Matsudai Ramen, a popular Cardiff restaurant, has been described as "a little bit special" and "worth travelling for" by BBC MasterChef judge Jimi Famurewa. The praise comes in The Guardian's first-ever dedicated food video series, FEED with Jimi Famurewa.
The six-part series explores chefs and independent businesses changing how Britain eats. Presented by Guardian restaurant critic and MasterChef judge Jimi Famurewa, it travels across the UK in search of distinctive and talked-about food trends.
Matsudai's journey to fame
Matsudai, which has already built a fanbase including top critic Jay Rayner, is the brainchild of James Chant. He first ventured into ramen in 2020 with sell-out ramen kits delivered to customers' doors before opening a permanent restaurant in 2022.
The site features in the second episode of the show, which explores the rise of "renegade ramen" and is now available on The Guardian website and YouTube. Filmed at Matsudai's restaurant, the episode calls it "a ramen shop that is genuinely one of the most revered and acclaimed in the entire country".
The episode sees Jimi meet founder James Chant and discover the story behind the cult Cardiff ramen business, which began as a series of sell-out pop-ups before building a nationwide following online.
James Chant on ramen
In the episode, James explains that for him "there's something a bit ethereal about a great bowl of ramen – it's like a great band. It's more than the sum of its parts".
Jimi, who has appeared on MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals, then watches James assemble a bowl of Triple Yuzu Shio Ramen. On trying it, he says: "The noodles have got a little bit of bite - it's a bit special. This is ramen really worth travelling for."
Series highlights
FEED launched on Thursday, July 30, with an episode examining viral bakery creations. In the ramen episode, Jimi also visits Maneki Ramen in Birmingham and G.Neko in Colchester.
Later episodes will explore trends including Irish Chinese spice bags and "Britalian-American" pizza. Jimi described the series as a celebration of the "hustle, innovation and craft" making Britain's food landscape more varied and exciting.
Founder's reaction
James Chant, founder of Matsudai Ramen, said: "Being asked to take part in the Guardian's first food video series feels genuinely surreal.
"Matsudai's whole story has been shaped by the internet. We started with pop-ups that would sell out online in minutes, and when the pandemic stopped us serving people in person, our customers backed us by ordering ramen kits from all over the UK.
"That support eventually allowed us to open our restaurant here in Cardiff, so a series exploring how online communities can help turn food ideas into real businesses feels very relevant to us.
"It's also brilliant to see Cardiff and Wales represented in a national series about the creativity and innovation shaping food culture across Britain."
The appearance marks the latest piece of national recognition for Matsudai, founded by former musician James in 2019. After its first pop-ups proved an immediate success, Matsudai launched a nationwide ramen-kit delivery service during the pandemic. The business has since shipped more than 50,000 orders UK wide and opened Wales' first standalone ramen restaurant in a former bank on Clare Road in Grangetown.
More recently, Matsudai's house Rayu Chilli Oil secured the highest possible rating of three stars at the 2026 Great Taste Awards. Only two per cent of the 15,038 products assessed in this year's awards received the coveted three-star accolade.
James added: "Having Jimi and the Guardian team come to Cardiff to hear our story was a huge honour. We can't wait for people to see the episode."
