Nanban

Nanban, from 2011 MasterChef champion Tim Anderson, is the pick for anyone who finds a straight tonkotsu run a touch predictable. Tucked off Brixton's Coldharbour Lane, it serves Kyushu-inspired ramen alongside a broader menu of Japanese soul food, karaage, small plates and a genuinely thoughtful drinks list of sake, shochu and craft beer. The ramen itself is distinctive and often more inventive than the straight specialists, and the room has the relaxed buzz of a proper izakaya rather than a queue-and-go noodle bar. It ranks slightly below the pure ramen specialists here only because ramen is one part of a wider offering, but as a whole evening out it's one of London's more rewarding Japanese tables.