Let me just admit something off the bat… unlike like many bloggers who consider their opinion worthwhile because they have access to software that transmits their words onto the interwebs, I will admit that there are some things I don’t have a ton of experience with (so maybe my opinion should come with a grain of salt).  And one of those things is Japanese udon soup.  Even though there are many cheap versions all over Midtown (a lot of delis now carry it), it has never really made it into my repertoire of lunches. (Sauteed udon is a different story!)  If I want soup, I usually go with ramen… and when it comes to ramen, two of my three favorite places (Menchanko Tei & Men Kui Tei) were kind of bashed by Rameniac.  So either he’s wrong, or I don’t know shit about ramen either.

So, with that in mind- I headed over to Udon West, the third outpost of the East Village chain which replaced Teriyaki Boy on 46th btw. Lex+3rd a month ago.

The same group that owned Teriyaki Boy, owns Udon West, but there is no mistaking the decor change.  Udon West is a sit down restaurant that bears more resemblance to Momofuku than a lunch place that could be in a mall food court.  The menu, however, is a different story.  It’s practically the same as Teriyaki Boy. Is it possble they didn’t change the food? 

We ordered three different dishes, to see what was going on:

The Oyaku Don (chicken, egg and onion over rice) was slightly better than pre-packaged fast food Japanese but not as good as the version at a place like Katsuhama.

The plain udon broth was really salty (a good thing if you like your broth really salty), and had a nice flavor but it wasn’t mind blowing. From my limited experience, the noodles seemed a little overcooked and not much better than what you would get from one of the delis in Midtown.

I’m pretty sure Curry Udon w/ Fried Chicken is just the regular udon with a scoop of their curry sauce added into the bowl (that’s what it is at Teriyaki Boy), and it was my favorite of the three. The fried chicken probably helped… ($7.50)

For comparison sake, a few days later I picked up a bowl of the curry udon w/ fried chicken from Teriyaki Boy:

My dining companion said the Teriyaki Boy version was actually *better* but I’m not totally convinced. The fried chicken at Udon West seemed like it was a higher quality product, but the noodles and broth are not so much better to make a huge impact either way… and that’s probably not a good thing, if you are looking for a lunch to match your surroundings at Udon West.

In the end, the prices are right (everything is under $10 unless you want a combo) and the place is perfect if you are looking for fast food Japanese in a nice sit down setting. Expect anything more any you may be disappointed.

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• The prices are really cheap, and it’s nice to have some Midtown Lunch’ish food in a nice setting
• It’s just good Japanese fast food
• The fried chicken was good, and may have even been cooked fresh. (And if that’s any indication, I’m guessing the fried tempura is good as well)
• The broth is a little better, and slightly more refined, than what you would get at a deli (but not that much better)

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• It’s probably not the same food they served at Teriyaki Boy, but you can’t be completely sure (and that’s not really a good thing… unless you loved Teriyaki Boy, and wished the place was nicer!)
• The udon seemed like the same noodles you get at most take out delis in Midtown
• You can’t really compare ramen and udon, but if you are a huge Menchanko-Tei, Udon West’s noodles are not as high a quality product as Menchanko Tei’s ramen (and not that much cheaper either)

Udon West, 150 E. 46th Street (btw. Lex+3rd),  212-922-9677

Last September it was reported that the shuttered Teriyaki Boy (on 46th btw. Lex+3rd) would become a Japanese noodle shop, and surprisingly it has happened in the time frame they specified. Udon West has opened in the old Teriyaki Boy space, serving up 13 different bowls of Udon under $10. They also have teriyaki, curry, and combinations (although the combinations are all over $10), and I believe they are the same Udon West with locations in Flushing and on St. Marks in the East Village. It will be interesting to see how this place competes with Menchanko Tei, one block over on 45th btw. Lex+3rd…. but at least while the  weather is still cold I’m guessing there is room for both. Let the soup wars begin! Early adopters, let us know how it is in the comments.

A shot of the pretty nice interior is after the jump…

Udon West, 150 East 46th St. (btw. Lex+3rd),  212-922-9677

There is plenty of Indian food in Midtown, and while my favorite form of Indian is the all you can eat buffet, almost all of the buffets in Midtown are over $10.  Luckily there are a bunch of places, like Joy, where you can get a very filling Indian meal, for under $10.

What I got, Indian porn and the +/- after the jump…

While Joy has a full menu, that it serves during off hours, the line is so long at lunch there is only time for a steam table.  But it moves quick because the food is already cooked, and the choices are made pretty easy.  Two vegetables with rice & naan, $6.95.  One meat, one veg with rice & naan, $7.95.  Two meats, with rice & naan, $8.95.  Simple, quick and easy.

With food that is served out of steam tables, for under $10, the quality is never going to be as good as a sit down Indian restaurant… but Joy is just as good, if not better than most of the cheap Indian places in Midtown.  Since the price is the same for all meats, I went with the Lamb Curry (a big money item), which was very tender and tasty.  A little bit spicy, but not too much that my mouth was burning at the end of the meal.

