Really good food! The salmon was flavourful and the cream sauce was delicious. The wasabi raw octopus was really tasty. It came with some seaweed as well. The salmon dish came with a side of radishes. There was only one waitress serving so I felt a bit bad.
Great food but service could be better. The short ribs and dumplings were awesome. They also have a oyster special some nights. The chicken wings were just okay. Service could improve. This place is busy and waiter disappeared for a while. They made us wait for our table to be ready then told us we only had 2 hours to eat then never came back to take our dessert order. I would go back because the food was worth it! Good price point too.
One of the best udon places I’ve ever eaten at! The noodles are so fresh, delicious and perfectly cooked. Better to make a reservation if you have a big group or else you’ll be waiting for a while.
Heard a lot of good things about this place so we stopped by for lunch. The udon was pretty good but the salad was a bit sad. Some of the leaves were past wilted. The service was extremely slow when there were only 3 tables seated in the whole restaurant. We were not impressed and probably not coming back.
Love the decor and atmosphere here. Sultry jazz playing in the background. Had the spicy pork udon which was great. Definitely coming back to try the draft sake.
I wish zomato would get rid of the 140 char minimum!!
The udon came piping hot and was perfectly cooked. It was definitely the perfect dish for a cold evening, but I couldn’t help but fawn over the saucy noodles my friends were having.
I started thinking about MeNami over the next few weeks and was itching to go back to try their pasta-like dishes. I finally returned a few weeks ago, and ordered the Mentaiko Cream Sauce Udon while my friend ordered the Seafood Yaki Udon.
As it is finals season, I opted out to visit MeNami (for the first time) in person and decided to stay back to finish up school work instead. However, my friends offered to do takeout for me, which was super sweet and I’m so thankful for that!🙂. I originally wanted to try their Oven Baked Udon, but that wasn’t available for takeout since it was in a special baked plate. I ended up with the Seafood Yaki Udon instead.
Came here with pretty high expectations, alas my experience fell a little short of that. Came by late on a Friday night, our appetizer came very quickly, but we had to wait 45 min before our entees arrived. Did not expect to have to wait for so long. The Deep Fried Okra batter was laced with wasabi; I would've preferred a warning beforehand. The inside of the okra was still slimy, a tell-tale sign that they weren't fried for long enough. The Salmon Cream Sauce Udon was fine, pretty much what you expect it to taste like. However, the Seafood Yaki Udon was wayyy too sweet! I was really looking forward to that dish because I've heard good things. The sauce was so sweet I had to mix it with the remaining cream sauce from our other udon dish to make it palatable.
So this Summer, I've been feeling very unmotivated to blog as of late, mainly because I haven't done anything really blog-worthy that I haven't already posted about before. Or rather, I've been feeling very unmotivated to drag my large camera around everywhere I go and risk everyone complaining about me "paparazzi-ing" them all meal.
The food is great! Definitely come for the udon. Beef broth udon was the only slightly let down - soup was quite plain. Baked udon sounds weird but so good. Cold chicken udon had the best texture; I enjoy firm noodles. The protein is generous and fried well. The karaage app is also cooked well and the accompanying mayo is addictive.
Service leaves a little to be desired. Efficient, but distant. A place like this is screaming for energetic, outgoing staff.
Address: 5469 Yonge Street. Toronto, ON M2N 5S1Phone: (416) 229 – 6191Website: . Conveniently located on Yonge Street, near Finch Avenue makes this udon specialized restaurant easily accessible and noticeable. But you have to be walking to really notice the entrance because the sign is on an angle and indifferent from a lot of other storefronts, on the darker shade. When we drove down Yonge Street, we missed it twice, as big as our eyes were. But, if you are purposely making a trip to visit the restaurant, just use a GPS, especially to find parking because we had to park at the church on the side street. Hopefully, they were not mad at us. Thank you God. =)
It was quite busy on a friday evening at 7pm. Glad we made reservations.
