In LA, Marugame Monzo is the stuff of legends. Their hand-pulled udon makes them part of a dying breed in the Japanese-American noodle scene. There's always a line stretching out the door and down the street of willing witnesses to their delectable last stand, supporters of their refusal to give in to outsourcing and automation.
Marugame Monzo persists, and those exquisite noodles are the very measure of what we call #winning. The Curry Udon is heavy and hearty, every last drop of its viscous broth clinging to perfectly al dente udon, a texture that has no parallel.
They don't just do this noodles, either. The Negitoro Wrap is a stimulating appetizer of DIY hand roll minus the rice. The cold, chopped toro is fatty and fulfilling, and when you wrap the nori with a dab of kaiware, it only leaves you wanting more.
Even the Pork Belly Rice Bowl is something special. The pork is as thin as a delicate nori, and each perfectly salted slice folds fragrant over a bed of rice.
Any of these dishes can stand alone, but they are mere movie previews, curtain warmers for the star of the show. The Sea Urchin Udon tops the bucket list of every person in LA, and that broth is as creamy as sin. But it is the cleanest, most well-balanced sin, full of gooey uni in cream-coated chunks. Be sure to blindfold your children while you eat - my reaction was very inappropriate in public.
The check comes, and I'm astounded. 50 dollars? In a city where parking is 5 dollars an hour and 10 dollars a night? How is it possible to indulge so much for so little? These noodles are clearly a labor of love, and wow, what a privilege to experience the results of that labor!
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