Loves Japanese food? Udon in particular? Well, here’s recommending a new self service Japanese food outlet in Midvalley KL, Yoshinoya& Hanamaru Udon. Recently opened on 15th March 2015, the place serves quite promising Japanese delicacies. I did not manage to try what Yoshinoya had to offer during their media preview, as by the time I went to the counter, they informed me that they are already out of ingredients, but fortunately for me, I managed to try the Hanamaru Udons, which I have to say, quite pleasing on the palate.
Hanamaru was founded in 2001 in Takamatsu, the capital city of Kagawa Prefecture, where Japan’s famous home of Udon. They have 13 types of Udons available at this outlet. Price range from RM7 for a basic udon (zaru Udon, Kamaage Udon and Kake udon). They also have standard Udon (RM8 – Bukkake, Ontama Bukkake, Kamatama, Kitsune, Wakame),and chef’s specialty (Salad Udon, Curry Udon, and Beef Udon) and Chicken Soup Udon.
Here’s sharing with you what my husband, kid and I managed to try:
Kitune Udon, Curry Udon, Karaage, Yasai Age, Ebi Tempura, Chawan Mushi
Spicy Miso Chicken Udon, Kakiage
I don’t usually fancy Japanese curries, to be honest. Being a typical Malaysian, I find Japanese curries lacks body, less fragrant and too sweet to my liking, but surprisingly I love the Curry Udon (RM10) here in Hanamaru. It is not only flavourful, but a tad spicy as well. Not very common for Japanese curries but I approves this somewhat improvised Japanese curry. So if you are like me and prefers spicy curries, do give this a go.
Spicy Miso Chicken Udon (RM12) was rich and flavourful. The miso soup was not overwhelming and complement the udons very well.
Kitsune Udon (RM8). Kitsune Udon is a delicious dish made with thick udon noodles served in a dashi based soup stock and served with a piece of fried tofu. Kitsune is named after the Japanese fox, who according to legend is a huge fan of abura-age, the deep fried tofu that gives all the flavour to this great food. My son had this and seeing him slurped it all up assured me that it met his approval and was pretty much to his liking.
Beef Udon (RM12) was perfectly done. The soup base was flavourful while the sliced beef was tender and juicy.
Karaage (RM12), is the Japanese version of fried chicken. Karaage is usually marinated in soy sauce, ginger and garlic, and then the bite sized nuggets of chicken are dredged in potato starch and deep fried until crispy. The potato starch creates a golden shell around the karaage with a lasting crispness. You can usually find these in packed Benito lunch. This Karaage is one of those dishes that strikes the perfect balance between flavor, texture and richness. Ebi Tempura (RM20) on the other hand, was a just all right. It was a tad too greasy for me and the batter was too thick to my liking.
Yasai Age (RM6) is actually flavoured deep fried silken tofu. This can be had on it’s own or you can add it as a side dish to your udons. Love this to bits and definitely wouldn’t mind seconds.
Sweet Potato Tempura(RM3) and Kakiage (RM3). The sweet potato is all right. Nothing to complain and nothing to shout about either, but the Kakiage is adeptly fried and rather wholesome, even on it’s own.
Chawan Mushi (RM8) is not too shabby either. Chawan Mushi is a Japanese. It is a type of egg custard, but not sweet. The Chawan Mushi’s flavor comes mainly from Dashi, soy sauce and mirin, and even though Chawan Mushi is a savory dish, the texture is similar to egg flan, and I liked this one in particular very much. But then again, I might be biased as I’m a huge fan of eggs dishes.
There are still a lot more dishes that I did not manage to try in Hanamaru, but I definitely wouldn’t mind going for a second visit in the nearest future.
Wanna try the Udons in Hanamaru? Below is the details of the restaurant:
Business hours: 11am-10pm daily.
Location: Lot T-015B, Level 3, Mid Valley Megamall, Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 Kuala Lumpur. (Opposite exhibition hall)
Outlet is Pork Free
Tel: 03-2201 8789