REVIEW | MeNami

Noodles or rice? What a tough call - to me at least. And being quite indecisive when it comes to choosing where & what to eat, it's not an easy decision for me. Luckily, Cristina & Jon (@CJ.noms) and Jeff (@jeffahlei) made it easy for me when they invited me over to try out the newly opened MeNaMi in North York. It has received some buzz since it's opening as a popular Japanese Udon & Sake bar in that neighbourhood.

The restaurant is a sister restaurant to Han Ba Tang (read review here), just a few blocks down on Yonge Street. You will notice the similar hip and welcoming atmosphere but don't expect the same type of food. MeNaMi is all about authentic Japanese udon and marrying it with western taste for some of the dishes. As for cocktails, the team got pretty creative with the names: Matcha Drunken Tea & Sailor Moon Gone Wild, anyone? My favourite was the Thai Iced Tea Cocktail.

  

Thai Iced Tea Cocktail | Beef Tataki


Seaweed Salad


Smoked Salmon with Parsnip Puree


Corn Karaage


Chicken Karaage


Convention Roasted Pork Belly


Kake Udon with Chicken Thigh

Kitsune Udon 


Mentaiko Cream Sauce Udon

 Black Sesame Pure Udon with Beef

 Sukiyaki

From the udons I tried, Kake Udon was my favourite. I like the idea of pouring the sauce over the udon noodles or dipping it before each bite. It help keep the noodles bouncy! The Black Sesame Udon was interesting interms of the flavour combination - it wasn't great but it also wasn't bad. There's a first for everything, I guess?

If I wasn't so full, I would have enjoyed the Sukiyaki to the last drop. That's on my to-eat list for my next visit to MeNaMi! The lines get pretty long on the weekends, so if you're planning a visit, call ahead to make a reservation!

- Our meal was complimentary but opinions are our own -