For my veg, I went with Saag, a pretty standard Indian spinach dish.  At most places like this, the saag is usually pretty watery, but at Joy it’s actually a pretty decent thickness.  The flavor is not the greatest I’ve ever had, and they fake you into thinking there’s paneer (cheese) in it, by filling it with little cubes of tofu- but overall it was better than average.  A lot of people seemed to be getting the cabbage dish as their veg, which looked pretty tasty.

Every combo automatically comes with naan, but you have to ask for the raita (white yogurt sauce), which comes in little pre-packaged plastic containers.  They have a bunch of tables to sit at, and they fill up pretty quickly- but if you are just two people you should usually be able to get a table along the wall that runs opposite the steam table.  If you are with 3 or more people, or you don’t like asses in your face as you eat, you may want to take your food to go during peak lunch times.

Not necessarily worth a trek across town- but if it’s in your hood, it will be your go to cheap Indian place.

THE +

• Good Indian food, for under $10
• Combos give you great variety, and you get a big piece of hot naan and raita
• Great selection.  They had over 10 meat selections, and at least 4 vegetable selections
• They mark the dishes that are very spicy, and the ones that aren’t have a little kick without being too spicy

THE -

• With Indian you usually get what you pay for.  It’s good, but there is probably better Indian food at more expensive restaurants
• If you like things very spicy, a lot of the food at this place may fall short
• It gets very packed during lunch, and if you go with more than 2 people, there’s a decent chance you’ll wait for a table, or have to take your food to go

Joy Curry & Tandoor, 148 E. 46th St. (btw. Lex+3rd), 212-490-1277

There’s alot of people in my office that fall into that trap, but the one that stands out to me is this guy named Stanley T.  I pay attention to what everybody eats in my office (big surprise… I clearly have a problem), and it didn’t take me long to realize that every time I saw Stanley T. eating lunch at his desk, it was the same exact thing, from the same exact place.  But here’s the crazy thing- I didn’t look down on him for it.  I actually thought it was awesome.  Even started joking around with him about it.  Why?  Because his every day lunch, was the Teriyaki Chicken Bowl from Teriyaki Boy.  And then it dawned on me.  I’m prejudiced against delis and fast food chains.  Get a salad from Variety Cafe every single day, and I’m going to think you’re lunch challenged.  Eat at Teriyaki Boy every single day, and you are my new hero.

Stanley T’s obsession with Teriyaki Boy, a Japanese fast food chain with two locations in Midtown, made me think maybe I’m missing out on something.  I mean look at that guy.  If it’s good enough for him to eat it every day, it must be good enough for me.  So one day, I decided to head down- and do as Stanley T. does (every single day of the week).

What I got, pics and a +/- after the jump…

There are two locations of Teriykai Boy in Midtown that seem very different on the outside.  The one on 7th Ave. btw. 48th & 49th is pretty dingy, while the one on 46th (btw. Lex+3rd) actually seems newer and a little more inviting.  Depending on which locations you visit, you might feel differently about how clean or dirty the place is.  That being said, I’m pretty sure the food they serve is identical.

I went to the 7th Ave. location, and had every intention of ordering the Teriyaki Bowl (just like Stanley T. does), but when I got there, I saw they had a Lunch Special.  For $6.50 you could get Chicken Teriyaki over rice, with choice of Shumai or California Roll, plus salad and a free miso soup or soda.  Always one to go for variety, I opted for the combo, choosing shumai and miso soup.  They have sushi at Teriyaki Boy but if Stanley T. doesn’t eat it, then I’m staying away.  (That combined with the fact that it just doesn’t look too appealing.)

If you like cheap Chinese and Japanese food then you should like Teriyaki Boy.  The chicken was good enough, with a thick and sweet teriyaki sauce poured over the top.  (Stanley T. always asks for extra sauce, but I wasn’t that brave.)  The quality of the chicken was not as great as it could be, but certainly better than I expected.  If you are not into chicken teriyaki, they also have katsu (fried cutlets), BBQ’d eel, curry and a bunch of noodle soups.  One of my co-workers had the Curry Udon, and seemed pretty pleased with it- but I’m guessing it’s just good for the price, and nothing out of this world special.

All in all, Teriyaki Boy is not bad- and I can certainly see how someone could eat there every single day (especially more than I can see eating at a generic deli every day).  I guess there are some things we can learn from co-workers.  Stanley had one other piece of advice.  Don’t be fooled by the variety.  The $5.50 Chicken Teriyaki Bowl (with a free salad) gives you a lot more food than the $6.50 lunch special.

Thanks Stanley.  You’re a man after my own heart.  And my new hero.

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• Cheap and super fast Japanese food
• You get a lot of variety in the combos, like shumai or california roll
• I prefer quantity over quality
• I don’t mind dark meat chicken
• I love thick and sweet Teriyaki Sauce

THE – (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• It seems dirty
• I need my chicken to be of the best quality and all white meat
• I don’t like thick and sweet sauces
• There are better places in Midtown

Teriyaki Boy, Multiple Locations

• 732 7th Ave. (btw. 48+49th), 212-265-8181
• 150 E. 46th St. (btw. Lex+3rd), 212-867-5771 **Now Closed**

and just outside Midtown

• 885 9th Ave. (btw. 58+59th), 212-307-7202