Koku Kitchen

Ok, so after all that talk about getting back on the blogging bandwagon I fell off again.  This time involved a dark, stormy night and what will hopefully be the only time I succumb to the underside of Barcelona they warn all the tourists about. Yes, I should've known better. Yes, I was drinking, with people I hardly knew, in a part of town I'd never been to before, with my phone in my back pocket. Not for long. 

Cue a very painful Saturday morning, and I'm not talking about the headache. In my attempts at security I'd tried to log out of all accounts my phone had been logged into, but in doing so managed to lock myself out of everything: iCloud, WhatsApp, my bank account (which is in New Zealand). Given my phone's battery was dead, and the circumstances under which it departed my possession I figured the chances of me ever seeing it again were slim to none. Luckily I was able to readily acquire a replacement. Not so luckily I was still locked out of everything.  And whilst I had backed up my photos just a fortnight prior, and whilst I had iCloud storage just in case (in theory), losing my phone meant losing my nicely organised photos and notes for this blog. Back to square one.

On a happier note, I found a place to live! I had friends from far away places come to visit! I had new friends to dance, dine and drink with, and I got a year older. It has been a busy few weeks, a bit of a rollercoaster if you will. But now I'm back, again, and trying to resettle into this new home of mine. 

So where's the food? I thought I'd start with ramen. If you follow me on Instagram (you should, sometimes I'm amusing) you'll know I'm a big fan of pretty much all Japanese food, but that ramen has a special place in my heart. And even though I spent much of yesterday in sunshine at the beach, today has been grey, cloudy and drizzly. Perfect ramen weather. I could really go a bowl right now, but I'm off to yoga soon so it will have to wait. 

So picture a cold, dark night, wind wrapping my hair around my face and throwing leaves at my heels as I dodge raindrops to make my way across town.  Feel the tickly rasp of the start of a sore throat, a persistent dry cough, that ever-dripping nose, flushed cheeks and the discomfort of a cold breeze on your back where your jumper doesn't quite come down far enough.  Know what's good for all of that? Ramen! It's one of my favourite go-to meals if I (or someone I care for) is feeling a little under the weather.  Luckily, Barcelona seems to be a bit of a hotspot for Ramen. 

On this particular occasion we didn't want to walk too far on such an unpleasant night so we hit up the Koku Kitchen Ramen & Gyoza bar. With several locations across town, this particular spot is hidden underneath Koku Buns, down a winding staircase. Think subway tile and neon, New York hipster meets Tokyo izakaya bar.  With a specialist noodle machine brought all the way from Japan, Koku offers a concise ramen menu covering all the regular bases (literally), from shoyu to miso to curry broths and a few others for good measure. If you're still peckish, or starting pica-pica in Barcelona style, there are five types of gyoza to tickle your fancy.  On the drinks menu you'll find the usual suspects plus a few good craft beers, maintaining that true Tokyo feel while keeping it local.

We chose the tsukumen and spicy ramen, full of ginger, kimchi and other cold-fighting ingredients. The broths were luscious, viscous, full-flavoured and delicious (that's almost a poem). The ebi gyoza were nice and light, a perfect bite to share alongside our lightly hopped Hoptimista from local crew Edge Brewing.  With specific eating instructions from the chef we tucked in, barely a word spoken between us as we slurped happily, and I think I even managed to finish my meal without spilling any on my shirt, winning! This wasn't my first bowl of Barcelona ramen, and it definitely won't be my last. Next time I'd be keen to try their buns, or some of the options available at their other locations. Alongside another bowl of ramen of course! 

So on a blustery autumn night we went home with bellies full, smiling faces and a few less coughs and sniffles. Koku Kitchen - 1, colds - 0. We'll be back!*.

*Although there are many other bowls of ramen in this town I need to wrap my mouth around so we might be a while.