Marugame Udon – Alameda, CA

Marugame Udon specializes in serving bowls of udon your way!

You pick one of their set bowls of udon and then add or subtract ingredients you see fit. There are side dishes (ie: fresh veg, sweet beef, soft boiled egg, chashu, curry sauce, extra noodles) that you can add as well. The next station is a wide assortment of tempura ranging from vegetables (ie: eggplant, pumpkin squash, sweet potato, zucchini) to meats (ie: shrimp, chicken, squid, gyoza).

I had a bowl of Nikutama, which contains udon, simmered savory beef, sweet green onions, and a soft boiled egg served in a dashi soup. The beef was very tender, the yolk was runny, and the noodles were firm and springy which met my expectations. Everything was as delicious and had a umami flavor in every bite.

The tempura were crispy, fresh, and fried to perfection.

Rating: 4 out of 5