I really wanted to love Maki & Ramen. There are many fans in our Foodinburgh Supper Club group on Facebook, I felt sure it would be good.
Our welcome was cold though and hopes dipped a bit. Our waiter looked like he’d rather be anywhere else (possibly in a darkened room immersing himself in absolutely anything that does not involve socialising), I’m not entirely convinced a customer facing role is his calling in life.
Maki & Ramen on South Bridge has a fun bustling atmosphere where the focus is on good food, served fast. This was unfortunately let down a bit by the fact our starter gyoza didn’t arrive until just before dessert – there seemed to be quite a bit of confusion with several orders that evening. The gyoza were nice, but the ones at Umi and Harajuku Kitchen are better.
The Teriyaki Chicken Skewers were nice, and we made light work of them. Tender chicken thigh with sweet sticky sauce and a little garnish of spiralised carrot and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. A classic, done well enough.
The Katsu Curry wasn’t the prettiest looking, but the chicken was crispy and the sauce was tasty. It was a comfortable plate of hearty food. The sort that is very welcome on a cold Edinburgh eve.
Ramen is big at Maki & Ramen, clue is in the title. The noodles are made on site and the stock is flavoursome. You can choose a range of types, chicken, pork etc… It’s good ramen, but not as good as Umi, and I think that sums up my experience of Maki & Ramen, it’s good, but there’s nothing that is ‘the best’, it doesn’t have a must have dish – or perhaps it does and I just didn’t have it?
The service confusion continued and we ended up with two portions of Coconut Mochi – none of us were complaining, this is one of my favourite desserts at the moment.
Maki & Ramen is the kind of place you go if you’re in a rush and need a quick bite to eat, it’s a good alternative to Wagamama’s. I fed back re the staffing and service and I expect these issues will be taken care of.
Find out more about Maki & Ramen here.