I have recently moved from Coventry in the Midlands, to the beautiful Torquay in South Devon and it didn’t take long until I was in search of a Japanese restaurant. Going from probably one of the most diverse cities in the UK, with a plethora of cuisines, to the South West, meant finding a Japanese would be a bit more of a challenge. However, my mission was successful when I came across ‘Maido Noodle Bar’ not far from Torquay seafront and only a 15 walk from my house. Perfect!

The restaurant space

Maido Noodle bar is owned by a lovely lady called called Koko and serves traditional homemade Japanese food with Osaka style dining. The layout of the restaurant was very Japanese with the long wooden seating and I loved the fact you could see the ladies making your meal. It honestly felt like I was sat in someone’s kitchen, which gave a nice, relaxed feel. There were also a set of shelves which housed a mini manga library and various kawaii goodies the owner had brought back from Japan, which you could purchase. I thought this was a really nice touch.

The Food

Now, onto the most important part – the food. There was a great variety of dishes to choose from, some of which I haven’t actually seen in a restaurant outside of Japan, including handmade Onigiri and Omu-rice. There was a written menu and also a picture menu – very useful if you are new to Japanese food.

It was incredibly hard to choose what to have but I went for a teriyaki chicken onigiri (rice ball), chicken yakisoba and pork gyoza. The onigiri was made fresh and was bigger than the palm of my hand! It was such a delicious way to start the meal. The chicken yakisoba was incredible, the sauce tasted so authentic, everything was cooked to perfection and a good sized portion. The pork gyoza were also made fresh, which again is something I hadn’t experienced in a restaurant outside of Japan. Usually in Japanese restaurants in the UK, the gyoza are normally the frozen ones from a packet, so this was lovely surprise. The pork was so tender and the flavour was amazing. I will definitely be ordering those again. Of course the meal wouldn’t be complete without an Aloe Vera drink. They also served Japanese green tea and matcha lattes.

Summary

The experience overall was very authentic; the food was homemade, absolutely delicious with fantastic variety. The restaurant was super clean and nicely decorated, with lots of nice little touches. I cannot wait to go back there again and try the omu-rice and the matcha latte. If you happen to be in Torquay, I would fully recommend going to Maido Noodle bar as an authentic Japanese restaurant experience.

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