Koya teams up with chef friends for the latest round of Koya & Ko. specials, merging Japanese udon with flavours from around the world.
Following the huge success of the first guest chef specials in its Koya & Ko. collaboration series, noodle connoisseur Koya has teamed up with a new set of chef friends to create dishes that meld its authentic Japanese udon with flavours from across the globe.
London chefs Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich (Honey & Co.), Ana Gonçalves and Zijun Meng (Tata Eatery) Emily and Amy Chung (The Rangoon Sisters), and Owen Barratt (Monty’s Deli) are all set to create limited-edition blackboard udon specials over the next four months.
Available exclusively to its Broadway Market location Koya Ko, the Koya & Ko. series sees each chef – all of whom are friends of the restaurant and its head chef and co-founder Shuko Oda – put their twist on Koya’s signature udon and dashi. Reflecting their own unique culinary style, the chefs’ udon creations are available as rotating specials at the Hackney restaurant, each for a limited month-long period.
The upcoming four dishes encompass global flavours, putting a unique spin on Shuko’s authentic Japanese udon base. The Honey & Co. duo have put together a Middle Eastern-inspired dish featuring tahini, pickled cucumber and chilli; Portuguese-born Ana Gonçalves’s background has inspired an Iberian twist featuring salted cod; Owen Barratt is channelling Jewish soul food with a beef rib and mustard greens udon, while The Rangoon Sisters have paid homage to their Burmese heritage with twist on a traditional breakfast dish. Dishes include, in order:
Emily and Amy Chung (The Rangoon Sisters) – Nangyi thoke Burmese udon
Sarit Packer & Itamar Srulovich (Honey & Co.) – Pickled cucumber, shredded cabbage, tahini, sesame and chilli udon
Owen Barratt (Monty’s Deli) – Beef rib udon with mustard greens, spring onion and grated ginger
Ana Gonçalves and Zijun Meng (Tata Eatery) – Salted cod, fried straw potatoes, egg and onion udon
Previous specials have included dishes from the likes of Florence Knight (Sessions Arts Club), Mitshel Ibrahim (Ombra) and Benjamin Chapman (Kiln, Smoking Goat).
The idea for Koya & Ko. was born from lockdown, when the team sent packages of their Omiyage Udon & Dashi to long-time friends of the restaurant via their delivery service Koya Mail. The team were blown away by their chef friends’ unique, at-home takes on their classic udon and dashi, and wanted to allow guests to share in this joy.
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