A Guardian food critic has given a glowing review of Wales' first dedicated ramen restaurant which opened just six months ago. Jay Rayner described Matsudai Ramen, located in Clare Road in Grangetown, Cardiff, as "inventive, geeky, and superb".
In the article Mr Rayner said his visit was not his first encounter with the ramen spot. During the pandemic the restaurant's owner, James Chant, sold kits to make ramen at home. "I ordered one during one of the longer lockdowns and it was a joyous burst of sunshine at our table amid the darkness," wrote Mr Rayner.
Taking the reader through each course the critic first praised the drinks, recommending a shiroguroni, which he described as "a witty, refreshing bitter lemon twist on the negroni, made with gin, sake and the fragrant citrus of yuzu". He then expresses warm approval of the small plates commending how a Japanese cucumber salad (sunomono) had a "sweet-savoury sesame dressing with just the right hit of chilli" while "bouncy slabs of shiitake mushroom are sweetly, deeply pickled".
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He called a Japanese fried chicken dish (karaage) "impeccable" with its cornflour-based batter lending "addictive mouth-coating richness". "The triple-fried pieces of marinated chicken thigh are as good as any I’ve tried anywhere," he wrote.
He wrote that even better than the fried chicken was a vegan version – shredded oysters mushroom with a vegan curry mayonnaise. "It’s a thrillingly vegan take on crispy squid and disappears quicker than the chicken", he opined.
Moving onto the main event, the ramen, he said the dishes lived up to those he ate at home but are "so much more beautiful, so much more organised, having been plated by the man who knows what he is doing". He dollops praise on the signature tonkotsu, saying it has an "almost Dulux gloss to it, speckled with jewels of molten fat" with "generous slices of pork belly".
He also tried the vegan version of the tonkotsu and notes the "creamy, slightly sweet edge" of the oat milk broth. "It’s a big old bowl of deep care and thoughtfulness," he concluded. His one small gripe is the dessert – a Japanese soufflé cheesecake – which he says "doesn't really deliver" but he says it's a "tiny" criticism and notes that noodle shops are rarely renowned for their desserts.
Mr Rayner's glowing review of Matsudai ramen comes after he pilloried Cardiff's dining options seven years ago. In 2016 the only place he said he could find that he wanted to review was the student-training kitchen at Cardiff and Vale College called The Classroom.
He wrote of the fifth-floor dining room in Dumballs Road: "I could claim it’s a useful addition to Cardiff’s burgeoning culinary scene but this would be a lie because, while the city has many good things to recommend it, the eating opportunities are not among them." A year later he doubled down, suggesting the best place for lunch was Central Station so you can catch a train to Bristol. His comments were met with outrage from people proud of the diversity and innovation in Wales' capital's food scene.
But in 2022 he returned to review The Heathcock pub in Llandaff and the burgeoning dining scene in the city impressed him enough to say he'd come back. It seems he's followed through with his word with this latest review, which is a deserved compliment for Matsudai Ramen owner James Chant and his team.
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