udon – Eris Goes To

Chewy Japanese Noodles! @ Miyatake Sanuki Udon, ISETAN 1 Utama Shopping Centre, Petaling Jaya

September 25, 2020March 23, 2021Posted in FoodTagged Asian cuisine, Asian food, eats, Featured, food, food blog, food photography, foodie, Japanese, Japanese food, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, noodles, Petaling Jaya, restaurant review, udonLeave a comment

My favourite udon joints seem to be closing one by one. First it was Marufuku Udon in Jaya One, then recently, Hanamaru Udon in Sunway Pyramid. Thankfully, I’ve found a new place to satisfy my chewy noodle cravings – and it’s close to my new workplace.

Miyatake Sanuki Udon has roots in Kagawa, Japan, where they have restaurants and their own noodle factory. They opened their first outlet in Malaysia at ISETAN 1Utama in 2019. The resto looks like your typical Japanese casual dining joint: lots of wood, attractive photos of the food, and Japanese-style buntings you usually see at sushi spots and robatayakis. Orders are made for at the counter, and you can also pick your side dishes like chicken karaage, enoki mushrooms, crab sticks, chikuwa, and more.

It goes without saying that their specialty is udon, and there are several varieties, such as plain, with curry, with thin slices of beef, and with onsen tamago (soft boiled egg). Went for the latter, which featured a full, yellow yolk that sat atop a bed of silky, chewy noodles.

Miyatake Sanuki Udon’s noodles are well known for their quality, and it is also sold in supermarkets around the world. The noodles are made from wheat that has been carefully selected and milled at their factory in Sanuki, giving them a sumptuous, strong-bodied flavour. You can taste the fragrant aroma of wheat, and it is by far one of the chewiest udon noodles that I’ve tasted. If you like chewy noodles, this will be right up your alley.

Ordered sides of chicken karaage and fried enoki mushrooms.

Enjoying the different textures – crunchy and crispy, soft and chewy – is the ultimate satisfaction! Dip your fried snacks in tempura sauce for extra flavour.

The onsen tamago was literally perfect: tried lifting it up and the membrane didn’t even tear.

An average bowl of udon here ranges from RM11 – RM20. My meal with two sides and a drink came up to RM25. Green tea is refillable, but the price is steep at RM4.

MIYATAKA SANUKI UDON (non-halal)

Food Paradise, 2F, 1 Utama Shopping Centre, Central Park Avenue, Bandar Utama, 47800 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

facebook.com/udonwon

Cheap and Tasty Eats @ Marufuku Udon, Jaya One PJ

May 13, 2017May 7, 2017Posted in FoodTagged Asian food, dining, eating, Featured, food, Japanese food, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Marufuku Udon, noodles, Petaling Jaya, restaurant review, udon1 Comment

The other day, I was returning to the office after visiting the National Archives and decided to stop by at Jaya One for lunch.Wanted to get udon, but realised that the Sushi King there is an ‘Express’ outlet and doesn’t serve noodles :/. But as usual, the universe provides – and I stumbled on this place called Marufuku Udon. The prices were very reasonable, so in I went!

The eatery has a very casual setting; almost like a canteen with minimal decor. That’s not really important though, the food is.

My order of Beef Udon (RM12) came in a generous serving of slippery udon noodles, a silky onsen tamago (egg) and thin slices of beef in a savoury/sweet brown sauce. The egg is larger than usual and there’s plenty of it to coat the noodles to give it a silky smooth texture that slips down your throat! The beef slices were tender and the noodles were bouncy with a slightly al dente texture. All in all, a very good bowl of udon and definitely value for money.

If you don’t want the beef, their house special is just the egg and noodles for RM7. You can top up all the main meals with a drink of iced green tea for just RM1.

Side of deep fried octopus (RM5). Lightly seasoned, the crispy coating conceals chunky pieces of octopus on the inside. My only complaint? I wish there was more xD

The Chicken Karaage side comes in a serving of three pieces. I can understand why some people might not like it coz the batter was a bit overcooked and looked burnt, but the flavour of the seasoning was pretty good and the chicken was cooked thoroughly, juicy and tender on the inside.

To end the meal on a sweet note, caramel pudding. Not so much jelly as it is creamy, like a mild creme brulee.

I was satisfied with the meal and will come back again if I’m ever in the area! 🙂

MARUFUKU UDON

Block L, Unit 18, Level G, Phase 1, Jaya One, Jalan University, Seksyen 13, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

Phone: +603 7957 6368

Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm Daily

NON HALAL – they serve Sake, but the establishment is pork free.

Nadai Fujisoba@ Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

December 23, 2016December 22, 2016Posted in Food, Philippines, TravelTagged Bonifacio Global City, dining, eating, Featured, Filipino, food, food photography, Japanese, Manila, Metro Manila, Nadai Fujisoba, Philippines, restaurant, restaurant review, soba, Taguig, udonLeave a comment

When it comes to Japanese noodles, ramen tends to get more attention – so it’s nice to see a place dedicated to two lesser known (but no less delicious!) counterparts – udon and soba.

