On Zach’s first visit to Onya last fall (on 47th btw. Lex+3rd), he pointed out that the fresh noodles and mix-and-match menu at this udon joint made it a worthy alternative to nearby Udon West (on 46th btw. Lex+3rd). Five months after their opening, Onya is still one of my favorite Midtown East lunch spots, and last month, they added some nine lunch options to the original five! Even though I tend to stick with what I know (the #5 Kamatama) I figured it was time to tear myself away from the same old, same old. With thirteen similar-sounding udon varieties to choose from (there are a few rice combos, but most of the menu consists of udon prepared in different broths served either hot or cold) I basically closed my eyes and pointed at an entrée.

My finger landed on Number 14, the Mentaiko-Tororo Bukkake Udon – cold udon noodles that’s “a little bit sweet” the lady behind the counter said. Whatever, I like sweet- and while cold noodles is not exactly the best choice for a week like this I felt the need to follow the finger.

The bukkake fell on the pricier side, but I was able to stay within price range by ordering the small bowl ($7.95) with two pieces of tempura. When my order was ready, I had to ask about the odd-looking toppings – white foam covered half of the noodles while pink cod roe added needed color. Turns out, the white foam was grated Japanese yam – “Tororo” in Japanese.

Stirring the yam foam into the udon and fish eggs only served to spread the goop. The flavor was mildly fishy, so I added plenty of pepper to give it some kick and to minimize fishiness. The slime-like texture of the grated vegetable confused the hell out of me. I have to admit, I’m gonna avoid foods with the word “tororo” from now on, but I’m glad I tried it. That said, you might think differently. I’ll probably stick to the rice bowls and “classic” noodles like Onya’s Sanuki (Number 1, medium size bowl for $4.95) and Kamatama udon ($5.95 for medium) with tempura for the rest of the winter. And this week is perfect for a warm bowl of noodles… plus they’ve extended their “Special Thanks Week” promo (order beef or chicken udon and get more meat for free), so what are you waiting for?

Related:
My First Taste of Onya Japanese Noodles
Onya Noodles Wants to Thank You With Extra Meat

Onya Japanese Noodle (on 47th btw. Lex+3rd) is having a “Special Thanks Week” where udon lovers can indulge in extra chicken or beef for free! Not sure why they are thanking us, but we’re not looking a gift horse, err I mean udon horse (?) in the mouth. So if you’re in the mood to get your noodle on, head on over and indulge for free on some extra meaty thankfulness.

Related:
My First Taste of Onya Japanese Noodles

I was pretty excited when the company that owns Beard Papa announced that they would be bringing the Onya Japanese Noodle chain to the US. Admittedly I’ve never been to Osaka, so I’m not really the best person to confirm or refute their claim of being the very first udon spot in New York City to offer freshly made Osaka style udon… but it sounded good enough!  And unlike Udon West, which is just a block away on 46th btw. Lex+3rd, their menu seems far less interested in dumbing things down for the Western customer.

I have to admit, my first trip to Onya was not exactly ideal. I had seen their menu before going, and that menu had photos of each of the items- but you’d be surprised how unhelpful those photos can be to a first time Udon eater (udon from generic delis doesn’t count.)

To make matters worse, I completely missed the giant poster in the front of the store explaining what each of the soups were. (A highly recommended read for the udon virgins.)

Thankfully they were offering a Grand Opening Special… order any size bukkake udon, and get one free tempura topping.  Well, that made my choice easier! I think I have heard of bukkake [nsfw], but have never had bukkake Udon before… but whatever.  Free tempura!

I went with the medium size, so I could order more tempura- which cost $1 each as add ons to any soup, provided you order at least two (done and done.)   I went with the shrimp (big money item, that’s how I do it!), eggplant, and veggie thingy. I was there kind of late in the day, so the tempura was on the cold side- but whatever. It’s still good!  And considering that the same tempura costs twice as much at a place like Chiyoda Sushi, I ain’t complaining.

The bukkake was interesting, but less bowl of soup than noodles with a small amount of broth at the bottom.  It came topped with grated daikon, shredded seaweed and scallions, and the combo of all the flavors was clean, and delicious.  But if you’re looking for a big bowl of soup, this is not it.

For that you’ll have to go with the Sanuki Kake Udon, which I tried on my second visit (after reading the descriptions this time.)  Once again I went with the medium, so that I could add three pieces of tempura to my order without going over the Midtown Lunch price limit.  The broth was salty, and flavorful, and while not a revelation- it was a good bowl of soup for $5.  Clearly the selling point is the noodles which are perfectly chewy- and a welcome contrast to the completely overcooked mushy udon you get at all the delis in Midtown that dare to offer “udon”.

Once again I got there on the late side, so the tempura was cold- but I’m sure the chicken, squid, and pumpkin taste far better if you get there before 1pm. (Although if you can’t decide, the first three I tried were much better than these three.)

They also have a little station between the check out and the seating area where you can add hot pepper and tempura crunchies to your soup!  (Who doesn’t like tempura crunchies???)

I can’t say for sure if the udon at Onya is better than the version at Udon West, but I like the concept better. I will always take  ordering at a counter over ordering from a waiter (save on tip!), and Onya has their assembly line down pretty well at this point.  And there’s a great seating area in the back- although it probably fills up pretty quick during peak lunch times.  But what I like the most is that you have a lot of options to customizing the size of your lunch.

