Chesterton Road is quickly becoming a serious foodie hotspot, going from strength to strength with every new opening. The latest addition to the strip is The Bamboo, a small, café sized restaurant serving authentic Japanese and Chinese cuisine. This is something Chesterton Road has needed, being one of the few popular restaurants types left for it to claim.

I was excited to try it as Japanese food is a favourite of mine, ever since I travelled across the country fifteen years ago. There are some decent Japanese restaurants in Cambridge but we aren’t spoiled for choice, with enough to count on one hand, so an extra addition is very much welcome. I couldn’t help but wonder whether it could stand out from the rest or offer something different, so I headed down with the Cambridge Foodies moderator team for our quarterly team meeting to investigate!

A unique charm

From the outside, the restaurant looks small and unassuming, easily passable without noticing. Step inside, however, and it is a different world entirely. The restaurant is surprisingly light and airy, with tall windows that give great views of the street outside. I absolutely love the wooden interior; it feels like stepping straight through a portal to one of those coastal Japanese cafes that screams “small family-run restaurant.” It offers a warm, unique, and wholly authentic experience that I just love…and yes, a uniquely different character from any of the other Japanese restaurants in Cambridge!

Starters

We started with the dumplings, which are all made in-house by hand. They are chunky, packed to the brim, and easily some of the best dumplings I have had in the city. the look so simple but once you take a bite you suddenly get it. These aren’t dumplings trying to be too clever or innovative like you may see at other restaurants but dumplings done simply, the correct way,

Great Vegan Options

The vegetarian and vegan options are clearly not a second thought here either. The Hong Kong-style aubergine bites were absolutely incredible – crispy, juicy, and served as a generous, satisfying mouthful. Across the table we all agreed that this was one of the highlights of our visit.

The same praise goes for the tofu bites, which I found completely irresistible to put down. They are cut into large cubes with a thin breadcrumb skin that crackles beautifully against the soft centre. These are perfect sharing food and make an ideal starter for a small group.

The Japanese fried chicken (karaage) was also a fantastic starter choice. It was significantly lighter than your standard American-style fried chicken, meaning you won’t accidentally fill yourself up before the mains even arrive. Because it is traditionally made with a light cornstarch batter and soy sauce, it gives you a beautifully crisp exterior without that heavy, greasy weight. It is also completely boneless, which means you can easily navigate it with chopsticks and eat it in a single bite without making a bloody mess.

It wasn’t a flawless run, however, as the garlicky ribs didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I found them a bit too gristly and chewy, and the flavour profile was dominated mostly by the fat, giving it a slight spammy taste, rather than the deep garlic punch I was expecting. If you are ordering starters, I’d recommend skipping these and sticking to the excellent dumplings and aubergine instead.

The Mains

Fortunately, things got right back on track with the mains. Across the board, the ramen noodles were beautifully presented and served in decent portions. The meat was generous, tender, flavourful, and wholesome – comfort food at its absolute finest.

Even though I didn’t get to try it myself, the Laksa ramen looked absolutely beautiful from across the table. For those who don’t know, Laksa is a classic Malaysian and Singaporean street food staple, so seeing it adapted here into a ramen format is a brilliant touch. I could see big, juicy prawns and scallops swimming in that thick, creamy coconut broth that genuinely had me salivating. Large slabs of tofu and a mountain of bean sprouts bulked out the broth, adding a great mix of textures that made it look like a wonderfully diverse, interesting dish.

The Shoyu ramen noodles were a particular highlight for me, offering a generous helping of beautifully tender sliced chashu pork, a jammy marinated egg, fresh broccoli, and what tasted like freshly made noodles with a brilliant bounce to them. It is a wonderfully classic bowl of ramen that is often considered the standard of Japanese ramen, making it a great introduction for anyone trying Japanese noodles for the first time. You get all the traditional trimmings, including seaweed and that iconic pink-swirled narutomaki fish cake sitting in a beautifully clear, savoury soy broth. It feels clean, light, and deeply comforting without leaving you feeling weighed down.

The Classics

For those looking for the classics, the Green Thai curry and the Chicken Katsu curry were both your fairly typical, well-executed additions. They are important crowd-pleaser dishes to have on a menu like this. The only real difference is that their sauces were both slightly thicker than I am used to, which divided opinions at the table but I actually really enjoyed, as it gave them a slightly deeper, bolder flavour.

Some things to remember before you go

A few practical things to note before you head down: no alcohol is served on site, so keep that in mind if you fancy a beer with your noodles. Also, just watch out as there are no toilet facilities. This won’t bother people who live close by, but if you live 30 – 40 minutes out like I do, you might get caught out! So, make sure you go before you visit!

As warm and authentic as it is delicious

Despite those minor issues, the food is fantastic with some real winners on the menu – especially those handmade dumplings. The staff here are incredibly warm and friendly, being super attentive throughout our meal and even kind enough to laugh at my crap jokes 🤣

While The Bamboo might struggle to compete with fancy, high-end and technical Japanese establishments, it completely wins you over with pure charm, warmth and authenticity. It is a fantastic, welcoming addition to the area, offering a peaceful zen atmosphere that is just another brilliant reason to get yourself down to Chesterton Road.

If I lived close by, I could really see myself using this as my regular.

Thanks for reading!