Author: Liz49

Food 2/5 Presentation 3/5 Atmosphere 4/5 I had really high hopes for Motonobu Udon because this is the only restaurant in Vancouver that specializes in Udon. Unfortunately the food did not represent the rating it received on Google Reviews. I ordered the "Niku Tofu" with...a side of Ebi-ten and Negi Tuna. First let's get the good stuff out of the way. Judging by the taste and texture of the noodles, it seemed like they were made in-house, which is pretty cool! However, the broth was not up to par in my opinion. It had a strong fungal (mushroom) flavour which was quite off-putting. My girlfriend could barely finish off her bowl because of the taste. On the Motonobu website, they state that their broth is made with konbu seaweed, sardines and bonito. When you think about this combination, you would imagine it would have a hearty yet light fish flavour.. however, what you receive is the opposite. The closest thing I can compare the broth to is vegan pho but with a sweeter taste. The brisket was very tender but as I kept eating it, a fermentation/cheese flavour started overpowering my palette. The fish cake that came with my udon was also very tender but was too sweet. Overall, I was very disappointed with the udon. For the Ebi-ten (aka. Prawn Tempura), the batter was quite thick and under seasoned but was crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. Weirdly, the tempura was served without tempura sauce, which I had to ask for. However, the tempura sauce was still unable to save the tempura because it tasted exactly like watered-down soy sauce. The Negi-Tuna was the best thing that we had but don't mistaken that for praise. The tuna tasted and felt like it was sashimi grade but the tuna was topped heavily with green onions and a citrus ponzu sauce that had way too much citrus in it. The price for 2 udons and 2 sides before tips was 51.92 and was definitely not worth it. For this price I could have purchased premium ingredients to make udon at home for a couple of days. The atmosphere of the restaurant was nice. It's what you would expect for a modern business that's been opened recently. Very pristine. Not much to say about the presentation of the food. Udon mostly looks the same no matter where you go. I personally would not recommend Motonobu to any of my friends. If you're looking to have a bowl of noodle soup, I would rather go to Marutama or Ya-Yah-Yah Ramen. If you're really craving udon, go to your favourite sushi place and order the udon there- you'll have a much better experience. I won't be back.