As big fans of Nudo Sushi Box, it occurred to us at the weekend that that we have never actually been to the mothership. We decided to head along to Nudo Noodle House, which is located just behind The Gate on Low Friar Street, for a late lunch on Bank Holiday Monday. We were easily persuaded by the dozens of positive reviews online as well as the readily available gluten free and vegetarian menus, since Craig has now officially given up meat.

The restaurant wasn’t busy at all but that’s not to say it was a quiet. A big table of blokes seemed to be having a great time and were a little rowdy at time but it wasn’t too off-putting, it’s just that we’re a couple of grumps. Both waitresses we encountered on our visit were very attentive and friendly. We ordered a lemonade and a Tiger beer while we browsed the gluten free and veggie menus. This was one of those times where you’re spoilt for choice – the menu was full of gluten free options, most of which involved some kind of adaptation to the ingredients, and they were keen to accommodate us in any way they could.

I ordered Singapore Flat Rice Noodles, which came with chicken and prawns, while Craig went for the Tofu and Stir Fried Vegetables. We also ordered a couple of plates of sushi to go with our meals – Salmon Maki Rolls (I think), as I couldn’t visit Nudo without having a bit of their salmon sashimi, it’s my absolute favourite.

We sat below a sign that explained Nudo’s ethos as a welcoming and relaxed place to eat where you start eating as soon as you arrive and all plates are brought out freshly made, rather than when the whole table is ready to be served.

I was overwhelmed by the portion sizes – amazing value for money since both main courses were around the £8 mark. Craig got his own little bottle of soy sauce while I had tamari (big thumbs up from me!). My meal was adapted to be gluten free, so I’m guessing that was just a matter of not adding soy sauce to the recipe. It was full of chunky king prawns and chicken breast and masses of rice noodles cooked to perfection. Craig’s dish was equally huge and full of fresh veg (not just onion, as if often the case with noodle dishes I find) and huge lumps of tofu.

All in all the meal came to a reasonable £28 for the both of us – no wonder this place is always packed on the weekend! Couldn’t recommend Nudo any higher and will definitely be back to try out some of the other gluten free options soon.