Matthew emailed me. Not the usual hate mail from accounts who can’t do a very good job hiding who they are, but a nice email. He correctly pointed out that I’d missed out reviewing Koba-Ko in lieu of going to easy options like Dave’s Hot Chicken. He was so confident that I’d like Koba-Ko that he offered to pay for dinner there. I emailed him back, told him that he was correct, and suggested that we go half on dinner there. I was going to say that I like meeting readers, but that sounds so incredibly arrogant and one-sided. The truth is I like meeting new people, just as long as they are interesting and intelligent. I met Steve through the blog, Will, and now Matthew. Will came to my wedding for Christ’s sake, partially because I really like him and partially because he is Aktars GP and I wanted chef’s blood pressure to stay low. Steve was invited, too. What I’m saying in a roundabout way is that it’s okay to email. I’m an adult, I can take criticism, and I’m always up for a glass of wine.
Matthew was waiting for me inside of Koba-Ko when I rocked-up almost ten minutes late and £28 lighter from the world’s most expensive Uber from Harborne to Kings Heath. I know the space well; through the doors of Grace and James, through the space to the right of the fridge, up the stairs and into the room that was originally Upstairs at Grace and James. It is here that Koba-Ko has a small menu of ramen and other Japanese small plates. I let Matthew take the lead on ordering; we get four small plates and the same chicken stock based ramen, to which he adds char sui pork belly and I have chilli oil. Excellent crackers are the first things to arrive; sheets of nori glued to rice paper, deep fried to a crisp ripple of white and green and seasoned with a house curry powder that tastes a lot like the S&B Japanese Golden Curry mix. I like them more than the smashed cucumber that relies on the blobs of intense sour plum for acidity.
The miso-glazed aubergine is the stand-out of the small plates, in fact I’d go so far as saying it’s the best aubergine dish i’ve eaten in a long time. That deep umami hit of white miso, soy, and mirin; a beautiful foil for the sweet and smokey aubergine flesh. A few slivers of pickled onions and you have something really quite special. Two skewers of beef are the last to arrive; smokey from the cook over charcoal, if a little chewy down to the nature to the cut they use. The sweet, syrupy soy glaze is gorgeous, and the spicy cucumber slices a lovely way of counteracting that richness.
Then there is the ramen, and boy, do we have a lot to unpack here. The broth is gentle, notionally aromatic, and reminiscent of something a Jewish mother would pull out as an offering to make someone feel better. It’s all chicken bones and salt, a delicate, quietly unassuming base for everything else to play off. There’s the poached chicken breast, and the sous-vide pork collar that now resembles gammon in taste. A beautiful marinated egg that is all wobble and loose yolk, noodles that are right in texture, green onions, and a sun dried tomato. It’s a lot. A big salty, umami hit that I get absolutely nowhere near finishing despite really enjoying it. I won’t be drawn into the conversation of who is better between these and Maneiki because frankly we’ve had such awful ramen in Birmingham for so long it’s brilliant to now have two people doing it right in the city. The bill is just over £30 each including a couple of drinks because Matthew booked on a website that rewards booking earlier slots in the evening.
I find it amazing that I was emailed by someone who not only grew-up ten minutes walk from me, but who now teaches my favourite subject at my secondary school’s arch rivals. He was lovely company; engaging and funny, clearly passionate about this style of food. So Thank You, Matthew. Thank you for the email and the company over dinner. Thanks for getting me out to somewhere I enjoyed and will absolutely get back to. The next one is on me.
8/10
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