Food review: Rakuzen Sushi and Noodle Bar, Southsea

As previously reported by The News, the restaurant at Elm Grove promises a wide variety of Asian dishes like sushi, curries, yakisoba, donburi and ramen. It mainly offers Japanese dishes but has familiar favourites from Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

After walking through the noren, the short Japanese curtain, we found we were the only customers in the dining area. The interior was well-lit with hanging bamboo lamps and traditional Japanese artwork.

We were given a small table by the window by an attentive and smiley waitress. To our relief, after ordering two pints of Asahi and looking through the menu, more avid noodle-slurpers arrived.

For starters we went for mixed tempura (£9.40) and the rainbow maki roll (£7.40) which arrived at our table within 10 minutes.

The maki sushi roll was made with salmon, tuna, squid, prawns, avocado, seafood stick and mayonnaise. For what we paid, the maki roll was almost too good to be true, all the seafood tasted high quality and freshly prepared. The mixed tempura was lightly fried pieces of prawn, squid, scallop and vegetables with complimentary dipping sauce.

Both starters were incredibly moreish, leaving enough room for mains.

Other starters included gyoza dumplings (£5.80) yakitori chicken (£5.50) and salmon teriyaki (£6.20).

For main, my assistant went for ramen with a miso soup base and prawn dumplings (£9.20). As a committed ramen enthusiast a lot was riding on his feedback, so when I heard the words ‘definitely good’ I was impressed.

He added it wasn’t too salty, which is common for miso dishes and that all the flavours were well balanced.

For my main, I chose the laksa noodle soup (£9.80) which came with king prawns, chicken, tofu puff and fish cake.

I have only heard rumours about the deliciousness of laksa noodle soup, a popular Malaysian dish halfway between a ramen and a curry. The coconut soup base was filled with perfectly cooked egg noodles and topped generously with meat and seafood.

The dish was genuinely one of the most memorable I’ve had, a perfectly spicy, vibrant bowl of heaven that became more addictive after each spoonful. Other mains include Thai/red green curry (£9.30); nasi goreng with chicken satay (£12.50); chicken yaki udon (£9), and chicken katsu curry (£9.20).

After looking at the dessert menu we realised we couldn’t fit in a single scoop of ice cream which came in interesting flavours such as black sesame, matcha green tea and adzuki red bean.

Rakuzen offers a laid-back and comfortable dining experience different to other Asian restaurants in the area. I will definitely be revisiting.

Ratings (Out of 5):

Food: 5

Value: 5

Ambience: 4

Kid-friendly: 4