No, it’s not the sushi. And for me, that’s saying a lot. Those of you who know me in real life know that I love sushi. I could probably eat it every day and not be tired of it.
But this winter, I’ve been hooked on a menu item that most people don’t even look at when visiting the umpteen million sushi restaurants that abound in the city of Halifax. I’m talking about the meal in a bowl: udon/soba noodles.
We’ve been hit with a pretty brutal winter with wind chill factors that I’ve mostly seen further west of here. And frankly, there’s nothing better for it than to sit down to a giant bowl of hearty soup. And the varieties are plenty. Up until recently my favourite was the vegetable tempura variety.
From valvados on Flickr
One night I got adventurous and tried out something even better: nabeyaki udon. And I’ve been on a kick ever since. Nabeyaki udon is basically a personal size Japanese hot-pot topped with tempura shrimp, an egg, and a variety of other ingredients. Every restaurant has their own concoction. My personal favourite is from Milamodo (because I love fried tofu) but Doraku and Sushi Shige make a pretty mean bowl of it, too.
Honestly, I can’t think of anything better to warm and fill you up on a cold winter’s day. And, as an additional bonus, your friends sitting across the table from you will envy you your gastronomical prowess. That, I can almost guarantee.
[Love Twitter and sushi? Well, look out Halifax 'cause here comes Twushi. Due to the snow storm, the event was postponed from last night to next week. Check out the Halifax Tweetup page for more details on this and other Twitter related events.]
Kimberly Walsh is a social media and online community manager. You can follow her on Twitter @AliasGrace.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I don’t go out for sushi that often, but I went to Hamachi a little while ago and ordered something that wasn’t sushi or tempura. I’ll be damned if I can remember what it was called, but it was a sweet rice bowl with pork and egg, and it was delicious. I may try an udon dish at Twushi!
There is life outside of California rolls, eh? And once you venture beyond the land of avocado rolls, it’s so hard to go back…
So pumped for Twushi!
Sounds yummy. I may have to get some for lunch today.
Jenn & Racquel: On a trip to Vancouver, Cokebaby and I had lunch at an all you can eat sushi restaurant. I’m pretty sure they’re still recovering from the visit. I so completely love sushi but some of the other items on the menu are a treat, too. Especially noodle soup on these cold winter days we’ve been having. Hope I can make it to Twushi next week. If not, save room at the table for me the next time. And take pictures!
Angd, from your Twitter comments I see that operation udon noodle soup was a success! Now I’ll have to find a way to get my hands on a bowl of it this week.