Food Court Dining: Japanese Udon Noodles Goen

I have always associated curry with Indian food but since coming to Singapore, I have learned that the Japanese also have their version of curry. As someone who watches anime, this discovery helped me make sense out of some of the food I see on their shows.

I didn't know I liked curry until I came to Singapore; both the Indian and Japanese versions appeal to my taste buds. It's not a taste for everyone, but again, you'll never know if it's for you if you never tried it at least once.

Food courts are pretty much the hawker stalls of malls. They offer a variety of affordable meals, including the staple Chicken Rice. I was lucky enough to spot my favorite Japanese Curry shop in two locations last week.

Japanese Udon Noodles Goen branch in Wisma Atria

When I enjoy a certain type of food, I would probably keep talking about how tasty my dish is while my mouth is full. The first time I tried a dish from this franchise, I distinctly remember my wife laughing at how much I kept doing that.

Japanese Udon Noodles Goen is a franchise that can be seen in food courts. So far I know of three branches - Vivo City, Wisma Atria, and Bugis Junction. While I've frequented Vivo and Wisma, the Bugis branch was a new discovery.

They offer curry on rice or noodles, with chicken, beef, or tonkatsu as protein. While I'm a bit adventurous when it comes to trying food, I usually prefer having my go-to dish if there is one.

Japanese Tonkatsu Original Curry Rice (SGD 7.90)

For this shop, I have a go-to dish; the Japanese Tonkatsu Original Curry Rice. A huge serving of rice is a staple in this shop, with customers asked to ask the server for less if needed. A prepared tonkatsu meat is chopped and put over the rice, before their signature curry sauce is poured over everything.

Can't go wrong with a go-to dish.

The curry in itself can be eaten with the rice. Or that's just me. I almost treat it like soup, similar to what I do with the Chicken Curry at Queensway. The tonkatsu is usually lean, and while it's not life-changing amazing, it goes great with the curry sauce.

Beef Original Curry Rice (SGD 8.90), greens optional add-on.

On a different day, I wanted to look for a new place to eat at the Bugis food court, but I was drawn to the branch I didn't know was there. This time, I tried the Beef Original Curry Rice for the sake of trying something new. Personally, I didn't think the beef looked appetizing; sure, it was thinly cut, but it looked too pale in color that I almost thought it was raw. I'm pretty sure that the curry is a staple in all their branches, so I was a disappointed to see how my curry sauce looked like here.

The greens were cilantro, which I remembered I didn't like too much on ramen. Here, the flavor was masked by the curry.

While the flavor was there, it definitely didn't have a the same visual appeal as the other branches. Personally, it wouldn't have been a favorite of mine if this was my first experience. The rice isn't served as much as the other branches, but that's not too much of an issue as it is for the appearance of the curry.

Come for Seconds: For Wisma and Vivo, I have and I will again and again. For Bugis though, I'm not sure. If only for the flavor, I'd definitely eat if I see another branch nearby.

Hawker Break at Orchard: Cuppage Beef Noodle

Everything is quite expensive in Singapore. While there's a wide selection of food here, you also need to spend a lot in order to enjoy them. 

Thank God for Hawker Centers. These food outlets are practically everywhere; they're the mall food courts, there's one for every HDB, and there's usually one near office lots. They're affordable, and the variety of food is usually on full display as well; Chicken Rice is a staple, most have Western food (steaks, fries, pasta, etc), Korean, Japanese, noodle shops, and much more. 

While walking around Orchard yesterday, I was hungry but wasn't craving anything in particular. During times like these, Food Republic is the place to be. It was around 3PM, a time where food stalls are not too busy, so there's a chance to go through all the food outlets and let my nose decide for me. 

The shop is located at Food Republic at the 4th floor of Somerset 313

 I ended up in Cuppage Beef Noodle because it was cold and I thought I wanted soup. Cuppage is a street near Orchard, and I assume that it's where the original space of this stall is from. According to a short description of their shop, it's now managed by the daughter of the original owner, and they try to maintain the same quality and flavor that they had from way back.

Mixed Beef Bowl Soup (SGD 8.50)

I haven't had lunch, so I was naturally inclined to order a large bowl and almost regretted it when I saw how big the bowl was. I didn't ask, but assumed that the "Mixed Beef Bowl" would have all their meats in one bowl, and I was happily surprised that I was right. 

Hor Fun noodles (soft, thick rice noodles) are soaked in a broth and later drained before being put in the bowl. A couple of pieces of beef brisket, some beef tendon, four beef balls, and what looks to be tripe are then soaked on a different broth. Some thinly cut raw beef are also placed on the same strainer as the rest, and it was easily cooked. The meats are placed on top of the noodles, and the soup completes the dish. The guy asked if I'd care for some spring onions, and he added it in. I didn't like that it was mixed with cilantro, but it had to do. 

Not too big of a fan of beef tendon, so I left it on the bowl. 

 

The soup was a bit disappointing; it didn't have as much flavor as I expected from it, and I didn't know if they had sauces to satisfy my taste buds. I was a bit hesitant to eat all the beef after seeing some if it raw, but everything was cooked when I ate it. The beef balls were nice, and all of the meat was cooked just right. I didn't have to budget my meat to finish the noodles because there was enough to go around. The picture doesn't do justice to how huge the serving was, but I think it could be enough for two people looking for a light snack. 

Come for Seconds: I liked the beef and the beef balls too much that it makes me want to give it another try, hopefully with sauces next time. What sauce to put in would be another story.