Like it’s name, Nadai Fujisoba specialises in soba, or buckwheat, noodles. The chain is popular in Japan, but has also made its way to Bonifacio Global City in Metro Manila. Located along High Street, the small but cosy establishment teems with decor inspired by the land of the Rising Sun, with kanji, art and murals adorning its walls.

The Ebiten Soba (PHP 280) came with two gigantic battered prawns, seaweed and spring onions in a bonito-based broth. The noodles were slightly al-dente, giving it a good bite, and the savoury soup warmed up the belly. Flavours were just right without being overwhelming. Ebi was done well too – not too oily, and juicy on the inside.

Also tried the Buta Bara Kimuchi Don (small – PHP100). Despite its ‘small’ serving, the portion was quite enough for me! There were thin slices of marinated pork belly, which had a good balance of lean meat and fat. Rice was fluffy and warm. To top it off, sour and spicy kimchi. The pork had too much sauce though which made the rice underneath soggy after some time. But the flavours were right.

Every noodle dish here offers either soba/udon. There’s no ramen ! xD They also have Donburi rice bowls, like the one above.

Nadai Fujisoba

G/F Building 7, Bonifacio High Street
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Philippines

Phone: +632 830 3333

Opening hours: 10 am to 11pm daily

Japanese Lunch: Izumi @ Nu Sentral & Sushi King, The Mines

March 17, 2016Posted in FoodTagged Asian, bento, diary, eating, food, Izumi Japanese Cuisine, Japanese, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Nu Sentral, restaurant review, sushi, The Mines, udon2 Comments

I was rushing for an interview at Nu Sentral in KL the other day. With only a few minutes for lunch, I ordered a quick chicken karaage bento (RM12.90) from a Japanese stall called Izumi at the mall’s food court. Was pleasantly surprised at how tasty the food was!

Four largish pieces of deep fried chicken – salty and well-seasoned on the outside, crispy and juicy on the inside – lying on top of a bed of lettuce, shredded cabbage, pickled daikon and rice. The miso soup tasted good too – not like some powdery sht you get from commercial chains. For the affordable price, I think it was a good deal. No wonder the place was packed with the office crowd.

They have loads of other stuff like Ramen, Udon, Teppanyaki and more.

IZUMI JAPANESE CUISINE

Level 3, Quizinn Foodcourt, Nu Sentral Shopping Mall, KL Sentral, Kuala Lumpur

Had Japanese food again for lunch today. Nope, I don’t get tired of it!

The nearest place for a quick fix is Sushi King at The Mines. I always grab their Mix N Match set, which costs only RM14.90 for two items of your choice. Got the Tsukimi Udon and Mini Tempura. The portion is of course, not as big as the regular one but enough for me. I like how they have fried tempura batter bits swimming in the tempura soy broth, and the half boiled egg adds more flavour. Tempura was done well and very value for money, since there were two pieces of prawn, long beans, and a piece of chicken.

Also got their Chuka Idaako (Marinated baby octopus). The version here always tastes better to me than the Sakae Sushi one.

This post was pretty random. Are you hungry yet?

Hanamaru Udon, Mid Valley Megamall

August 15, 2015January 22, 2016Posted in FoodTagged Asian, eating, food, Hanamaru Udon, Japanese, Malaysia, noodles, restaurant review, udonLeave a comment

The thing about many Japanese restaurants in Malaysia is that they don’t allow you to ‘personalise’ your dishes – if you order an Udon Tempura meal, you’d get a bowl of soy sauce-broth based udon together with fried ebi, green beans, aubergine and sweet potato.

So when I walked past Hanamaru Udon while at Mid Valley Megamall, my curiosity was piqued. The menu had various types of udon – from kamaage udon, ontama bukkake (lol), kitsune, to curry udon, beef udon and chicken soup udon. The prices were very reasonable: only Rm8.80 for a regular bowl and RM11++ for large. Instead of sitting at a table and ordering, they have self-service style counter where you start off by ordering your choice of udon, followed by your pick of fried items and then drink before paying. Very convenient!

The fried selection has common tempura items like sweet potato, pumpkin, chicken katsu, ebi (shrimp) and karaage. They are all priced below RM5.

I had the bukkake udon, which was topped with chopped spring onion garnishing, soy-sauce based broth, slice of lemon wedge and finely minced cold radish.

For sides, two pieces of fried ebi (RM4.80 each) and fried chicken (karaage) (RM3.80). These were very well done – Crisp and crunchy on the outside, but moist and juicy on the inside. The ebi was a little salty but otherwise these were some of the better tempuras that I’ve ever had. And they’re cheap too! 🙂

Hanamaru Udon is just next to Yoshinoya, which specialises in gyudon (beef bowls). They’re sister outlets so the dining area is joined.

HANAMARU UDON
Lot T-015B, Level 3,

Mid Valley Megamall, Mid Valley City,

Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2201 8789

Got a bottle of free herbal tea from an event. 🙂