Though I usually love shopping for others (I love seeing people’s faces whenever they open a present!), I found myself dragging my feet and complaining loudly as K and I did some last minute present shopping at Westfield Chatswood on the weekend before Christmas. I was most definitely suffering from a severe case of the 3pm hunger pangs, and it was going to take something very specific to satisfy those cravings.
As we walked along Victoria Avenue, we saw a new restaurant with the customary large baskets of flowers at the entrance, celebrating a grand opening. There were crowds of people gathered around the windows, watching as a master chef cooked up serve after serve of delicious steaming hot ramen, wielding the ramen nets like a complete professional. The new and unique offerings of Marukame Udon was proving to be a real hit with Chatswood locals.
With over a dozen varieties of ramen noodles in two sizes of medium and large, there’s a wide range of options to suit any appetite. There’s a wide range of fresh tempura options as well, to accompany your meal – replenished every five minutes from what I could tell! The self-serve cafeteria style is great for those who prefer to see what they’re getting before they order!
While all the tempura options looked amazing, K and I managed to restrict ourselves to three to share between us – tempura Chinese broccoli, tempura prawn and sesame chicken. The Chinese broccoli was really unusual – not something we’ve tried before (tempura vegetables tends to be sweet potato and carrot!). I found it still surprisingly fresh, with a crispy and thin layer of tempura batter that helped to add a bit of crispiness to the vegetable. The fried chicken could have been dry, bland and ordinary – but the addition of sesame into the batter added a fantastic depth of flavour. The tempura prawn was large and juicy as well with the thinnest of thinnest layers of tempura batter.

We ordered a medium bukkake udon to share – the slow cooked egg and beef was extremely tempting! The egg was perfectly cooked, with a wonderfully oozing yolk. The beef too was tender and flavourful after having simmered away for hours and the noodles had a great chewy texture. With the opportunity to add as many toppings as you like (mmm, shallots!), it makes for a hearty and satisfying meal.
Overall, I rate Marukame Udon an 8.5 out of 10. The ramen and tempura are both excellent, and I’ve already been back for my second visit in three weeks – I can’t think of a better recommendation than that!
i love that they make the udon on site!
this place seems such value for money! can’t wait to check it out!
Black sesame in the batter is an awesome idea! Those self-serve tempura bars are so dangerously tempting though! lol
Hehe I usually don’t mind shopping but not around Christmas time when it’s just plain crazy! What a good way to save the day though :)
ooh soft boiled egg for the win!
Just love how they have a udon making display. I am so addicted to their handmade udon and their green tea! Have you tried their green tea with sugar? It’s the BEST in my books :D
I’m loving that all these Japanese cafeteria style restaurants are opening and this one looks great! I’ve never tried Chinese broccoli tempura-ed before, sounds deeeelish.
OMG tempura gai laan? WANT WANT WANT! :)