Discover the self-service udon noodle chain bustling with eager patrons.
Let’s explore what’s inside the Udon & Tempura – Makurame noodle shop, always crowded with diners coming to enjoy over time!
🕞07:00 – 21:30 | 📍215 Lý Tự Trọng, Bến Thành, Quận 1🔗
Vietnamese diners are familiar with Japanese cuisine through sushi restaurants, raw dishes, or popular green tea matcha items always present on the menus of famous cafes. There’s a native dish equally renowned but not widely known and favored by Vietnamese people, which includes various types of noodles such as udon, soba, and ramen. Only recently, after the Udon & Tempura – Makurame noodle shop chain arrived in Vietnam, Vietnamese diners had the opportunity to enjoy this traditional culinary cultural dish.
Location
The convenient location is a major plus point for this self-service udon noodle shop chain. Marukame Udon & Tempura’s main stores are located on main streets or bustling intersections in Saigon. The large, imposing stores with eye-catching exterior decorations attract the curiosity of food enthusiasts.
Following the success of the first store at 215 Ly Tu Trong, District 1, Marukame Udon has opened 5 more branches scattered across districts such as District 5, District 7, Tan Binh District, Tan Phu District, Go Vap District, and even Binh Duong. You can easily find a store to enjoy no matter where you are.
Space
Although the stores are spacious, they seem unable to accommodate the particularly large number of diners during lunch and dinner. Don’t be surprised to see a long line of customers waiting eagerly for their turn! This is also a characteristic of the shop aimed at introducing Japanese culinary style to Vietnamese guests.
As soon as you enter the shop, you step into the open kitchen area, where the chef will take your order and prepare it on the spot. The noodle dough is pre-kneaded, fed into a cutting machine, and divided into equal portions. After receiving the order, the chef will cook the noodles, add meat, eggs, fish…, pour broth, and serve it on a tray for you.
If a bowl of noodles is not enough, there is a Tempura counter in the next area for you to choose from. Similar to udon noodles, Tempura here is also prepared on the spot, leaving a strong impression on customers with its hot, fresh, and distinctly different taste from other self-service restaurants. There are many types for you to choose from, from vegetable tempura, sausages to fish cake tempura, pork, seafood…
Next will be the dessert and drinks area. The dessert menu mostly consists of cakes and ice cream made from the famous Japanese matcha tea. The drink selection is rich, from Japanese teas like peach tea, apricot tea to other special drinks like strawberry juice, pomegranate juice…
After selecting your food and completing the payment process, you will go to the condiment area to get sauce, toppings, and other toppings according to your needs and preferences. Finally, find yourself a seat and start enjoying the steaming hot bowl of noodles.
My feeling when experiencing this new eating style is a deep admiration for the Japanese way of arranging things. The process of choosing and getting your food may seem lengthy, but it actually takes only about 10 minutes, even during peak hours when the restaurant is quite crowded.
Food review
First, I tried the noodles. Since the noodles are kneaded on the spot, they have a fresher and more delicious taste, neither too chewy nor too hard. The portion size is reasonable, enough to satisfy an adult.
Next is the broth. There are 2 types of broth: one is clear, with a mild taste like kamaage udon, kake udon, and the other is thick, with a rich and spicy taste like beef bukkake udon, curry udon, spicy pork udon…
Depending on your taste, you can consider choosing the appropriate type of noodles. My advice is to try both if it’s your first time here because both flavors have their own deliciousness, it’s hard to say which one is better.
The meat is tender, melting in the mouth, and flavorful. All three components, noodles, broth, and meat, when eaten together, create a harmonious whole, with a refreshing taste that doesn’t make you feel overwhelmed.
The tempura is crispy but quite oily. Since I don’t like oily dishes, I only tried it without intending to order any tempura dishes if I come back.
Price & service
A bowl of udon noodles will cost from 40,000 to 80,000 VND. But on average, you’ll need to spend from 60,000 to 70,000 VND for a delicious bowl of noodles with plenty of meat and eggs. This price is not too expensive compared to the downtown area and the decent quality of the food. As the main focus is on self-service, the overall service quality is generally satisfactory. Another plus point of the shop is free parking, and the staff are enthusiastic in guiding customers to line up, avoiding chaos.
This is a dining destination worthy of a return visit, especially for Japanese cuisine enthusiasts. And if you’re not a fan of Japanese food, this is still a place worth trying with friends and family when you’re tired of the usual common dishes in Vietnam.
