent, and perfectly complemented by the kimchi mayo and pickled carrot tucked in beside it. Also good – and good-looking – were the five spice-laced tuna and avocado maki rolls.
Order the tantanmen ramen (thick Chinese-style wheat noodles) with mushroom broth and you’ll be given a plastic bib to catch any splashback: a nice touch. Unfortunately the base itself was one-dimensional, with no flavour apart from a spice kick that will leave you sweating. Chicken katsu curry, served in a deep bowl, wasn’t the easiest to eat, while unflatteringly large chunks of carrot and potato were buried in the sauce.
But Bone Daddies pulled it back with desert: there was just one option – those funny mochi balls, where a tiny scoop of ice cream is wrapped in a chewy rice paper. Biting into this felt a bit like eating an eyeball. In a delicious way. BD Victoria might be flawed, but it’s still fun.