One of our favourite ramen joints in the whole city is Maki & Ramen, and we've always had a soft spot for their Northern Quarter location.  So we were chuffed to be invited down to a special event on a blisteringly hot Monday evening this week.  

The evening was to celebrate a new collaboration between Maki and Ramen's Northern Quarter branch, and the fabulous Chorlton-based independent brewery, Tūn Brewing.  Said collaboration is titled 'Kanpai', which translates to cheers in Japanese.

The collab offering presents two of Maki & Ramen's signation bowls of joy, expertly paired up with two offerings from Tūn Brewery, designed to enhance your ramen experience and work in perfect harmony with each other.

It's worth noting that this collab is only available at the NQ branch (for a limitedf time) and comes at a bargain price point of just £18 for your ramen and beer!  This is why we are huge fans of the NQ branch.  Following some group intros and greetings, we couldn’t wait to get stuck in!

Whilst not part of the collab, hungry guests started off with a couple of bites.  The unmissable Edamame beans are always a perfect little start to any Japanese led meal and served as the perfect grazing plate. 

Then came the iconic Chicken Mayo Karaage. I can't really sum this dish up in a better nutshell than calling it a crowd pleaser.  Assuming that you eat chicken, I can't imagine anyone not loving this dish.

The final snacks for our table were Maki & Ramen's sensational Gyozas.  Wonderfully steamed, generously filled, and all that you hope for in a gyoza.  All 3 snack are available on the menu, and we can vouch for them being an ideal little precursor to those ramens.  Speaking of which….

For the main event, guests were treated to Maki & Ramen’s Black Garlic Tonkotsu, paired up with Tūn Brewing’s Daradach Stout. The dish is built on a slow-simmered pork broth, layered with black garlic, chashu and marinated egg, delivering deep umami richness and a creamy, indulgent texture.

The second pairing saw Maki and Ramen's punchy Hell Ramen, tag teamed with Tūn Brewing’s Lemondrop Dry-Hopped Pilsner.  A one of Maki & Ramen’s signature spicy dishes, Hell Ramen is built around a chilli-infused broth designed to deliver heat, depth and lingering spice. The Lemondrop Pilsner delivered bright, refreshing citrus and floral notes which lifted all that spice rather than fighting it.  Absolutely delicious!

So Maki & Ramen's new Tūn Brewery collab sounds like the perfect partnership and is a great excuse to head down to Maki and Ramen NQ and test drive things for yourself.

** Our experience was gratefully comped **