Maki & Ramen is a new halal Japanese ramen and sushi spot on The Broadwalk at Lakeside, and I wanted to see what it was like. I visited through @joli_app on Halloween.
It’s a big, spacious restaurant with red lanterns, neon signs and lots of choice on the menu, from ramen and curries to sushi rolls and small plates. All the food here is halal and the dishes are certified. There’s also no alcohol in the soy sauce or the sushi.
Here’s what I ordered:
- Dynamite prawns – £10.90 ⭐
- Pumpkin croquettes
- Volcano roll – £12.90
- Grilled salmon roll
- Steak tataki ramen – £17.50
- Chicken firecracker ramen – £16.50
- Banana fritters
The star of the show was the dynamite prawns. They’ve recently changed the recipe to a crispy batter, and it works. The batter is light and airy rather than heavy, and the prawns are packed with flavour. I’d put them on the same level as P.F. Chang’s, if not better. If you only order one thing here, make it these.
The pumpkin croquettes were really nice too.
The volcano roll comes out with dry ice pouring over the table, which looks really cool. It’s not just for show either, because it tasted great. We also had the grilled salmon roll.
The ramen is where it fell down for me. The chicken firecracker was spicy, but it tasted more of miso than anything else. The steak tataki ramen had a subtle lemongrass flavour, but not much else going on. Neither of them were to my taste, which is a shame at a place with ramen in the name.
We finished with banana fritters.
I have to be honest about the service, because I thought it was very poor. The staff were all dressed up for Halloween, but they weren’t attentive. The kids’ meal came out with no fork, I had to ask for a spoon at dessert, and our table wasn’t cleared, even after I piled the plates up and left them on the edge for the staff to take. It could have been so much better.
Overall, the food was good, and the dynamite prawns alone are worth the visit. Skip the ramen, stick to the small plates and sushi, and hope the service gets sharper. It’s another halal option for Lakeside, and if you’re in the area it’s worth checking out.
📍 Maki & Ramen, Unit 2, The Broadwalk, Lakeside Shopping Centre, RM20 2ZN
✅ All food halal
🅿️ Parking in car park 4, next door
