Plum Udon from Onya 04-10-2010

Location: 143 East 47th St.
Time: 7pm
People: RB and myself

Feelings: We went back to our favorite udon shop, Onya, in Midtown East after the J-Cation event. It is always nice to hear Osakan dialects from both customers and staff at this joint. That somehow always makes my food taste better.

I was excited to try their limited edition plum cold udon that is only available in Spring. The noodles were a lovely plum pink color and came with plum topping. I can see a lot of girls being a fan of this dish: it is very cute to look at, sensible, and healthy. I didn't actually taste any plum from the noodles, but the cuteness compensated the flavor. The udon was chewy and perfectly al dente as it should be for the cold udon dish. Although I wish they added some ginger for a little kick of flavor, this cheery dish was a great way to welcome the Spring.

RB ordered curry udon with beef steak, quite contrary to the plum cold udon. It is a mean, manly, alpha male dish with delicious curry broth and plenty of sirloin beef on top. If the plum udon represented Carroll Gardens, this dish was definitely Staten Island. The udon kept cooking in the hot broth, and it was significantly less chewy than the cold udon, and the steak was too well done and tough, however, it did manage to soak up all the curry flavor and became even more flavorful.

Whether you prefer Carroll Gardens or Staten Island, Onya seems always ready for some serious udon customers in Midtown East.