Girdy & Birdy went to Maki & Ramen, Fountainbridge, to take advantage of the Scotland Loves Anime 20% off when they brought along their printed tickets! The restaurant is so convenient for The Cameo, so this was a huge win.
It was Girdy’s eagle eye who spotted the offer for 20% off at Maki & Ramen for ticket holders during Scotland Loves Anime. But despite both of us heading there, it’s sadly just me that’s writing this review, because of time constraints!
I also must add that we’ve both been to Maki & Ramen before – just not this particular Fountainbridge restaurant – so our expectations were already high. We were not disappointed!
Maki & Ramen’s vibe
This is a great wee eatery, and Girdy’s favourite Maki & Ramen venue so far (making him really want to try Leith Street next)! It feels a bit more homely and less polished than the St James Quarter venue, and it’s got a lovely, warm vibe to it.
There’s greenery around, and cute Japanese niknaks to look at. The seating is fabulous, especially the area towards the back where you can sit cross-legged on the benches if you want to!
It was surprisingly busy for a Monday night, and Girdy was disappointed that we weren’t the first ones there to be using our SLA tickets to take advantage of the discount. I wasn’t surprised (or disappointed) – and thought it was extremely savvy of Maki & Ramen to have such an offer!
Maki & Ramen’s food and drink
The first thing we did was order some soft drinks. Diet Coke for Girdy (I think), and a blood orange San Pellegrino for self – my favourite! Was happy to see it on the menu, although noted there weren’t any fun mocktail options for if I wanted to try something a bit different (at least, not that I could see!).
I don’t mind telling you now that I have only just recently discovered katsu – and I absolutely LOVE katsu! Saying that, I’d never tried chicken katsu at Maki & Ramen before, so of course I had to order the chicken katsu. No regrets! This was absolutely perfect, and I adored every bite. So warming, so comforting for a November evening.
I also couldn’t go to Maki & Ramen without ordering my favourite soft shell crab sushi. Would it be too much food? Potentially. Was I willing to share with Girdy if necessary? Absolutely. I did encourage him to try my soft shell crab sushi, which he said tasted ‘earthy’ – not exactly the response I’d hoped for!
Girdy ordered the steak tataki, which he said was superb (although, the irasshai is apparently better). He also had the chicken mayo karaage – which is Japanese fried chicken served with togarashi mayo – that he thought was a gamble that paid off. (I seem to remember ordering that before, and him being jealous of me at the time – a recurring theme – so I don’t think it was really THAT much of a gamble)
For dessert (oh yes, we had dessert), Girdy had the banana fritters with vanilla ice cream. I ordered the three little moons – coconut ice cream mochi. I didn’t switch ’em up and order different flavours, because I’m a massive sucker for coconut ice cream and that’s all I wanted.
Maki & Ramen’s staff
I was so impressed with Maki & Ramen’s staff – particularly the lovely young man who, when I confirmed Girdy’s reservation, showed me the table we were supposed to have, and then the one we could go to instead. It was an upgrade by the window, and I took it! This also impressed Girdy.
We weren’t waiting long on our food, service was fabby, and getting our discount added to our bill was very easy. All in all, neither of us have a single bad word to say about the lovely staff at Maki & Ramen, Fountainbridge.
Things to do near Fountainbridge
Well! The most obvious thing is The Cameo, right around the corner. It’s a fantastic venue, and one I hold dear in my heart as it’s where All Night Horror Madness, and other events (like Scotland Loves Anime!) are held.
Being fairly central, there’s also no shortage of pubs, bars, theatres, hotels and spas near Maki & Ramen – and it’s only a short walk to Edinburgh Castle and all the major tourist attractions, too.
If you fancy doing something a bit different and heading west, there’s not a massive distance to walk to Fountainpark, where you’ll find the likes of Gravity trampoline park (where I once partook in a HIIT class!), Volcano Falls Adventure Golf, Heavenly Desserts, Laser Station and more!
Overall
Myself and Girdy had a great meal at Maki & Ramen, Fountainbridge. I may have ate too much, but I had absolutely no regrets doing so – and I’d do it again!!! Mwahahahah… Seriously, we’ve come to expect fairly high standards from Maki & Ramen now, and their Fountainbridge venue lives up to the name.
Also, did we mention Maki & Ramen are on Deliveroo?! You can now order delicious sushi straight to your door! (I may need to do this now I know soft shell crab rolls are literally available at the power of my fingertips)
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