From ramen to crumble pots: We tried the new Ron Cooke Hub menu, and it’s insane

Every student knows the pain of trekking around looking for a spot to have some lunch between seminars. If you get to a cafe past 1pm, there’s literally no food left in the fridges. Cake and coffee it is. To solve our problems, the Ron Cooke Hub has recently had a refurb and dropped a new menu along with its updated cafe. This spot has always been an underrated and hidden gem, located on Campus East, but now it’s back and genuinely better than ever.

We took a trip this week to try the new menu, and let’s just say that it didn’t disappoint. From breakfast sourdough sandwiches to shakshuka, to ramen and crumble pots: here’s a rundown of the best dishes on offer now at the Hub Cafe.

Smoked tofu ramen

The most popular dish currently is probably the ramen, a go-to for students. The cafe offers four different options of ramen; smoked tofu, traditional ramen with egg, prawn with sriracha, and chicken ramen, ranging from £5.25-£6.

We went for the smoked tofu, one of many veggie options on the menu. It came in a large bowl with plenty of noodles, chilli, carrot, spring onion, bok choy and crispy onions – fully loaded. If this somehow isn’t enough for you, there’s also a help-yourself toppings bar with even more garnishes like chilli oil, spring onions, chilli flakes, and coriander. The ramen itself was quite spicy with a nice aftertaste, perfect for a quick and chill lunch.

Okonomiyaki chicken katsu

The main feature of the new menu has to be the selection of okonomiyaki, a Japanese savoury street food pancake. It’s quite big but thin, and very soft – a bit like a potato cake. The chicken katsu had breaded crispy chicken pieces on top with lots of sauce to cover the pancake and fill you up. Surprisingly, it actually is quite filling but still light and ideal for lunch or a snack.

Other options include the classic okonomiyaki, tiger prawns and sriracha, and with egg. Delicious. The dish is fairly priced too, starting with the classic at £4.25 and ranging up to £5.20.

Shakshuka

This seems pretty random of them to be serving up in the Ron Cooke Hub, but it tasted amazing. Think shakshuka egg and Moroccan spices baked with tomato, peppers, onions, feta and spinach. It genuinely was really tasty and came with a slice of bread to scoop up the rich and tangy tomato sauce. This seems perfect for a little pick-me-up in the day – very refreshing.

You can also get the shakshuka without the feta to make it vegan, but the creamy cheese does make the dish in my opinion. This dish is on the menu at £5.20, another good price.

Crumble pots

Clearly inspired by the viral Crumbles Desserts in town, the Hub Cafe has created its own take on the sweet treats. Each crumble pot includes custard, cream and of course, apple crumble – but you can also choose your main topping. Choose from biscotti, oreo, nutella or caramel sauce, and maybe even add ice cream for an extra £1.50 if you’re feeling it. The pots range from £4.25 to just £4.75, a lot cheaper than the ones in the centre of town.

The pots come in a cute glass jar, warm and layered with the toppings. They are very sweet and a little bit sickly, especially if you’ve just had a ramen. If you’re in the mood for it, these crumble pots are definitely a perfect autumnal sweet treat. Who doesn’t love an apple crumble in the colder months? Campus East is pretty windy…

Breakfast and lunch

As well as all the new menu items, the Hub Cafe also has a great selection of sandwiches and other small bites for breakfast and lunch. They stock fresh artisan sandwiches, including falafel and roasted pepper, halloumi and spinach, and a club sandwich for all just over £4. Where is all this on Campus West, seriously?

The breakfast choices include sourdough sandwiches with bacon or veggie sausages, and there’s actually an everyday deal of a hot drink and brekkie sandwich for just £5.95. Very tempting.

The menu also has omelettes, a lunch classic. Choose from plain, cheese, spinach and feta, or ham and cheese with a side salad for around £4-5. So healthy and balanced x

Bubble tea

If you’re sick of coffee somehow, bubble tea is a super refreshing alternative that is now being served up at the Hub Cafe. Flavours include lychee, mango, passionfruit, pineapple, raspberry, and strawberry, with more flavours of tapioca balls. We went for a strawberry tea with passionfruit bobas, which was super sweet and tasted just like juice rather than tea.

You can turn any flavour into milk tea too, or add extra tapioca balls for just less than a pound. Amazing.

Overall, the new Hub menu is pretty good and has to be a must-visit for all students (even if you have to trek from Tang Hall). It gets quite busy at peak lunch hour, but apart from that has a super chill and quiet environment that is perfect for studying. It’s open from 8.30am-3.30pm, with food stopped serving at 3pm. I’m personally waving goodbye to the blaring music of Costa in the Roger Kirk Centre.

You can see more updates and info about campus food at @uoyeatshopdrink on Instagram.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

•The ultimate guide to brunching your way through York as a student

•From Dusk to Zaap Thai: A York student’s guide to York Restaurant Week

•The top 10 most underrated societies at Uni of York, and all they have to offer