Review: Oudon (BGC)

The ReigningTatay is a huge ramen fan. Who isn’t these days? Japanese everything is taking Manila by storm. Crazy.

I am a huge Japanese food lover (hello sushi and maki) myself, waaaaay before the rest of Philippines go crazy with them. So when I heard that a restaurant in BGC now specializes in Japanese udon noodles, I know I have to go check them out.

I first heard of Oudon from my best friend's blog. She gave it a really positive review but the dish she tried isn’t one of their best udon dishes, so I know I have to check it out myself. So when my friends from Zomato invited me and my fellow foodies, I know I just have to go to the 1st restaurant in the Philippines that offers authentic udon noodles.

For those of you who’s not familiar with udon, it is a type of thick white flour Japanese noodles. Very similar to our own lomi (though lomi is an egg noodles), though much heavier. Udon is usually served hot or cold. They are much less popular than ramen though according to the staff of udon, it is the much healthier option.

Oudon is located at the 2nd floor of The Forum in BGC right above McDonalds. The interiors are that of a traditional Japanese restaurant. Minimalist style with lots of woods. The place is spacious and well lit.

The restroom is clean and spacious too. I love the sink and the minimal decors inside. Really clean rest room is a major plus points for me.

The wait staff are attentive and friendly. I love that they know the dishes enough to answer basic questions.

So now, on to the best part – the food.

The moment we were seated, we were asked if we wanted hot or cold tea for refreshments. I opted for the cold tea because we came all the way from Makati that time and I want something cold to freshen me up. Their cold tea is really nice. Well, I generally love tea but theirs is really perfect to cleanse the palate after all the eating we did. I love that the tea is not too strong.

 

For starters, we were served with Ika Daikon. A simmered squid and radish dish. I love this one. The radish is soft and the squid is perfectly cooked, not rubbery.

One of the best dish on the table is the Teba Gyoza. I am not really a fan of gyoza but this one is a genius! Teba gyoza is stuffed chicken wings and they are yummy!! Oozing with flavor with the just the right amount of crisp. I found myself munching on this one over and over. Too yummy for words. Really!

Karaage is my perfect ramen partner. Oudon’s Tori Karaage is oour usual crispy fried chicken. Nothing really spectacular but I have to admit that the sauce that comes with it made this dish stand out.

Another crowd favorite is Satsuma Age or the fried fish cake. The moment this dish hits my mouth, I just have to know what it is. I can’t explain the dish but it’s like crab meat and fish cake deep fried into perfection. It has that mild sweet taste with a little crisp. Hay! This is really super yummy my mouth is watering just imagining it. Must try.

Their sashimi is nothing spectacular but is really delicious. I have to commend on the quality of the tuna and salmon they used – super fresh. You could really taste the freshness.

I am very hard to please when it comes to tempura. I don’t like heavily breaded tempura. And I also don’t like those super oily ones. I must say that Oudon’s tempura is one of the best I’ve tried so far. The shrimp are really fresh and they are not too oily. Plus the dip is really, really perfect.

For my main dish, I opted for their hot oudon meal – Nobeyaki Oudon. It’s a hot pot of udon with tempura and veggies served on a not too rich broth with japanese rice on the side. I love that the soup is not as thick as ramen (which I somestimes find nakakaumay). The udon noodles though is very heavy. I can’t even finish it! Oh my gulay.The tempura toppings is perfect for the soup and noodles. I think I prefer udons more than ramens.

Though I didn’t try the cold noodles, I took the liberty of taking a picture of my fellow foodie’s meal. Haha! When she was served with this huge tray, I literally saw her eyes popped. Too much. Too much food on one tray. Hahaha! So I could say that their meals are not pricey at all. Not pricey! And if I may add, the noodles are refillable. That is, if you ever want more. Which I doubt.

For dessert we had matcha ice cream. It was yummy and really rich. Perfect way to end a meal.

Though I prefer the ankoro mochi more, just beause its mochi. But I tried to combine this with the matcha ice cream and it was soooo much better. I am one happy kid!