Udon Izakaya Maedaya, Melbourne CBD (with vegan broth)

When Sylvia first took me to Udon Izakaya Maedaya, it was so good I went there 3 days in a week.  This is very uncommon to go to a restaurant that often. Such a nice change!  It was as though a benevolent divine being had arrange it for me.  Sylvia and I had dinner there before Lightscapes, then some days later I went for another dinner with Heather after an Open House Melbourne talk.  The day after that I returned there with Sylvia when I went into the city to pick up a lost scarf.  It gave me a chance to try different delicious dishes, to be treated well by the staff and enjoy the bustling atmosphere.

When Sylvia first went to Udon Izakaya Maedaya with her dad, I am not sure if she was more excited by the udon noodles or the cheap mocktails.  It was not too long until she took me along.  The menu is a lot of pictures and I was not clear on what I wanted at first.  The staff were very helpful with any questions and Sylvia had already discovered online that, if you order the udon noodles in broth, you can ask for a vegan broth (even though I could not see this on the menu).

We were having dinner before the dazzling display of lights at Lightscapes in the Botanic Gardens so some brightly coloured mocktails seemed just the thing.  I had the Yuzu matcha lemonade and Sylvia had the Frozen strawberry (real strawberry syrup topped up with lemonade at $8.50 each.  (A jar of mocktails is $24.80.)  She found hers a quite sweet but I loved mine (so did she).   

We were planning on having a few snacks at Lightscapes so we shared a light meal: Edamame ($3.50), Lotus chips ($5), and Yasai tempura udon (that is fried vegetables with udon noodles in a light vegan broth - for a very reasonable $12).  

Sylvia was excited by the udon noodles because had read about how good udon could be but never really really enjoyed them from a packet.  These thick wheat noodles are fresh, soft and slurpy with a pleasing chewiness.  The broth was flavoursome enough to eat by itself but not overbearing.  And we were able to request a vegan broth.  Going to Asian restaurants can be hit and miss as to whether they have vegan broth even if the rest of a soup is vegetarian.  So this made Udon Izakaya Maedaya very attractive to us.

Everything on our plate was delicious.  The tempura that came with the soup was nicely fried.  Sylvia is not a fan of tempura vegetables but I love the soft cooked vegetables with a light crispy batter.  The edamame were lovely.  The surprise of the evening was how good the crisp lotus chips were and they looks so beautiful.

My next visit a few days later was with a friend Heather.  We got there towards the end of the happy hour because we had been to an Open House talk at the nearby Capitol Cinema.  After some discussion with the waiter, she ordered the okonomiyaki.  We had confirmed with the waiter that it was vegetarian so I had a little taste and it was very nice.

I tried the Yasai tempura donburi $12.  This was a rice version of the yasai udon that I had had previously.  It  was a bowl of rice with vegetable tempura.  It was really nice with a dipping sauce but I preferred the udon with the lovely vegan broth.  I was very impressed with the non-alcoholic Choya Yuzu Soda (which cost $7 in happy hour or $9.80 at other times).  We went elsewhere for a hot drink afterwards as it was a cold winter night.

When I got home from seeing Heather, I found that I had left my scarf at the wine bar where we had our hot drinks.  The easiest way to fix this was to head back into the city the next day.  Sylvia was delighted to have a chance to return to Udon Izakaya Maedaya.  We started with some refreshing mocktails again.  This time Sylvia had the Yuzu matcha lemonade and I had the startling blue Ginger lemonade with hint of orange.

We wanted to try something new so we decided to have udon noodles and share the Agedeshi tofu salad (lightly battered and fried silken tofu with salad, sesame sauce and shredded seaweed for $11.50).  It was so very good.  Usually I am not a huge fan of agedeshi tofu because I am not so keen on cold silken tofu but the sesame sauce was delicious and the lettuce and tomato made it really refreshing.

Sylvia had Udon noodles in broth ($8.50) and I had Kitsune udon noodles in broth ($10.90).  I was fascinated with the noodle soup served with shitake tempura and seasoned aburaage (thin fried tofu).  I read that Kitsune udon noodles is the Japanese equivalent of chicken noodle soup for sick people.  This indeed great comfort food.  But the sheets of aburaage were not so easy to eat with chopsticks.

We had decided this was our opportunity to try a dessert.  Sylvia was very keen on sharing the Matcha daifuku ($3.50).  Daifuku is mochi stuffed with a filling.  This one was a disc of matcha mochi filled with matcha paste and whipped cream.  The texture of the chewy mochi and smooth filling was delicious.  The bittersweet matcha flavour balances well with the creamy filling and fresh sweet orange slices on the side.

This meal of two bowls of noodle soup, a salad, dessert and two mocktails was a total $51.40.  That's pretty reasonable these days in Melbourne.  The happy hour can make your meal even cheaper if you are strategic.  And it is a pleasant place to eat with a lively crowd and friendly, helpful staff.

When my friend Alison was in town for dinner in December, we had a lovely dinner and catch up here. We arrived early and discovered that happy hour between 5 and 7pm can be a bit noisy though cheery.  She had a discounted beer and fried chicken and I enjoyed a refreshing Choya ube soda with my lovely udon noodles and agedeshi tofu salad.  

So many times when I really enjoy a restaurant I went to go there the next day.  To be blessed with happy conveniences that meant I could do just that was a real treat.  And it is great to know an amazing cheap place for dinner in the city.  Good noodles, vegan broth and a place where the non-alcoholic drinks are as good as the alcoholic ones is a rare treat indeed!

Udon Izakaya Maedaya
168-174 Bourke St (near the corner of Russell Street)
Melbourne CBD
Open: lunchtimes daily 12-3pm, dinner Sun-Wed 5-10pm, Th 5-10.30pm, Fri 5-11pm
https://www.facebook.com/udonizakayamaedaya/