A NEW noodle bar held its grand opening in the heart of Southampton this week.

Neds Noodle Bar hosted its intimate launch party upstairs in the Marlands Shopping Centre food court yesterday with The Marlands VIP Balcony, for a small group of friends and business associates.

Residents of all ages came to sample the healthier London noodle bar and hangout, which gave customers the chance to meet Founder James Breslaw, who is behind Neds Noodle Bar brand, and sample free food and drinks.

The first Neds Noodle Bar store was opened in 2000 by restaurateur James and Roberto Marroni, who fell in love with Oriental cuisine and flavours while backpacking together through Asia; the chain was also nominated for the ‘best noodles in the UK’ at the UK Golden Chopsticks Awards 2019.

Mr Breslaw said: “This is the fifth noodle bar we have opened and it is the start our our journey. Roberto is from Rome and I was a chef so the food was always really important to us.

"All of our sauces are from Thailand so they are authentic and it takes two minutes to make any meal on our menu. We also have interests from Paris and Rome so we are off to Paris next month.”

The store offers dine-in, take-out or delivery, featuring Neds Noodle Boxes filled with Neds Noodles, filling, sauce and veggies. These also include a variety of starters such as Gyoza and Sizzling Calamari Strips, noodle soups, rice and salads.

Customers also had the opportunity to see the bar in action from 5pm to 8pm and enjoyed a venue where Asian culture could be experienced with foreign beers and music.

Nigel Philpotts, a 54-year-old SEE Southampton employee from Dibden Purlieu, said: “I think it is a great facility for Southampton. It is great to hear they welcome groups here and it will be interesting to come here another day to see how it does.”