Genki Roll

Genki Roll has a special place in my heart – I used to eat lunch there quite regularly as a student, so on this visit I tried my old favourite, the hot udon soup, to see if it’s still as good as I remember. The answer is yes. For a great value $5.20 you can get a regular sized udon, and I added tempura vegetables for an extra $2.50. The bowl was still a good size, and the tempura was going nice and soggy in the broth (yum). The noodles remain beautifully springy and given the different widths, I wonder if they’re made in store (does anyone know?). New is the pile of not-very-authentic greens on the side, which I avoided. The tempura vegetables did seem to contain prawns (maybe a communication error?) but was fabulously fried and full of onion and other good bits. Soaked in the broth, they were perfect. The prawn was a bit ho-hum, but as always, the broth is the real star and it was just like I remember -salty, and with that proper Japanese flavour that udon broths should have. Sure, it’s not exactly healthy, but on a chilly afternoon, this dish will warm you to your bones.

Genki Roll, Adelaide Central Plaza, Rundle Mall, Adelaide SA

Menbou

Not long after arriving in Kyoto, we set out to do some exploring. And subsequently spent quite some time in the subway system going back and forward because I picked the wrong station… So, while I regrouped, we grabbed lunch at a subterranean outlet called Menbou. It was a good choice. We picked the tonkatsu lunch set, which came with pork katsu, udon, rice, pickles and salad. The tray was huge, and absolutely everything on it was delicious. The tonkatsu was perfectly crumbed, with really tender pork and a katsu sauce you just wanted to lick the bowl for (or maybe that’s just me?). The udon were particularly good, springy and in a light broth enhanced by the flavour of the seaweed and spring onion. I do believe that rice tastes better in Japan, and this bowl was the proof in the pudding – I ate every last grain despite being full. No sauce, just tasty white rice. The pickles were nice and tart and the salad went nicely with the tonkatsu. This place was seriously good! Unfortunately I was only able to find the address of their main store, which is much fancier and may have a different menu.

Menbou, East of Kiyamachi-dori-Oike-agaru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto             http://menbo-foods.com

Miraku Japanese

On a work trip to Sydney I caught up with a friend for a quick lunch at the Hunter Connection food court,  famed for fast, cheap eats. We arrived right before the lunch rush, so secured a table and went to order from Miraku (I couldn’t go past Japanese!). I’m a sucker for a good udon, so picked the ‘ebi udon’, which came with two battered prawns. Our orders were ready fairly quickly (good to arrive ahead of the crowd) and the bowl I brought back to the table was full of yummy-looking udon. The broth was around the middle range of my experience – a nice flavour, but quite salty and slightly too fishy for a standard udon broth. The noodles themselves were nicely soft and springy and whilst you would never get carrot in your udon in Japan, extra vegetables should never be sneered at. There was plenty of spring onion, and at the counter you could help yourself to sesame. I really loved the huge prawns, which softened nicely when dipped in the broth. Considering the meal was just over $10, it was well-sized, filling and tasty – excellent value in the city centre.

Miraku Japanese, F9 Hunter Connection Food Plaza, 7-13 Hunter Street, Sydney NSW, no website.