My daughter Dominique and I recently ate at Magoya Japanese Restaurant in Chester. All I can say is you owe it to yourself to try this restaurant. Neither of us had ever tried Japanese cuisine before. We were very pleasantly surprised. The atmosphere was calm and soothing. There is a very cool sushi bar on one side of the restaurant where we could see the chef preparing the food.
The service was personal and the owner was quite attentive. We were greeted as soon as we walked in the door and were seated right away. Magoya’s menu is extensive and we had a very hard time choosing what we would eat.
We started with appetizers. I had heard of miso soup and the description sounded nice and safe for a newbie like me. We both ordered a bowl of soup and we added a chicken tempura roll.
The miso soup was wonderful. The broth was rich with delicate pieces of tofu and seaweed. This rated an A+ at our table. The appetizer was just as good. My daughter declared this dish her favorite.
The chicken was deep fried in batter and then rolled up into the seaweed and rice like sushi. It was served with small serving dishes for our soy sauce. I have to admit, we had to ask what to do with the cute little dishes.
When the owner, who came by to see how we were doing, found out that we were new to Japanese cuisine, she was quick to make some suggestions. She must have seen us holding our menus and making faces of indecision. She explained some things that we were not familiar with and got us on our way.
We also ordered Yakidori, chicken that came on a wooden skewer in a flat dish with a wonderful reddish brown sauce. The chicken was sprinkled with sesame seeds and came with mushrooms, broccoli and yams. Delicious!
We were served our main dishes next. I chickened out a little on this and ordered the Chicken Tempura. I have no regrets. The chicken was so tender and tasty. The batter was very light and didn’t tast greasy like most American fried dishes too. I got some broccoli and yams and a small bowl of white rice with
my dish also.
As another nod to the great service, the owner noticed how I was struggling with my chopsticks and very unobtrusively brought me a fork for the rest of my meal. I gave it the old college try with the chopsticks, but I admit I was grateful for a fork. My daughter, on the other hand, ate with them like a pro.
Dominique had the Chicken Katsu. It had a nice light breading on it that was a reddish orange color. It was served with a mixed greens salad that had a dressing Dominique was crazy about. We forgot to ask what it was, but she says she plans on coming back for more. The chicken was tender and the portion was generous.
After our wonderful meal was cleared away, we were served some delicious, hot green tea. It was a very nice way to wash away the savory flavors of the meal and get the palate ready for our creamy desserts that we had our eye on since we opened our menus.
Dessert was another food adventure. I ordered a fruity dessert that had amarena cherry gelato and a vanilla gelato. It was topped with whipped cream and a cherry. It was just as good as it looked. Again, it was a nice light dish that did not leave me wishing I had left it on my plate.
Dominique ordered the Coppa Mascarpone which was a decadent combination of Mascarpone with custard, chocolate sauce, crushed amaretto cookies, whipped cream, chocolate shavings and a cherry on top.
T
he meal that was presented to us at Magoya made us feel as if we were in a five-star restaurant. We never wanted for anything, the service was so good. The owner even arranged our plates for us to better try everything we had ordered.
On your next trip through Chester, be sure to make a stop at Magoya on Brookside Avenue. You’ll be glad you did.