Tamoya Udon: New Hotpot Menu in the spotlight


Tamoya Udon launches four new mainstays to the menu including sukiyaki and udon and here's what our newest contributor Belinda Yong has to say about the new offerings.


Beef Sukiyaki Udon ($13.80)
Think think sliced beef in sweet soy sauce soup, accompanied by an abundance of other ingredients such as Chinese Cabbage, mushrooms and shirataki (noodles made from konnyaku). The beef slices and the other accompaniments soaked in the beautiful essence of the soup, allowing these ingredients to burst with flavour. The shirataki had a slight chew to it and was a good contrast to the other ingredients which were presumably softer after being cooked in the hotpot. The handmade udon retained a slightly harder texture that remained that way despite being immersed in the soup for a couple of minutes. Overall, all the ingredients sang in harmony and the dish was pleasurable.


Double Tempura Vegetable Udon ($13.80)
Perfectly battered fresh prawns in meticulously prepared broth with an assortment of vegetables. Despite being soggy from being soaked in the boiling broth, the flavour of the batter and freshness of the prawns sufficiently made up for these grievances. The broth was very flavourful and absorbed all the goodness from the bonito used, this however was a bit overwhelming for me and I could only manage a couple of spoonfuls before calling it. The presentation of the dish was very lacklustre and looked rather bland and unappetising, especially with the prawns that were partially soaked. (shame). Perhaps things would have been a whole lot better if the prawns were separated from the rest of the dish and brighter colours introduced to improve its outlook.


Spicy Pork Miso Udon ($13.80)
Haphazard in regards to presentation, this pot bared a strange resemblence to Korean kimchi chigae. On closer inspection, I still couldn't figure out the components that make up the stew. Cabbage was carelessly cut up and thrown in and the pork slices strewed on with no care for visual aesthetics. To make matters worse, the soup wasn't seasoned at all, the negligible presence of miso making me question if I would ever order this dish again.


Maze Udon ($8.80)
A bowl of handmade udon topped with spicy minced pork, green onions, leek, garlic, bonito powder, nori and egg. A dry rendition of the norm, the mixture of flavours were a pleasant surprise to the tastebuds. Yet, with subsequent mouthfuls, the taste of garlic and nori overwhelmed the other flavours in the bowl. Unless you're one to enjoy the raw flavour of garlic, this dish is hardly enjoyable. Moreover the vessel is was served in was too tiny and crammed to allow for comfortable mixing of the dry udon.

Tamoya Udon and Tempura
177 River Valley Road,
Liang Court Shopping Centre
#01-32

Operating Hours:
Daily: 11am - 9 30pm

Words and photos by Belinda Yong who wishes that every time of the day is food o' clock. She loves trying new cuisines and creations,  and prays hard for a higher metabolism.

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