You have three options for bowl size… the small (who the hell would order this?!?), the medium (decent size if you plan on adding on a ton of tempura), and the large (a normal size bowl of soup.)

And the whole tempura thing just puts it over the top.  I love the variety of options, and the fact that you can add as many as you want to your order piece by piece.

I think I’ll need to go back and try the curry udon and the beef udon before giving this place the full +/- but I will say this… if you are looking for a ramen style of soup, filled with all sorts of meat and goodies- this is probably not the place for you.  The soups are pretty minimalist, and more about the noodles than anything else.  Plus ordering the versions with meat get this place dangerously close to not being a Midtown Lunch.  In fact, even though the menu looks cheap enough… I can see how lunch could get expensive trying to replicate the amount of food you get at a Midtown ramen joint.

Of course this is udon, not ramen… and if you’re down with udon, I would recommend checking it out.  Can any Osaka udon specialists weigh in on how close this comes to the cheap versions of udon you can get in Japan? Put your thoughts in the comments…

Onya, 143 East 47th St. (btw. Lex+3rd) 212-715-0460

Onya, the Japanese noodle chain owned by the company that brought Beard Papa to the US, opened on Monday and Midtown Lunchers have wasted no time in checking it out.  It’s not really fair to judge a place on its first week (especially one that makes its noodles fresh, and will most likely get better with time) but the reviews seem generally positive.

As promised yesterday, James Boo weighed in on his blog The Eaten Path and seemed generally pleased, if not completely blown away:

“Onya’s curry udon… is certainly well done; I could see this kind of broth easily going down the path of too thick or too salty, but Onya’s preparation avoids these pitfalls to give us a hearty udon option… I wasn’t at any point disappointed by the food, which is likely to improve as the kitchen staff finds its bearings here in New York. The sheer diversity of menu items and sizes makes a meal here extremely convenient, and I’ll be going back soon for the cheaper udon and mini donburi options.”

Questions about service, and an Osaka born blogger weighs in… after the jump.

Onya is set up like an assembly line, and not surprisingly service has been a little questionable. Apparently they decided to offer takeout (despite yesterday’s report), although they are still recommending strongly against it based on this email from Lunch’er Jason:

“I just got back from Onya on 47th. It’s definitely worth trying, even though they’re brand new. The service is still in the “a bunch of people stepping over each other because they don’t know whose station is whose” phase, but the food is the real deal. Had the kamaage (?) udon, and a couple of pieces of vegetable tempura. It was absolutely delicious, and filled up my moderately-fat-man belly (your fat-man mileage may vary).

One thing, though: They recommend you eat it in-house, and I’m inclined to agree. The noodles are super-fresh (like, there’s a guy making them as you walk in) and udon is notorious for going downhill quickly. I might get some to go next time, but I’m only a couple blocks away. I might caution against taking these noodles on a cross-town journey.”

Finally, the blog Ramen and Friends weighs in from the perspective of somebody who was born in Osaka:

“The flavor of dashi was very good for udon, and I enjoyed the thick, almost cube like shape of noodles. I wished to be a bit more chewy since it was cold udon, but overall, it was tasty and satisfied my Osakan starch craving. But if you are hungry, I advise you getting full size udon since half size was about five slurps.

If you want a quick, mean and hearty udon satisfaction, I would go to Udon West, but Onya offers a nicer atmosphere and amazing service. I am glad to see a nice udon addition in the city. “

Proper Midtown Lunch +/- coming soon…

Onya Japanese Noodles, 143 E 47th Street (btw. Lex+3rd)

Onya Japanese Noodle opened yesterday (on 47th btw. Lex+3rd), and early reports from the forums indicate that they are not doing takeout- only eat in.  It’s assembly line style, but you have to take your food to the back to eat it.  Onya confirms via email that they are not doing takeout right now:

“We are considering it. But in general we do not provide take out for the udon noodles primarily because they are prepared fresh and is meant to be eaten immediately. It’s a quality control policy that is consistent with our Onya restaurants in Japan. That said, I am working on a bento and donburi (rice bowl) menu for take out.

Thanks to James Boo for forwarding along the photo.  He sampled the bukkake udon and curry udon yesterday and will be posting early thoughts later today on his site, The Eaten Path.

Related:
Onya is Bringing Real Osaka Udon to the USA on September 14th

I guess that means it’s different then the udon served at Udon West (on 46th btw. Lex+3rd).  The description of the restaurant sounds different enough… the first floor will have quick bento lunches in the front, a small dining area in the back, and an open kitchen where you can watch the noodles being cut.  Sit down dining will be available on the 2nd floor.  Even with all that, everything on the menu is well under $10, and looks awesome.  Check it out after the jump…

They’re hoping to soft open on Monday, September 14th with an official grand opening over the following weekend.

Thanks to Lunch’er Blair for sending in this photo, which confirms the news we reported back in June.  Onya, the Japanese udon chain owned by the same company that owns Beard Papa, will be taking over the Cafe Zest space on 47th btw. Lex+3rd.  No word on an opening day, but here’s hoping that it isn’t too far off.

Related:
Cafe Zest Space to Become Beard Papa Owned Udon Joint?