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On a cold and wet day I had a huge craving for a warm bowl of noodles. Since several people had recommended Manpuku, Mike and I made our way over to the Grange by Dundas and University. Located in the Grange food court is Manpuku, a small sit-down restaurant serving up cheap and delicious bowls of udon.

Curry Udon

The restaurant was bigger than I originally thought. There was plenty of seating on the inside and has a very homey feel. There’s also some counter seating by the kitchen for those who want to drop by on their own.

I decided to go with the Curry Udon – basic plain udon topped with a Japanese blend of beef curry sauce ($5.99). I was expecting the broth to be a lot thicker from the curry but it was still a pretty light soup base with a mild curry flavour. Very enjoyable! The slices of beef were tender and the green onion garnish was the perfect addition to the dish. My only complaint was that I found my noodles to be just a touch overcooked.

Takosen

There’s an option to make any of the udons or donburi’s a combo for $2 which comes with a choice of two sides including chips, salad, soup or takosen. Great value, eh? I went with the soup (miso) and takosen. To be honest, I didn’t have very much of the miso soup. In hind sight, that wasn’t a very good idea since all the noodles came in soup.

As for the Takosen – a takoyaki served on a senbai, topped with takoyaki sauce and mayonnaise, they came about ten minutes after the udon noodles since they take a while to make. The takosen was basically a takoyaki sandwiched between two Japanese rice crackers. I didn’t really care for the rice crackers as I found them to be a bit stale. Are they supposed to be this way? I’ve never tried this before… As for the takoyaki themselves, they were delicious! And hot, so you might want to let them cool a bit before popping them in your mouth.

Niku Udon

Mike ordered the Niku Udon – basic plain udon topped with pork and onions in a special blend of sauce ($5.99). You actually get a choice of beef or pork for this. Since I had beef in mine, Mike went the pork, which was tender and quite flaourful. I really enjoyed the broth too, which I didn’t find too salty. It didn’t make me extremely thirsty afterwards, which tends to happen at some other noodle joints. If you find yourself still hungry after a bowl of noodles, you can get a noodle refill for $1.10.

Since I was starving while ordering, we also ordered the Yakionigiri – traditional rice ball stuffed with tuna and grilled in soy sauce ($3.49). I’ve never had this before but it was surprisingly delicious. I loved the crispiness of the exterior from being grilled. There wasn’t actually much tuna on the inside (which tasted like the canned variety), but I didn’t mind. This would make for a nice little snack.

Yakionigiri

I usually like to end off my meal with something sweet (who doesn’t?), so I went with a bowl of Black Sesame Ice Cream ($3.49) which came with three tasty scoops sprinkled with sesame seeds. Good, but not the best black sesame ice cream I’ve had.

Overall, I really enjoyed Manpuku. The food was cheap, quick and delicious and the service was friendly. A great spot for those craving a warm bowl of noodle soup.

Black sesame ice cream

At a glance:

  • Cheap, quick and delicious food
  • Great value
  • Selection of udon and rice dishes
  • Sit-down restaurant located in the Grange food court
  • Ratings (out of 5):

  • Food: 4.5 stars
  • Service: 4 stars
  • Atmosphere: 3 stars
  • Manpuku on Urbanspoon



    1. Dave (Reply) on Wednesday 12, 2011

      I wish we had something like this in Vancouver… Maybe we do and I just don’t know about it. Plenty of Donburi but no Udon!
      I know what you’re going to say in response. The answer is: No, it’s going to be too cold. =)

      • Jess (Reply) on Wednesday 12, 2011

        Haha, oh Dave, you know me too well. And yeah, this place is great! Chris was actually the first one to tell me about this place. One of his go-to’s.

    2. Amy (Reply) on Wednesday 12, 2011

      Haha I just finished my review on Manpuku (I’m very slow on my reviews). Glad you enjoyed the food there!

      • Jess (Reply) on Wednesday 12, 2011

        Haha I know how easily those restaurant posts can pile up. I’m quite behind myself.
        And thanks – gotta give you credit for the recommendation too 🙂