Somewhat disappointing, though fairly on-par for London.
My decision to get ramen from Koi is because the "best of" London ramen lists were disappointing, as almost all of them emphasize tonkotsu ramen at the expense of other styles. At £7.50, I thought Koi would be a safe risk which it was.
Nothing is particularly standout or overly terrible. I thought the broth was overly salty and lukewarm, the chashu pork to be crumbly and not particularly interesting. Toppings were fine, though I thought the use of carrots were curious. Overall, it was fine for a cold and snowy day in London.
Service from the staff was pretty friendly. But the chef seemed rather diffident; he spent his time chatting to his friends--who were not eating--over by the side table--the only area on which customers can place their meals. There wasn't much room left for me, but they invariably kept chatting, paying zero attention to my paying customer's needs. I was rather put off, but that's his choice.
Summary: it's fine if you don't have particularly ambitious ramen expectations and want to save a bit of money. That's about it. read more