MIYAGI LIVERPOOL (MATTY B RECOMMENDS)

It was time for some more foodie adventures in Liverpool now with a trip to Miyagi. This Asian restaurant located in the city centre up the thriving foodie hot spot that is Bold Street specializes in street food treats from the Far East. A glance at the menu shows traditional nibbles sitting alongside classic dishes with modern twists. Miyagi's namesake is a legendary movie creation, would the food be able to stand up to the name?

We walked in to Miyagi on a chilly Tuesday in October to a very quiet dining area which was great for us as we had our pick of tables. We went for one of the booths just to the right of the entrance and took in our surroundings. Miyagi was a beautiful mix of the modern with exposed brick work and wood effect flooring with sprinkles of the orient in the details. The interior is clean, crisp and a relaxed environment to enjoy an early evening meal with friends and family. 

The menu is in two halves. First half has a delicious sounding list of cocktails, wines and refreshing cleansers and teas. Don't worry though, there is beer on offer as well and that's exactly what we went for. The other half is the food. The left side of the food menu has an extensive list of "soul food", small plates which are ideal for ordering like tapas and sharing around the table. For those looking for a more substantial main, there are large plates as well however the street food on the "soul food" list sounded too tempting to pass up on this time so we ordered a selection and waited in anticipation for them to arrive.

First dish to hit the table were these duck gyoza. For their take on this classic Asian street food dish, Miyagi go down the crispy fried dumpling route rather than the soft steamed dumpling path which is great as that is what I prefer anyway. If you like crispy duck pancakes then you're onto a winner here. The duck filling inside the crisp dumplings was plentiful and moist and as is standard with all Asian duck starters and dim sum, it comes with a sticky hoi sin sauce dip which is a classic flavor combination. I loved them and could of happily eaten three more of these bad boys, no problem.

Next up was the Miyagi fried chicken with kimchi mayo. If you love any kind of fried chicken action you are going to love these. The chicken was fried in a southern fried style seasoned breadcrumb that had a great kick to it leaving a tingly sensation on your lips thanks to the combination of spices used in the crumb. One piece was a wing and the chicken slid of the bones in a slightly erotic kind of way leaving me with juicy white flesh to dip in the zingy kimchi mayo. The three piece option was definitely more than enough for one person. A standout of the meal!

Not the highlight though, that award goes to the sticky beef nori taco. I wasn't sure what to expect when I ordered this but when it arrived at the table it certainly had the wow factor. A giant crispy nori shell hid inside it a layer of sticky rice and a layer of crisp vegetables whilst poking out of the top shimmered some gorgeous crispy strips of beef. If you love crispy chili beef from the chippy then you will love this. The batter was crispy but not too dense or greasy so it didn't sit heavy and bloat you. A perfect street food dish that I could quite happily come back for again and again.

If you can't decide what to order, try the Miyagi bento box. We ordered the vegetarian version which arrived in a gorgeous presentation box. It included some tofu yakitori skewers alongside vegetable tempura which had a very light and crispy batter on them which complimented the creamy mayo dip in the centre of the box. A mountain of edamame beans demanded to be popped from their shells and devoured whilst a refreshing green tea soba noodle salad, wasabi rice and some pickles (which very much resembled a particular burger chain giants gherkins!) rounded off a gorgeous banquet for one. An excellent selection of food for an excellent price as well!

With places to go and people to see we decided to pass on dessert today but promised that we would be back again to give them a whirl. I'm angry at myself that it took me so long to get down to Miyagi. This is Asian street food with modern twists and slight fusion elements but without being to weird and outlandish that it becomes gimmicky. The food was amazing, surroundings amazing and I defiantly won't leave it as long until I come back again. Get your karate chops over to Mister Miyagi as soon as, it's proper kick-ass!

Head on over to Miyagi's website for more info on the Bold street branch and their brand new opening down Allerton road. Book a table and then head down there for some serious soul food fun!