My husband and I stopped by Marugame Monzo for some Udon on a Friday night.
I’m forewarning you now, the food is amazing, but the parking is really hectic and crowded.
I do not recommend coming here during peak dining hours (i.e. 7 pm).
Food:
I’ve never enjoyed udon until this moment. I would definitely come back to try all the udon dishes since all the noodles are made fresh. The place has an open kitchen concept where you can see the chef’s cooking.
You can see one person tirelessly working to make the udon noodles for hours while everyone else is operating in a harmonious manner to get all the dishes out and made to perfection.
We ordered the following:
1. Sea Urchin Cream Udon topped with Ikura (Salmon Eggs):

Sea Urchin Cream Udon topped with Ikura (Salmon Eggs)
If you love uni, then I highly recommend this dish. It reminded me of the Trattoria Nakamura-Ya uni cream pasta dish. The cream was rich, but not thick or too heavy. I enjoyed the saltiness of salmon eggs as they popped in your mouth mixed with the chewiness of the udon noodles and sea urchin cream. There are chunks of uni in the dish that was superb! I sprinkled a hint of the chili seasoning they had on the side to give it an extra kick as well.
2. Negitoro Wrap (Chopped Fatty Tuna w/ Green Onions, Seaweed, Kaiware and Cucumber):

Photo of Negitoro Wrap by Live Happy Eat Well
I can eat fatty tuna for days! 🙂 You add the fatty tuna, green onions, cucumber and wrap it yourself. There’s a dipping sauce on the side that is salty so don’t go heavy with the dipping sauce or you’ll miss out on the awesome fatty tuna flavors.
3. Miso Carbonara Udon:

Photo of Miso Carbonara Udon by Live Happy Eat Well
My brother in law loved this dish. I, on the other hand, preferred the Sea Urchin Cream Udon better. It has a thick creamy sauce that is really rich. If you enjoy carbonara at Italian restaurants then I recommend this dish.
4. Seafood Tomato Cream Udon:

Photo of Seafood Tomato Cream Udon by Live Happy Eat Well
My husband ordered this dish! I cannot say much about it other than I enjoyed the Sea Urchin Udon better. I felt like it lacked flavor.
Price:
Our meal for 3 people with three udon dishes and one appetizer was roughly $60 with tip and taxes included so roughly $20 per person, which isn’t too bad for the quality and taste of the food.
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