Kodawari Menya Udon & Tempura @ 1 Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur

1 Mont Kiara, the newly revamped mall in Mont Kiara KL area has now gone better, mostly occupied by crowd-pleasing eateries such as Sushi Zanmai, Pasta Zanmai, Nando’s while ushering in few more noteworthy independent restaurants including The Barn, Menya Kamikaze Ramen and Kodawari Menya Udon.

Located one floor above the center concourse area, Kodawari Menya Udon & Tempura Malaysia is easily come in sight when you take the main escalator to the 1st floor. This corner shop specializes in Sanuki Udon from Kagawa, Japan, houses more seating than we expected, with self-service concept to fasten the whole purchase and dining process especially during peak hours.

The self service experience in Kodawari Menya Udon is exactly the same as in Japan, a loop of five steps started with choosing your favourite hot or cold udon, then add on with tempura, side dishes and drinks. After that proceed to cashier and after paying, you can add condiments such as raddish, scallions, ginger, sesame, lime and tenkasu for free according to your own liking. Finally, return the tray after eating.

There are 9 types of udons to choose from, all reasonably price from RM10.90 to RM16.90 at most. Niku Udon, Bukkake Udon, Wakame Udon, Zaru Udon, Kama-Age Udon, Kimuchi Udon, Curry Udon, Kitsune Udon or Kake Udon? We do had a hard time deciding which to order.

Niku Udon RM16.90/regular, RM14.90/small
Chewy, slurpy smooth udon immersed in a bed of clear, savory broth, topped over with thin slices of succulent beef- Niku Udon is definitely the highly recommended choice in Kodawari Menya Udon.

Kama-Age Udon RM12.90/regular, RM10.90 small
While Japanese deeply appreciate Kama-Age Udon, locals seem to go the opposite way. This dipping style udon is served with a bowl of udon soaked in hot water, which is meant to keep the noodle from tangle together, and not for drinking. The correct way of eating Kamaage Udon is to chopstick the udon, dip into the salty dark sauce that comes along, and shove them down. Do not mistakenly taken the hot water as broth, as you will ended up drinking tasteless ‘soup’.

Zaru Udon RM12.90/regular, RM10.90/small
Zaru Udon is very much similar to Kama-Age Udon, but with cold dipping sauce. We
Iike Zaru Udon over Kama-Age Udon, as the chilling sensation that sends down the throat with delicate smoothness of noodles is just so satisfying.

Curry Udon RM16.90/regular, RM14.90/small
Can’t deny that Curry Udon is one of the best sellers in Kodawari Menya Udon, seeing that Malaysians grow up surrounded by spicy food. Even though Japanese curry is milder, more creamy, but the rich flavours and aroma of curry that thickly coated every strands of the udon is utterly delicious, drawing spicy kick in every mouthful.

Add more textures to your udon meal with tempura ranges from Kabocha(pumpkin), Shitake(Mushroom), Nasubi(eggplant), Satsusaimo(Sweet Potato), Chicken Tempura, Ebi (prawn), Ika(squid), Korokke(croquette) (mixed vegetables) and Renkon (lotus root), all deep fried to golden brown, gracefully coated with crunchy tempura layer.

Among all, we like the croquette which features creamy soft mashed potato enveloped within crispy outer layer, drawing pleasant contrasting texture once munching through.

Chicken tempura in Kodawari Menya Udon is good too, ideal for diners who can’t live without meat. Addictively juicy and tender but can be filling, recommend for sharing.

Just before you proceed to the cashier, oden like Konbu(seaweed), Tofu( Beancurd), Fishball, Tamago(egg) and Daikon(raddish) comes in sight to allure your tastebud. No harm picking a piece or two to make your bowl of udon more plentiful.

Craving for Japanese noodles? No harm making a switch from ramen which is usually packed with punch of flavours, and enjoy Kodawari Menya Udon & Tempura which lends slurpy smooth sensation with lighter, tummy warming broth.

Photography: Summerkid
Write Up: Summergirl

Address:
Kodawari Menya Udon Malaysia
L1-21A Level 1, 1 Mont Kiara,
50480 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Business Hours: 11:00 – 21:30
Contact:03-6206 1669
Email:info@kodawarimenya.my
Website: http://www.kodawarimenya.my
Facebook:  Kodawari Menya Udon Malaysia