The corn kaki age was a unique dish. It was quite sweet and good.
I had the mentaiko cream sauce udon. The noodles were chewy and delicious. The cream sauce was prepared quite well. I would recommend this dish.
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This review is based 2 visits to MeNami. Both on a weekday Tuesday, one during the hype when you need a reservation to get in anyday and one when you can drop by as a walk in on a weekday.
I like the simple menu of MeNami. An unique menu that differs from all the Izakaya/restaurant in the area.: Their star is the housemade udon.
I like the freshness of non frozen udon. Yes there is a different. A subtle different. But if one is paying the same price for a bowl of packaged/frozen udon at other restaurants, why not go for the fresh one with no preservatives?
I tried the Original Kama Udon ($7.95) and Tsuke Udon with Shrimp Tempura ($10) both which I really enjoyed. I would say just skip the Tempura as the udon is really the star of the dish.
For Tapas, I tried the Corn Kaki-age, Roasted Hamachi Gama, Tako-Wasa all really solid dish.
For drinks I would suggest to stick with beer (they have Delirium on tap) or Sake. Their cocktails is sweet and weak.
Service though was exceptional during my most recent visit. Both waiter was nice and go out of their way to make sure I have a good stay.
I would be back for some more fresh udon. I think this is the only restaurant that offers freshly made noodle in GTA.
Came here with friends last night and the service was good and the food was pretty good too. It was quite busy inside and the interior is pretty nice. Beer wasn't that cold though, which is a big no no for me.
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
MeNami prides itself as the first genuine traditional Udon House in Ontario. Udon is a type of thick wheat noodles found in Japanese cuisine. It can be served warmed or cold depending on the type of dish. Opened only a few months ago, Menami has already created a lot of buzz. This place is pretty busy, hence expect to wait if you don’t have a reservation. The restaurant is located at Yonge and Finch. We swung by around 5:30pm on a Saturday evening, put down our name and number and waited for about 40mins. They will contact you by phone when your table is ready.
We were blown away by the Beef Tataki ($12) appetizer and this was my favourite dish. The sauce was very tasty, full of flavour, and has a bit of a kick to it! It is citrus -y and sweet.
The Spicy Salmon Tartare ($9) was yummy as well and is served with crispy deep fried wonton skin. The salmon is chunky and fresh.
Next was the Black Sesame Puree Udon with Beef ($15)! I rarely leave a restaurant without trying one of their speciality items. There were many Udon dishes to choose from on the menu but this one caught my eye. It was an interesting dish since the sauce is quite sweet and reminded me of the traditional Asian black sesame dessert. It was warm and we were quite content slurping up the noodles. The udon noodles were springy and not starchy. The only downside is that there wasn’t much beef.
Corn Kaki-age ($5) with a honey butter mayonnaise dip! I can see why a lot of people enjoyed this corn tempura dish. Personally, I’m not a big fan of fried food but I liked the sauce and I thought it went well with the corn kaki-age.
The bar area is nicely arranged and I liked the wood furniture and details, the cool lighting fixtures, and hip vibes.
I think MeNami is a great place to eat with friends or with a date. There’s a good selection on the menu whether you’re feeling for something unique, or just tapas and drinks.
The Oven Baked Udon contained shrimp, scallop, bacon, green pepper, white onion, and Tex Mex. This one was extremely cheesy with the Tex Mex on top and full of cream sauce as well. Since it was oven baked, the surface of the udon when it arrived was a beautiful golden yellow colour from the oven baked cheese. It smelled amazing too!
There were a lot more shrimps in this than scallops and I liked the bacon slices that were hidden within this creamy udon dish as well. If you love cheese, you will love this udon dish! Just like the first dish, I really enjoyed the texture of the udon and its chewiness.
