Restaurant review: DOJO

Dojo is a popular spot among young Geordies and is a strong contender for the title of best Japanese restaurant in Newcastle. 
    

Immediately upon entering, you are met with Kumamon's welcoming face, then bombarded with iconography from Japan. It's like stepping into an Izakaya, only with more of a focus on food rather than alcohol. 

The Tonkatsu were top-tier, a massive step above the katsu that is becoming a popular pub option. These cutlets were high-quality meat, perfectly fried and had just the right amount of crunch. You can get your katsu with Curry or with ramen. The staff are clearly proud of how well they are able to cook it. Though the menu is packed with sushi, sashimi and tempura options.
    

The ramen had a rich, satisfyingly salty broth. I'm a fan of udon, which can be hard to find in the North East, but they did have ramen noodles aswell. These noodles were very authentic, along with the rest of the ingredients, even down to the shredded cabbage. 

For dessert, the staff offer a variety of Mochi. When it arrived, we found that it was all ice cream-filled or Anko-filled daifuku, which made sense since it was listed next to the matcha ice cream. Anko is another uncommon ingredient in restaurants around here, so it was a delicious blast from the past to eat something decadent again.

I might recommend sharing a dessert as I found it to be quite filling, but I did have one of the larger main courses. 

Menu: https://www.zmenu.com/dojo-newcastle-online-menu/

Address: 26 Stowell St, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4XQ

Website: https://www.instagram.com/dojo_ncl/

By Alfie Blincowe