[title]
Hakata oozes the essence of a Tokyo izakaya (Japanese pub), only with a dollop of Bermondsey gentrification. The food, all fairly cheap, is pretty good. A huge bowl of tonkotsu ramen was adorned with a regulation half egg, pickled ginger and spring onion. It was creamy, the hard noodles holding their bite (you can choose from soft, hard or very hard), and the pork tender. It seemed a tad bland at first, but was easily spruced up with the chilli paste and sesame seeds on the table.
Later, a portion of tebasaki (Japanese fried chicken wings) came slathered in gochugaru, a Korean red-pepper-based seasoning. Sticky and sweet, the chicken was fantastically juicy within and crisp on the outside. The aubergine katsu hirata (steamed soft bun) was also a hit, despite its excessively sugary sauce.
There were bigger niggles. Prawn gyoza were decent, nicely fried on one side, but there were upsettingly few of the promised crustacean among the vegetable mush. And, while the chicken in the katsu sando (Japanese sandwich) had a good, crunchy crumb coating, there wasn’t enough to fill the thick brioche-style slices. Still, this place has nailed the basics: a bubbly atmosphere and hearty food.