It has been almost two and a half years since our food-loving family returned to the Philippines from Indonesia. It has also been almost two and a half years since we ate at our favorite restaurants over there and to this date, we still miss a lot of them. Good thing, slowly but surely some of them have already arrived here in Manila and one of them will be featured in this edition of EATSplorations. We will be sharing our EATSperience about one of the trending BGC EATS in the recent months, Marugame Udon Philippines at Bonifacio High Street. What is Marugame Udon? Well, Marugame Udon (or Marugame Seimen in Japan) is a Japanese noodle place that serves up hot and cold udon (thick noodles in light broth) and a line of freshly fried tempura, all cafeteria-style. So, all of you noodle-lovers out there, must line up just like everybody else, got it? If you want to know more about this new noodle craze that would probably compete with the perennial favorite ramen, keep on reading because this EATSperience will surely catch your tummies attention. Enjoy!
Marugame Udon at Bonifacio High Street!
The Marugame Udon at Bonifacio High Street really looks like the one that we have tried in Jakarta. It felt like we were transported back in time when we would have it after work or during our usual mall strolls. We loved the fact that Marugame Udon is also self-service here. It’s really all about seeing what you are getting and getting what you like to eat, right in front of you, before you even sit down. TIP: Make sure to come in earlier than lunch or dinner time to avoid long lines since the place can get pretty packed.
What to get at Marugame Udon?
Choose your udon bowl. We suggest that you get the basic Beef Udon (comes in two sizes) bowl if it’s your first time so that you can appreciate the flavor of the beef together with Marugame’s signature udon and broth.
Pick your freshly-fried tempura. Try not to go crazy in this part of Marugame Udon because most, if not all of the items here are really tempting. Must-try items include: Kakiage (vegetable tempura), Ebi Tempura, Chicken Karaage, Pork Tonkatsu, and Tamago Tempura ( deep fried soft-boiled egg).
After all the food, get your preferred drinks and then you may proceed to paying for your meal. Everything is self-service at Marugame but they still have servers around to cater to the needs of the diners. Before sitting down, make sure to stop by their condiments counter which includes tempura batter flakes and chopped up onion leeks (perfect udon toppings), what looks like wasabi, katsu sauce, ginger and radish mixture, and of course, tempura sauce.
Here’s what we got at Marugame Udon!
Our 1st plate of fried goodies: Crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside, Tamago Tempura at 40 pesos a piece. Fried to perfection, crunchy and juicy Ebi Tempura at 60 pesos a piece. Crispy fried chicken fillets on skewers, Chicken Karaage at 60 pesos a stick. A mountain of flavorful fried veggies, Kakiage at 60 pesos each. All the items in plate number one were pretty good but the obvious standouts were the Tamago and Ebi Tempura.
Of course, we got a little bit carried away, hehe. We got a few more for good measure. Added one more Ebi Tempura and Chicken Karaage because both items are simply hard to share. Tried out the Pork Tonkatsu and it didn’t disappoint at 75 pesos a slice. It was still pretty juicy and tender.
Php 185
This bowl of udon was all we expected it to be. Every component was superb! The beef was tender, fatty, and sweet and salty in flavor. The noodles were cooked perfectly, filling but not too heavy. The broth may seem light and simple but for us, it was the star of this dish. It kept all the ingredients together and was the key in making this bowl of udon amazing. TIP: Make sure to drop by the condiments counter to get some onion leeks and tempura flakes to complete the EATSperience.
Our first Marugame Udon here in Manila felt nostalgic, as it brought us back to how we loved and enjoyed our date nights in Jakarta. From the qeueing, to odering, down to having their superb udon bowls and fried goodness, Marugame Udon is one EATSperience worth sharing. We surely know now where to go to when we crave for a good bowl of udon. That’s it for this edition of EATSplorations, ’till next time!
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Marugame Udon
Building 7, Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
Operating Hours:
11:00am to 10:00pm (Mon-Sun)
Budget:Â 800 php for two (can be lower or higher, depends how much you love their tempura)
Disclaimer: We dropped by on our own and paid for our meal.
EATSplorations 