Motonobu Udon — Restaurant in Vancouver

I had high expectation before eating at this udon restaurant, because I knew it was running by Japanese. I had udon in different cities in Japan, so my eating experience here would definitely be comparing with the ones that I had in Japan for sure.

We were trying to come here in the evening one night, but we didn't make reservation. The wait was pretty long, so we left. This time we came here before they opened at 11:30am. When the door was open, a server told us that he would take the ones who made reservation first. Then I realized that people called and reserved a table on phone! I went to Google and searched for this restaurant. They have no website except a phone number. I thought people could make reservation online. Anyhow, we came here early enough, so we could take a table right away. Thanks God!

Due to covid, all the tables are 2m apart, which was great. The restaurant opened a big window that fresh air could get into the restaurant. A couple of tables were outside the restaurant (i.e. they had outdoor seating).

I came here with my family. A couple of us ordered Niku Tofu udon (hot) and one ordered a TenWaka udon (hot). When the dishes arrived at our table, the look and presentation were very nice. The bowl was quite big and the portion of the udon was a lot. The broth was very clear and it was good that it was not too salty. It depended on what you ordered for your dish. They had beef brisket, seaweed, egg wash, prawn tempera, and tofu for the options. However, the core of the dish which was the udon itself was not good (at least to me). I felt like I was eating some flour dough in thick and long shape. The udon was not mushy, but I could not feel the chewy texture (i.e. it should have some firmness on the texture, but there was none). Literally it was just flour dough. I was very disappointed at the udon itself.

When I was in Japan, I had eaten some handmade udon. Wow, it was so good, but I did not find this "satisfaction" at this newly open udon restaurant in Vancouver. If a foreigner has never visited Japan and has never tried the local handmade udon, the udon at Motonobu Udon was good enough for him/her. However, if he/she has tried the real handmade udon in Japan, the udon at Motonobu Udon was NOT okay..... Sorry I am being so honest, but this is true...

Also, I understand that I was eating in Vancouver. Pricing should be higher; however, I only paid 460 yen-560 yen, which was about $5.66-$6 CAD. I could get a bowl of very delicious and hot udon with some tempera and other side dishes. Here I had to pay 3 times more - $18 CAD for a big bowl of udon (that I could get 3 bowls of udon combo in Japan).

I would probably not visit this restaurant again (at least myself) unless my friends or family really really really want to come here for a meal together as a gathering.

There is street parking, so don't worry about not finding a...

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...

Motonobu Udon is a new, up and coming restaurant that I'm very excited to have in the community. I went for the first time back on Tuesday (Oct. 6) and really enjoyed my experience.

After reading reviews that talked about the long wait times for walk-in customers, I decided to make a reservation. I made that reservation on the same day I visited, just hours before, and had no problems. When I arrived, I was seated right away. The space is gorgeous. Inside felt as bright and airy as being outside, and I liked that the kitchen was open.

I found the servers to be very attentive - my cup of water was never less than half empty - which I appreciated. They also did a good job of describing the menu. Having seen a number of foodies post on Instagram about the NikuTenWaka (beef brisket, prawn tempura, seaweed) udon, I was all set to try that, but my server made the specials sound too good to pass up!

My dish was a cold udon in a pesto sauce, served with pieces of octopus. At first, I wasn't sure there was enough to make me full, but a quarter of the way through eating I realized how wrong I was. I was deceived because of how gigantic the bowl was! Anyway, I ended up eating it all and went into a very nice food coma when I got home.

This was my first time trying fresh, homemade udon, so I was super happy with the texture. The pesto sauce was smooth and herbaceous and the pieces of octopus were tender. The cost came to $19, which I thought was of great value given the portion size (plus, I presume octopus isn't the cheapest of proteins).

I also split an eggplant appetizer with the friend I was dining with. The eggplant was soft and bursting with umami flavour in every bite.

Usually, a new restaurant takes a couple months to work out the kinks. Opening during a pandemic presents even more challenges! So with those things in mind, I was thoroughly impressed with the staff at Motonobu. I look forward to my...