Japanese Noodle House

Posted by Jill Harris Dec 17, 2006

Last night was my first visit to a Japanese noodle house. I was surprised by how many vegetarian options there were...but unfortunately for me, most of them involved two foods of which I'm not the biggest fan: mushrooms and seaweed. I sprung for the seaweed bowl to get a taste of the authentic cuisine, but unfortunately couldn't quite stomach the deep-fried strands of green kelp. The miso broth was delicious, and the meal itself was quite filling.

The appetizers were more exciting than the main course though. There were so many vegetarian options it was difficult to decide, but I settled on vegetable Tempura (battered deep-fried vegetables) and fried tofu. The tofu tasted like it was in a mild but garlicy hoisin sauce, which was delicious, and the vegetables were perfectly crispy. There's something about real Asian-style tofu that is different than the kinds available in grocery stores...it ends up crispy on the outside but soft and succulent on the inside.

I finished off the meal with a black tea lychee bubble tea - one of my favourite treats.

I will definitely try to re-create a similar meal, perhaps substituting ingredients more up my alley. It never hurts to try new things!