We've Neglected the Udon For Far Too Long
Time to switch gears from ramen to the first review of our favorite udon spot in the LA area. Marugame Monzo is located in Little Tokyo located right next to Daikokuya. They have an interesting menu balanced with both traditional styles of udon and more modern, fusion styles of udon. Though we usually don’t go for the latter, the udon dishes that are a fusion of Italian pasta and udon are popular menu items that look delicious if you’re in the mood. Everything we’ve had from here has been consistently delicious and always hits the spot.
Something kind of neat about the space itself is that all the noodles are handmade behind a large, open window. If you are seated at the bar, you can sit and watch the udon noodles being made right in front of you. Kind of cool to see the noodles made right in front of you, and you know they’re always going to be fresh!
This time around we ordered an appetizer and got to try three different bowls of udon. To start, we tried their crispy chicken skin and for our entrees, we went for the Mad Tiger Udon, Shrimp Tempura Udon, and the Curry Udon.
The crispy chicken skin was a last minute decision to tide us over since we were all starving and it was a pleasant surprise. The pieces of chicken skin were very crispy and had a nice crunch. The texture was fairly reminiscent of chicharron. It was served in a bowl of ponzu sauce and topped with a Japanese herb called mitsuba which is kind of like a less flavorful cilantro. Great little dish to snack on while you wait for your udon.
So, I guess we’ll start with the curry udon. This is definitely on the heavier side since the broth is comprised of a thicker Japanese style curry. It isn’t as thick as regular curry but is certainly thicker and heavier than your average udon broth. The noodles are of course cooked to perfection and as fresh as they get and were topped with a healthy serving of green onions. The curry udon is served with a side of deep fried soft-boiled egg. Had an interesting look to it and was very tasty.
The Mad Tiger Udon is the perfect dish for a warm summer’s day. This dish is a serious explosion of flavor. It’s a cold udon that doesn’t come with broth and is served with a side of sauce that you can pour over the udon to your liking. The udon is topped with ground pork, chives, green onion, bonito, nori and a soft-boiled egg. The sauce that could double as a cold broth is flavorful and savory and ties the whole dish together.
You can’t go wrong with the Shrimp Tempura Udon, which was the most traditional bowl of udon of the three dishes we ordered. The broth was super yummy and the perfect amount of saltiness. Just like the other bowls of udon, the noodles were made to perfection. Aside from the delicious broth and perfect noodles, the shrimp tempura came out on top as the MVP. The shrimp was butterflied, slightly pounded, and deep fried to perfection.
We’re both such big fans of ramen that we sometimes forget about how dank udon is. If you’re ever in Little Tokyo, drop by Marugame Monzo because it’s definitely the best we’ve had in LA.
Marugame Monzo
329 E 1st St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
