You can take the man out of Japan, but you can’t take Japan out of the man!

The focal point on my recent trip back to my home country was eating British food I’m unable to get so easily in Tokyo but I also wanted to experience some Japanese food in the UK. On my previous trip six years ago, I was with my wife and so we spent more time in London where we inevitably went to a few Japanese eateries. This time though I was alone and more home-based so the main focus this time was on Japanese restaurants in Leicester.

#1. Maki & Ramen @ Unit R22, 12 Highcross Lane, Bath House Lane, Leicester

Just before the turn of the year (December 30th to be precise!) I went into the city to see my first ever Leicester Riders basketball match but left home a little earlier to allow time to dine out at this sushi and noodle bar beforehand. It is pretty much next door to Wagamama where my wife and I went six years ago. In hindsight I should’ve gone there even earlier as the service was terribly slow.

Maybe I’m just used to the high level of service in Japan where a staff member usually greets you instantly on arrival before seating you or asking you to wait for a moment. In this place I was stood by the door for about ten minutes before someone finally came to me. Still, it did give me time to get a good feel for the place and appreciate the interior design of the place! As she escorted me to my seat, the waitress asked if I had any L-E-G-S but before I could hilariously say “only the two I’m standing on” I realised she was actually saying allergies in her Asian accent.

Another big difference between Japan and the UK (as well as many other countries too) is that solo dining is not so common in the latter whilst the former is really geared up to that market, and you don’t feel so sad and lonely eating by yourself.

Once seated among the various couples, families and groups of friends, I had a very quick look at the menu and promptly ordered a couple of dishes.

The salmon teriyaki rolls (10.90 GBP) came first and I really can’t fault them. As I was hungry, I polished off all eight of them fairly quickly.

After what seemed like an eternity (over 30 minutes) my tonkotsu ramen (13.90 GBP) was finally delivered to my table and I quickly set about tucking in as I really had to leave within ten minutes! Thankfully, I wasn’t full after the salmon rolls so slurped on the noodles instantly rather than waiting a bit like usual. They were better than expected although the soup was not quite as thick as in Japan. Elsewhere, the braised chashu meat was more like bacon but very appealing to my western palette.

It should be said that it was really delicious, but it did taste a little different to what I’m used to in Japan. I’m sure some Japanese people would say it’s not good but if you don’t think of it as being authentic local cuisine then it’s a lot easier to accept and enjoy it for what it is.

#2. Souper Joy @ 7 Northampton Street, Leicester.

A few days later (but in a different year!) I was back in Leicester. This time it was for a Leicester Tigers rugby match and before that I took a slight detour to the cosy Souper Joy (7 Northampton Street, Leicester) which is located on a quiet road just off of Granby Street leading from the railway station to the city centre. It’s only a few minutes on foot from the station and the menu was fairly extensive with a range of Japanese and Asian dishes available.

The fried chicken and vegetable gyoza (6.50 GBP) was my first dish and really tasty albeit a little more fried than I’m used to.

Yet again I chose the tonkotsu ramen (12 GBP) as my main dish and it was a generous portion with a lighter broth (than the Maki & Ramen one) that was well-presented and full of flavour.

Anyone who has ever seen ‘The Ramen Girl‘ (2008) will know that heart is actually the most important ingredient for ramen, and this had it as I could see the owner preparing it for me with attention to detail.

My one fault is that there was maybe too much sweetcorn which was also brought to my attention in the aforementioned film before I later realised it was actually quite common in Hokkaido.

Due to the size of this place, it did have a more homely feel to it and I did talk to the owner and waitress for a bit which was really nice.

Bonus: There was a plan to go to a third place in Leicester ahead of my third football match of the trip at King Power Stadium but sadly Kuru Kuru Sushi (11 Welford Road) was closed. I guess I could’ve gone back into the city to go to Wagamama or somewhere else, but I felt it would probably eat up too much time.

However, in between the two Leicester places I did have some Japanese food when I was down in London. I met up with my friend Mostyn to go to the Upside-Down House outside White City Underground station but before that we went to Ichiba inside the Westfield London shopping mall. I had the chicken katsu curry, takoyaki and drink set for 13.95 GBP and it was rather good and tasted similar to what I usually have in Tokyo.

Mostyn had the ramen which looked good with an ample amount of chashu meat in the bowl along with some stuff that seemed a little out of place but sometimes you’ve got to just embrace the British twist on such dishes.

Click here to read ‘Dining Out: What is “Japanese” Food in England Like?’

Click here to read ‘Australia 2019 Pt XI: You Can Take the Man Out of Japan but…’

Click here to read ‘Dining Out: Japan’s Cheapest Ramen!’

Click here to read ‘Black Curry Ramen & Japan’s Most Secret Toilet Guarded by a Life-Size Star Wars Character!’

Click here to read ‘Dining Out: The Ramen Considered to Be the Best in Japan’