MeNami is a nice Japanese Udon House in uptown Korea town. Definitely a place not hard to miss with his bright lit sign and big wooden doors. It was quite busy during dinner on a Thursday evening when we went and its also due to the fact they are a small place and have limited seating. For the tapas, I ordered the Corn Kaki age which was corn made with tempura batter dipped in a sweet custard like sauce. It was quite good. From the udon menu, I tried the Over Baked Udon which had shrimp, scallop, bacon, green pepper, white onion and tex mex. It was quite delicious and nicely made. Overall, it was a great dining experience. Staff was friendly and they have a nice cozy ambience. Would highly recommend this place to others.
A self-proclaimed "Udon & Sake Bar", MeNami aims to provide the same hip, urban vibe as Han Ba Tang further down south along Yonge, but with hand-pulled udon instead of Korean tapas.
The storefront is cool: an easily-identifiable sign, glass window panes, and a towering, deep emerald double-door entrance. As many other reviewers had noted, it's evident that the "industrial chic" aura resides within MeNami and its sophisticated interior design. The singular washroom boasts a wall of textbook-like pages with primary- and secondary-industry-related info, along with bathroom mirrors adopting the shape and size of storm pipe cross sections.
As there was a lack of tables, we were offered seats at the bar instead. While Han Ba Tang's bar area was rather short, MeNami's assumes a long L-shape, and provides viewing access to food preparation and cocktail creation. Situated above was a chalkboard donning the names of dishes and appetizers in various hues and fonts.
Went with a group of ten so tried quite a bit if the menu. We had: taco wasi, smoked salmon, fried shrimp, pork belly, beef short rib hot pot, vegetable hotpot, black sesame udon, spicy udon. Highlights are beef rib hot pot, black sesame udon and taco wasi. Small space so reserve ahead of time.
RM
MeNami is Toronto's first house-made Japanese Udon restaurant which has recently gained a lot of popularity among many foodies. Chae Kim, owner of MeNami and Han Ba Tang, another popular restaurant and bar, opened this udon restaurant with a big goal in mind: to serve the freshest and most authentic udon noodles to customers. In order to master the creation of Japanese udon noodles, Chae Kim imported an udon machine from Japan and sent her chef, Kevin Shin, to Japan for 3 months to learn the delicate process of making it so that he can bring those skills back to Toronto. What separates freshly made udon from frozen is the firm texture it holds and so it is no wonder that the process of making udon requires professional skills and great attention to detail. Not only does MeNami serve udon dishes, they also offer a tapas menu, rice dishes, as well as large shareable items for two.
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
I'm going to say it.
It may be an unpopular opinion but...
It was average udon.
From the same owners as Han Ba Tang which has gotten great reviews, MeNami focuses on freshly making their udon. Unfortunately, it just wasn't the super yummy experience I was hoping for...an off night?
We had gone several weeks ago and I was holding back this post as I was hoping to go back, but a friend of mine had made the same comments after going twice. So, I probably won't be going back for a while. Anyway, if you're still reading...I ordered the Kitsune Udon which is udon in a broth with marinated tofu. I wanted something simple but wanted the broth as it was a cold night and my toddler was having some; she prefers noodles in soup.
Why just average you ask?
The noodles were too firm and I was expecting something more noticeably different from packaged udon (like when you eat fresh pasta, there is a texture difference between fresh and dry pasta). It lacked a chewiness to it, it's not supposed to be like chewing gum, but it should have a nice bite or bounciness to it. This next point might be a strange one, but the noodles didn't slurp up well, meaning the soup didn't adhere to the noodle as much as I'd like it to. The soup was okay and is pretty traditional it seems, but nothing that would make me drink the whole bowl. That was alright since the noodles should be the star. Anyway, that night, the noodles were average.
However, I did like the marinated tofu - the salty, slightly sweet and vinegary tofu was like eating inari sushi without rice.
For those that are fans of MeNami, please tell me if it's the cold udon or saucy udon dishes that makes the difference!! I have a feeling the soup udons are not on par with the rest of the menu.
