Nothing is as dreary as the long drive home when you’ve spent the previous week exploring a whole raft of marvellous places in North-East England. Thankfully, the Maki and Ramen team had the perfect solution: lunch, at their very kind invitation, at their Metrocentre restaurant! Having previously visited the Nottingham branch of Maki and Ramen, we knew the food was nothing short of incredible, so were bouncing with excitement as we walked in.
I think The Man Bird was also relieved that the whole day wouldn’t be taken up with shopping - tight-wad! Maki and Ramen Metrocentre possibly has the most striking frontage of any shopping centre restaurant in the universe. Traditional Paper Lanterns and Blossom Garlands are brought bang-up-to-date with modern Neon signs, guiding you into the venue and up to the host desk. As the team member welcomes you, the Taiko drum is banged twice and the greeting “Irasshaimase” uttered, which roughly translates as welcome/come in. This welcome sets the tone that Maki and Ramen founder, Teddy Lee, wants his ‘guests’ to experience each and every time they visit.
Teddy’s vision began with a romantic gesture to his now-wife; wanting to take her out for dinner, he discovered that Japanese cuisine was expensive, and set about rectifying that! The first restaurant was opened in Edinburgh in 2015, and from then the chain has expanded beyond Scotland, as far down as the Midlands in England. Maki and Ramen was founded to provide affordable Japanese food without compromising quality, flavour or authenticity. To that end, broths simmer for hours, and noodles are made fresh every day, and signature dishes (Hell Ramen and Tonkotsu Ramen, for example) are still true to their Tokyo Street-food roots.
As with the exterior, the interior of Maki and Ramen is a fusion of modern and traditional; a colourful mural of a Geisha fills one wall, and multi-coloured post-it notes stick to a blackboard on another, filled with messages and drawings from past diners. Rich plum-toned upholstery is on the banquette seating and free-standing chairs, with wood forming the flooring and the tables. Unlike the Nottingham site, there is no Dragon sculpture at Gateshead; instead, this venue has a pair of suspended ‘ring donuts’ made of pink and white blossoms. Trendy music plays at a sociable level and the staff are really polite and friendly, both playing an integral role in guests’ experiences. Children of all ages are welcomed warmly into the Maki and Ramen fold, something I love to see.
The menu at Maki and Ramen is certainly extensive and offers something for everyone, whether they be spice-fiends (yes, you, Hell dish lovers!) or those wanting something gentler. To begin our meal, The Man and I ordered a glass of Plum Wine, and a Lager, to go with the Rainbow Raw Sushi Rolls (£12.50), Chicken Gyoza (£7.50), and Spicy Chicken Teriyaki (£7.90) dishes. I’ve never had Plum Wine before, and I have to say that it was absolutely delicious – I’ll definitely be ordering that again!
His Nibs has been getting rather adventurous lately, so he was game to try the Tuna, Salmon and Sea-Bream along with me in the aptly-named Rainbow Rolls. All the fish was so fresh it was practically still swimming and the flavours were clean and clear. Compact and sticky, the Sushi Rice was filled with Avocado and finely sliced Cucumber, lined with Nori, and then topped with the thinly sliced Fish or Avocado. On the oblong serving board there was also Gari - palate-cleansing, thinly sliced young Ginger - and Wasabi, whose pungent vapours soon had me sneezing! It gets me every time, without fail!
Chicken Gyoza always look so pretty, with their fluted edges, and these particular ones tasted just as dazzling. Both of us commented on the fact that the dough wasn’t tough at all to chew, and wasn’t so thick as to unbalance the overall flavour profile of the dish. The minced Chicken and Vegetable mixture was abundant and super-tasty, complemented by the tangy dipping sauce housed in a recess at one end of the black, half-moon-shaped serving platter.
Spicy Chicken Teriyaki certainly lived up to its name; the Chicken breast had been sliced into 5 sections, each one generously coated in a sticky glaze that had a bold fieriness to it. In truth, this could probably have served as a shared starter for those with smaller appetites…not that we were complaining about the portion size as was!
One of the team cleared away our boards and platters of starters, and returned soon afterwards with our mains: Steak Tataki for The Man (£17.50), and Black Garlic Tonkotsu for me (£14.90). I swapped the Chashu (slow-braised Belly Pork) for Sous-Vide Chicken, as I just wasn’t in a Pork kinda mood, y’know? Having exhausted all our effort and patience with chopsticks with the starters, we asked for forks to eat our mains with; don’t come for us.
To say the Ramen bowls at Maki and Ramen are massive is perhaps the understatement of the year! They are beyond massive, own postcode-worthy, in fact, and crammed with all sorts of deliciousness. His Nibs’ Steak was cooked rare, so its pink centre really stood out against the colourful Curry Broth and black bowl. The meat’s taste was superb, matched by the tasty Curry, crunchy Bamboo Shoots and Spring Onion slices; a soft-boiled egg had been halved to reveal its perfectly jammy yolk, and its rich, creamy taste was wonderful in the mouth.
My Tonkotsu Broth was rich and creamy, a process that takes at least 6–8 hours at a vigorous boil to achieve! As with The Man’s noodles, mine were perfectly cooked to achieve that sublime level of ‘chew’ not tough, not soggy. Just ‘just’. The sous-vide Chicken was thinly sliced, allowing it to soak up the broth and meld with all the other elements of this dish: Wakame Seaweed, Spring Onion slices, Bamboo Shoots and wonderfully deep-tasting Crispy Fried Onions (I can’t tell you how much I love these). My soft-boiled Egg half was as amazing as His Nibs’ one, too.
I defy anyone to find fault with the food at Maki and Ramen, and even more so when you factor in the price-point! Mission accomplished, Teddy…and then some. Hot Wings very happily given to the Metrocentre, Gateshead restaurant.
This restaurant is open Mon-Sat 11.30am - 10pm, and Sun 11.30am - 7pm. To book a table, either call 01875 710638 or visit www.makiramen.com and click ‘locations and bookings’, then hit the ‘book a table’ tab.
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