While there is a plethora of ramen restaurants in Vancouver, there is yet to be that boom for udon restaurants. While you can find udon in many Japanese restaurants it is always the prepackaged kind. Enter Motonobu Udon. They are the first Udon restaurant in Vancouver. They offer Sanuki udon which is most popular in the Kagawa prefecture in Japan. It is a noodle that has a square shape and flat edges with a chewy texture. Check out what I thought about Motonobu Udon below!
What is Udon?
Udon is a type of Japanese thick noodle made from wheat flour. It can be served in many ways – simply in hot soup, cold, or even stir fried! There are so many variations on how udon can be served. At Motonobu Udon uses a family recipe (passed down by Chef Shin’s grandmother) but uses Canadian sourced flour to create a special blend. The udon noodles at Motonobu Udon are a little thinner than commercial udon you find in store. The reasoning is that their chef has found this thickness to be the most optimal ratio for broth, noodles and tastiness.
Motonobu Udon – Handmade Udon Menu
The udon menu is divided into three sections:
- Traditional Udon – handmade Udon with premium dashi broth. Made with katsuobushi (bonito), four types of dried fish, shiitake mushroom, and konbu kelp.
- Cold Udon – handmade with house-made cold style sauce of soy and mirin fortified dashi. Comes with a tempura egg.
- Specialty Udon – handmade Udon with Motonobu original sauce, broth and flavor combination.
In addition to the udon options, there is the option to add a variety of tempura to your bowl.
For our visit we went with:
- Niku Udon ($15.50) + onsen egg ($2.50) + 2 pieces ebiten ($7.00)
- Ankake Ebi Yuzukosho ($18.50) + onsen egg ($2.50)
The Niku Udon features their udon in a premium dashi broth with thick slices of beef brisket. The broth looks nice and clear, but still very flavourful. This is my friend’s go-to order. To round out their dish they added an onsen egg and ebiten (prawn tempura).
I went with the Ankake Ebi Yuzukosho. This bowl features Yuzukosho flavored spicy thickened soup (both dashi and chicken broth), prawn pieces, shiitake mushrooms, seaweed, green onion, and cilantro. Yuzukosho is a pasty Japanese condiment made from fresh chili and then fermented with salt along with zest and juice from yuzu. It is a very distinct flavour that can be off putting if you’re not familiar with yuzu. I personally adore it so I was very intrigued by this dish. The broth was very flavourful and packed a lovely yuzu taste. I personally didn’t find it spicy. I was very impressed by the plentiful ingredients in the bowl – particularly the prawn and shiitake mushrooms.
Worth a Try?
Yes, if you are a fan of udon, I would definitely check out this spot. It is on the pricier side with bowls in the $15-20 range but the quality is definitely there. When we went it was quite busy and they do not take reservations. However, by the time we got our table it was quite quiet and our food was out in literal minutes.
Motonobu Udon
Address: 3501 E Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC
Phone: 604-293-1889
Website: https://motonobuudon.ca/
