This June, beloved udon noodle connoisseur Koya will launch Koya & Ko., its first ever chef collaboration series at its Koya Ko location in Hackney.
Kicking off on 24 June, the Koya & Ko. series will feature limited-edition udon creations from chef friends Max Rocha (Cafe Cecilia), Florence Knight (Sessions Arts Club), Benjamin Chapman (Kiln, Smoking Goat) and more, with each chef putting their twist on Koya’s signature udon and dashi, reflecting their own unique culinary style and spanning cuisines from around the world.
The dishes will be available as rotating blackboard specials exclusively at its Broadway Market location, each for a limited two-week period.- Max Rocha (Cafe Cecilia) – Tea-stained egg breakfast udon
- Mitshel Ibrahim (Ombra) – Cuttlefish and sweet pea udon
- Benjamin Chapman (Kiln, Smoking Goat) – Geng Gari (yellow chicken curry) udon with pickles and blood orange
- Florence Knight (Sessions Arts Club) – Clam and wild garlic udon with roasted tomatoes
- Sarit Packer & Itamar Srulovich (Honey & Co.) – Pickled cucumber, shredded cabbage, tahini, sesame and chilli udon
- Laura Jackson (Towpath Cafe) – Crispy pancetta lardons and puntarella Udon with poached egg
- Owen Barratt (Monty’s Deli) – Beef rib udon with mustard greens, spring onion and grated ginger
Koya fans can also create their own riffs on the dish at home, with omiyage boxes available to order via Koya Mail from £14 (for 2 servings).About Koya
The first Koya, co-founded by John Devitt and Shuko Oda, launched on Soho’s Frith Street in 2010, bringing a traditional Japanese udon bar to the West End. There are now three Koya restaurants – Koya Soho, Koya City and Koya Ko, Hackney – the latter of which launched on Broadway Market in September 2021. Koya has become renowned for its udon and dashi, handmade fresh every day at Koya’s noodle workshop in the City; to this day, Koya remains the only restaurant in the UK to use this traditional method of udon-making. Since its launch, the
restaurant has contributed to the broadening of perceptions of Japanese cuisine in London, and has become synonymous with its menu that combines simple Japanese techniques with produce predominantly sourced from UK suppliers. Koya also launched Koya Mail during lockdown – its online delivery service bringing Omiyage boxes of its fresh udon and dashi to home across the country.