We did order a couple of sides, the chicken kara-age and the corn kaki-age. They were good but nothing particularly special about either. I have to admit we didn't order some of the more interesting options though (going for a simple night). Again, I have to make another unpopular opinion...I would NOT order the corn kaki-age again because it wasn't as unique as we thought it was going to be and it's a small portion of corn in tempura batter for $5...yes, spend that $5 on another side dish instead or use it towards a drink! They are supposed to have some quality sake and interesting cocktails. I want to think "maybe we didn't order the right sides or came on an off night or they are still working on fine tuning" but this first experience did not live up to my expectations.
There are definite positives to this place, service was quite good and the décor and design of the space is very nice; has a hipster vibe - a date worthy place in North York. Lots of nice detailing and love the dinnerware and lighting pieces! The bar also looks very inviting...definitely would attract me to have a few drinks there. This is a place I would come to again simply because of the decor and specialty sake options...and while I'm here, I guess I'd try some other sides and give their udon another go.
Sometimes first impressions can be wrong...
Food In The City Toronto
+3.5
Located in the heart of North York, MeNami (Twitter: @menamitoronto / Instagram: @menamitoronto) is the first traditional Udon House in all of Ontario. They pride themselves in bringing authentic Japanese Udon to the people of Toronto. MeNami is owned and operated by Chae Kim, the current owner of Han Ba Tang, Yonge and Finch’s most popular restaurant. MeNami not only serves Udon, they are also known for their galore of Sakes (hence the Sake Bar) – opened very late most nights of the week.
Most good noodles should have a springy quality to it, at least in my books. I prefer my pasta al dante, wonton noodles still with give and udon chewy despite its thick doughy properties. The large green door and Vegas style name tag may not traditional characteristics of a noodle joint, but MeNami Udon and Sake Bar certainly offers an impressive bowl of sanuki udon, despite the buzzy atmosphere.
Forget the vacuum packed versions you find in the frozen or dry good areas of Asian supermarkets, MeNami makes their fresh in-house with a special machine imported from Japan and Chef Kevin Shin spending a good deal of time in Kagawa, Japan learning the recipe and technique to reproduce it in Toronto (with a few tweaks to meet our climate).
To sample the noodle in its most neutral form, have a plate of the tsuke udon ($7.95), the cool noodles served with a sweet soy, ginger, daikon and onion concoction for dipping. It goes particularly well with
The flashy sign at the front will definitely catch your attention and I loved the oversized doors as it gave the restaurant quite a “wow” factor from the outside. But don’t try to open them (obviously I didn’t hahaha) as it was simply for deco, so enter the restaurant through the side door. Similar to Han Ba Tang, the decor has an Izakaya feel to it – casual and modern with a truck front grill and whitish-grey wooden chairs.
MeNami (@menamitoronto) means Little Tide in Japanese and Udon, the Little White Tide of the Ocean. MeNami Udon House and Sake Bar is definitely a udon house but not so sure about the sake part with only barely a dozen to choose from, wish they offer more variety. NeNami is the first traditional Udon House in Ontario, made fresh in house everyday and just this past long weekend, they have been sold out and had to close for several hours just to make a fresh batch. Owner Chae Kim even send Chef Kevin Shin to journey to Japan to learn all about Udon. The Udon machine came directly from Kagawa Japan, the udon are made in the basement of the restaurant where the temperature and moisture must be kept constant to maintain it's texture.
MeNami is a new restaurant near Yonge and Finch from the owners of another popular North York restaurant, Han Ba Tang. The restaurant specializes in traditional udon, made fresh in-house. Chae, the owner, sent one of her chefs, Chef Kevin Shin, to Japan for 6 months to learn the technique for making udon and imported a Japanese udon machine from Kagawa in order to create the most authentic udon experience possible for her customers. I had the pleasure of checking out the new restaurant at their media launch.
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