Ten years ago, I would have never imagined trying and possibly liking cold udon noodles. However, that was ten years ago.
I’m tired of eating mall food (just one more week!). Yesterday, took a short walk outside of the mall, past the Chinese restaurant The Cat used to frequent pretty regularly, and got handed a coupon for the udon restaurant next door.
Coupon
We haven’t tried this place before for a couple of reasons. First, when they first opened, the lines were too long. Second, when we took a look at the menu, the price seemed a little high for “noodles”. And third, udon is not on The Cat’s favorite noodle list.
But recently, I’ve seen banners advertising $5.99 bentos, and $8.00 lunch specials (comparable to what the mall vendors charge for “mall food”). The coupon nudged me to try.
It was a toss-up between udon with a pork rice bowl, or chicken karaage. Although the chicken karaage was tempting, went with the pork rice bowl.
Lunch Combo: Cold Udon and Pork Rice Bowl
Server asked if I wanted the udon hot or cold. The weather was humid, and me being more adventurous (food-wise) in my old age went with the cold choice.
I’ve had cold somen and soba before and didn’t mind it but never tried cold udon before. To the uninitiated, udon is thick Japanese-style noodles.
Udon Noodles
The dish came with a soy sauce based dipping sauce with grated ginger and green onions on the side.
Ginger and Green Onions
All of this went into my sauce. In addition, the table had sesame seeds, tempura sprinkles, and the chili pepper blend, Japanese style (one of my favorite condiments).
Condiments
All of these went into my sauce as well. When it comes to some foods, I believe in the “all in theory”. 🙂
So, how were the cold udon noodles? Not bad. With cold soba and somen, the noodles are thin and soft. I can slurp them kind of quickly (it’s okay to slurp). With the udon, the texture is very al dente. Chew, chew, chew, and chew some more. A good way for me to eat slow. All in all a very good experience. Does cold udon noodles replace udon in hot broth? No, but I’m no longer opposed to eating them this way.
Now for the pork rice bowl.
Pork Rice Bowl
Braised pork with onions, shoyu based sauce, over rice. Not bad at all, a smidgen too much onions (kind of overpowered the pork), but still good.
Probably would go back for lunch (dinner is still a little pricey for noodles). Maybe try the hot udon next time for lunch.
Definitely not “mall food”. 🙂
Enjoy. Eat well.
The Mouse
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