OKAN Brixton East 338 Coldharbour Lane, London SW9 8QH

"Good atmosphere for Sunday evening, our recent experience at Okan Ramen on Coldharbour Lane was the best so far, and its certainly one of Brixton’s culinary assets from a Locals perspective. Its a great place to eat whether dining solo, in a group or pair, and the foods reasonably priced in my view. The ramen was perfectly balanced in flavour, and I definitely recommend the classic ‘Hokkaido Miso Ramen with Chasu Pork’. The others enjoyed their vegan ramens. Its worth getting the japanese tapas as well, which are served quickly before, go for any of the ‘Gyoza Dumplings’ alongside the delicious ‘Padron Peppers’. The drinks were decent, I had couple glasses of white white, enjoyed the Grand Cerdo Blanco (ABV 12.5%), the others were drinking the beer on tap. I was also glad to see the original decor has remained in place. I have always liked the restaurant interior here, with its rudimentary no-thrills presentation contrasted by the classic wooden partition and weathered concrete floor. That mixed with the charming retro japanese memorabilia gracing its walls and the intimate setting makes it worth the visit alone. Not forgetting the refreshingly good service, which can be rare to find in most restaurants. The japanese waitress was really nice and helpful, it made the dining experience super pleasant. The chef also brought out the dishes, which were all decently presented and flavoursome."

"Delicious aubergine, kimchi and gyoza to start. I had the okonomiyaki special (a savoury pancake dish made of wheat flour batter with squid, prawns, kimchi and corn) as a main course - it was delicious, well cooked and shimmering with bonito flakes on top of the mayonnaise swirls. My son had ramen - a fragrant bowl of fresh ingredients. The restaurant is small and mainly consists of 2 person tables with stools, with a cooking area screened slightly from diners. Service is attentive and polite. OKAN is a great spot for an informal meal with friends (much like its sister restaurant in the market)."

"Cute, cozy and friendly little restaurant. Came on a Monday, was very quiet but to be expected. Food was good. I ordered the beef Don (rice bowl). I'm used to this with egg on top by default (Sydney restaurants don't usually have this as an extra). I thought this would have been an ADDITIONAL egg if I'd ordered the topping. My fault not having checked with the waiter. It's affordable but not cheap, but the quality of ingredients is evident and true to the street food scene."

"My first time trying okonomiyaki and I will certainly be coming back for more! We wanted a nice meal before a show at the Brixton academy and being less than 10 minutes walk away it was the perfect spot! The food was spectacular, piping hot and some absolutely wonderful flavours! The service was friendly and fast, the restaurant itself was pleasantly calm and quiet which made it a lovely place for a catch up and a bite before our show. The plan is to come back just to be able to try more of the menu that we missed!"

"The beef okra was pretty good, remember to ask for the condiments because staff forgot ours until we asked halfway through the dish. The okonomiyaki was ok more on the sweeter side. We had the okonomiyaki special. The tonkatsu ramen was ok too. It has a stronger tinge of ginger. You can still taste the porky and creamy flavour of the broth but won’t say its extraordinary. Very small place had to seat very close to another table. The booking system is pretty good."