Takumi is a chain which has two vegan ramens in its Prague branch – the menu differs in other countries though. Dr HH and I each tried one of them.

Vegan Signature Tan Tan Ramen

Broth: 5/5. It was creamy and flavoursome, with a nice bit of heat to it. Really delicious.

Toppings: 2/5. I had been very excited about the croquettes on top, but unfortunately they just did not work for me. The filling reminded me of bland veggie fingers from the 1990s, mushy morsels with no texture or flavour. And of course, they were really soggy from sitting in the broth, which reduced the texture even more. The other toppings were the classic bok choy, bamboo, and bean sprouts, which were all fine. But I did not appreciate the sliced raw tomato at all, it felt very uninspired.

Noodles: 3/5. They were good, but the portion was possibly a little too large for me. I never though I’d say it!

Overall: 10/15. It’s such a shame about the toppings, because the broth was spectacular.

Vegan Gyoza Miso Ramen

Broth: 3/5. This was a different broth from the one above, and it was not so mind-blowing, unfortunately. Generally quite unremarkable. (Is this typical of all miso ramens?)

Toppings: 3/5. The gyoza were nice, but were not well suited to being a topping – they got a bit soggy, much like the croquettes above. The tofu was excellent and the sugar snap peas added a nice crunch, but there was a lot of sweetcorn which was a shame.

Noodles: 4/5. Plentiful and tasty.

Overall: 10/15. It needed a bit more flavour and excitement.

Takumi was quite a small and crowded restaurant – the tables all seemed very close together. On all their social media and websites they claim not to take reservations, but this turned out to be false. We were asked on arrival if we had a reservation, and other tables had been reserved. I would recommend a reservation if you plan to visit, because it was jumping on a Friday evening.