Soya

A nice hidden tiny Japanese place on Leather Lane that can get pretty busy!
The shop is very small. I think about 4 people can fit inside by the small counter. Trays of all the dishes greet you as you walk in. It’s a bit wasteful as they use real food not plastic imitation plates of food, but it does the trick!
Cooked by actual Japanese people in a kitchen literally attached to the counter; not something you can say of most Japanese places in London, the food is anything from Sushi and Katsu Curry to Ramen and Bento boxes. I ordered the Crazy Katsu Curry and whilst it was a pricier £7.50 compared to most £5 lunches on Leather Lane, it was such a good dish portion and quality wise. Included was rice, katsu curry, curry sauce, tempura prawn and vegetarian dumplings as well as salad. I was completely stuffed afterward and it is definitely a step above Wasabi as much as I love that place.
There aren’t many Japanese Places on Leather Lane, the only other place being a very expensive restaurant, so Soya is my go to place for takeaway Japanese lunches.
Now all I have to do is try everything else on the Menu!

Hopping little lunch takeaway spot that offers bento boxes, ramen and curry and lots of options at that. A line but worth waiting for especially as the people serving are just a pleasure. Makes a difference! My salmon teriyaki bento was so great and very favourable! Will be going back to try more.

A really underrated place for lunch. Always has a little queue so people do know about it. And everyone seems to get the Katsu Curry. I partly think it’s because most are english workers and know what it is. And of course love it.
Have to say I have had many bento boxes and they have been great. Also the Katsu curry esp the sauce is awesome. So Moreish.
Star deducted for limited opening times but very small place so suppose it is only a take out place, almost hidden at bottom of leather lane really. Nice secret eat.

Really good ramen, good portion size and good value. Edamame are much fresher than anywhere else around. Also super friendly staff.

I’m gonna go out on a limb here, please bear in mind that my uncultured self hasn’t had the privilege of sampling katsu curry outside of the London Japanese food circuit, but this is the best chicken katsu curry in London. All the component parts are well executed and marry happily.
The breadcrumbed chicken is crispy but not heavy, the salad is underwhelming, but the pickles are mouth-​wateringly sour and compliment the richness of the curry to the nth degree. The rice is always cooked to perfection — you get every granule of rice pronounced, but it’s sticky at the same time. The curry. The curry. Let’s talk curry. It’s rich and screams: «Eat me, eat me!» I don’t even want to think about the sodium in it. But it’s so morish.
I’ve told myself time and time again that I will try something else at Soya, and I’m usually a fairly adventurous eater. But when I step foot into Soya, I know I can only leave with the chicken katsu curry. The tempura doesn’t look like it’ll bowl me over and to be honest, neither do the bentos. Only God knows why they would offer my chicken katsu curry with fried rice or noodles. There’s only one way to do it guys.
Anyway, I’m a massive fan of Soya and eternally grateful that it’s close to the office. Time your visits, it’s a miniscule place and queues have been known to form outside.

I loved the beef in my BBQ beef bento box… it was delicious!
However, the rest of the items in the box were seriously lacking. The prawn tempura was over battered and soggy (wobbly prawns anyone?). The egg roll had nothing in it… it was basically fried dough. The rice was a bit over cooked and the edamame lacked seasoning.
The servers were super friendly though and I would happily go back to try something else just because they were so lovely.

I’m not sure if it’s new, but Soya now serves ramen. Yatta!
My perfectly chewy noodles were served in some sort of transparent broth (I imagine shoyu) with wakame, scallions, slivered carrots, two generous slices of tender pork, and ample bean sprouts. As far as takeaway ramen goes, I was moderately impressed. It’s certainly far superior to the instant noodles you could purchase from a grocery.
Beyond soup noodles, I can vouch for the katsu curry being a massive portion that won’t leave you wanting for seconds. I do find that it’s weighted a bit heavily toward excess rice, as I always end up with some leftover, even after carefully taking well-​distributed bites of crispy meat and savoury sauce.
The shop itself is tiny, with about standing room for only two or three people. If it’s rammed, you’ll end up waiting outside, so be prepared with an umbrella if we’re experiencing typical English weather.

I stopped in because I was craving Japanese food. Super-​bento was the first thing I saw so I got that contained: rice, edamame, a stir fry beef dish, oyakudon style chicken, chicken katsu topped with sweat and sour veggies, a small spring roll, prawn tempura and noodles. It was 7.50 so a bit rich for lunch but it was a large meal. However, what they had in quantity did not make up fully for what lacked in taste. There was a lot to pick at but nothing really stuck out, even the rice was slightly undercooked (could just be my preference). I’m debating if I should give it another shot because I saw ramen on their menu but not 100% sure. If I was really desperate for some Japanese food I would probably visit again but until then I’ll be searching for other places on leather lane.

I’m a big fan of chicken katsu curry and Soya’s is solid. On both occasions I’ve sampled it, the chicken’s been moist and tender and I dig that their rendition is accompanied by salad (making it a very complete meal for about £6.)
I’ve not tried any of it but Soya also offers sushi, noodles and other rice dishes. The place is Japanese-​run (in case that’s important to you) and suitable for takeaway only as they haven’t any seating.
All in all, a terrific addition to the Leather Lane lunch scene.