NATSU Tavira — Restaurant in Tavira

It was amazing to see a lovely Japanese place decorated with so many amazing Japanese cartoon/ anime characters. The bubble teas were tasty for the most part. We ordered a taro bubble tea with tapioca and coconut jelly but the bubble tea came with coconut pearls, not jelly. Way too sweet for my liking. We were also impressed by the bear shaped ice decoration on the top of the bubble tea and how it added a thickness to the tea when it melted.

Disappointed with the starters - Takoyaki was overcooked - not soft inside as it is traditionally made. Bao buns (duck) were tasty but barely any duck inside.

The pork donburi was also disappointing - the pork was overcooked and had no flavour. Donburi is usually served with vegetables - instead the dish had meat and rice. The rice was not particularly flavourful - it had been excessively doused in soya sauce and had some scrambled egg mixed in.

Prawn Yakishoba was okay, no flavour except from soy sauce. And chicken donburi was okayish. Little dry. Rice was reasonable but had too much soy sauce.

We have been to Japan and also have our favourite Japanese food places in London so we do know what Japanese food...

Beautiful riverside view, but ramen was disappointing

We had our meal outdoors by the river, and the view was lovely — a highlight of the experience. The restaurant is themed around Japanese ramen, with decor that mimics a traditional izakaya-style space.

Unfortunately, the ramen itself was far below expectations. Coming from Hong Kong and having traveled to Japan, I’m quite familiar with authentic ramen, and sadly, what we had here didn’t come close. The broth lacked depth, and the overall texture and flavor felt off.

Thankfully, the Taiwanese-style buns and gyoza were decent — they helped lift the meal to an overall passable level.

One more note: if you're dining in the afternoon, be mindful of their break hours. We were reminded more than once by staff when we needed to leave. Service could certainly be more tactful...

I really want this restaurant to succeed, because it reminds me of home, until....I tasted some of the dishes then, back to 🙁 Ramen is good, but I've never seen raw white onions🧅 served as a topping. That just throws it off. The Gyoza should have the Japanese flavor not the Dim Sum flavor. The Chicken Yakitori is Chicken Teriyaki. The Ajitsuke Tamago (soft-boiled egg in sweetened soy sauce), needs improvement. Yolk is overcooked and the sauce marinade needs more flavor (not salt). The Tapioca balls need honey/better flavoring. 😬

It's a brand new restaurant and probably still working out the kinks. I'm really...