ISO: Nabeyaki Udon and Katsu Curry

[CookieLee]

My latest food obsession! I've had the nebayaki udon at Ginza (the one Beacon St.), and Fugakyu (also on Beacon) I think the one at Fugakyu had more veg in the broth. Also, there was less broth. They were both good. I've only had the katsu curry at Ginza, and I thought it was dry. I thought there would be a sauce.

So, where else should I go for these dishes? Is there something more to them? I wouldn't want to be missing out!

Thanks!

[Prav]

I had katsu curry last night at Wagamama, and it was pretty decent.

[mizzduke]

Agreed. I really like the Wagamama version, it is my favorite dish there.

[galangatron]

ittyo (also in the food court at the porter exchange building) has a few different versions of nabeyaki. i haven't had it so i can't vouch for it

i fourth the recommendation for the katsu curry at cafe mami. it includes free refills of steamed white rice and you can top it with a fried egg and cheese for a few dollars more. you can also get their delicious curry sauce on other items such as tatsuta (boneless fried chicken) and the hamburg set

[another_adam]

I can't remember if I've had the nabeyaki at Ittyo, but I've had a couple other udon items there: kimuchi udon, and one other--possibly kitsune udon?. Unfortunately, I found it very underwhelming both times: unexciting broth, measly few veg, and overcooked/mushy noodles. I guess they're partly at the mercy of the fact that it's just generally hard to get good udon in Boston (even Kotobukiya had a paltry selection), but it was just not an inspired rendition... more towards an instant bowl udon experience.

I should note, though, that both occasions were a few years ago by now, so maybe things are different and improved now.

[Zatan]

I had cold udon at Shiki a couple of times over the summer and it was great. I know they have nabeyaki too, I'd bet it's good.

Mr. Sushi in Brookline also has Nabeyaki udon, I had it once long ago but don't recall what I thought of it (not bad for sure).

Ken's noodle has curry, but no katsu I guess. I haven't tried it but it smells good. Men Tei in Back Bay also has katsu curry.

[CookieLee]

Well alright, another_adam and Zatan! I'm so excited that I've moved past just having teriyaki and tempura. And nabeyaki comes with shrimp tempura, which is a win/win situation!

[another_adam]

Just remembered in the context of another post that Shiki on Harvard has nabeyaki udon. I've somehow never tried it, which is weird, since I love nabeyaki and trust Shiki-- usually just more tempted by other things there, I guess. I'd say it's definitely worth a shot, since they are generally very good and quite authentic in their preparations.
(They also have tonkatsu, and I think they at least sometimes have curry, I'm not sure if they have the combination. You could ask, though!)

[another_adam]

Agree 100% with Mami for katsu.

For nabeyaki, I'm surprised to find myself saying that the best one I've had in a restaurant in Boston was actually at a place I otherwise dislike: Gari, in Coolidge Corner. I only had it there once, so I don't know if it was a fluke, but the broth was tasty, they weren't stingy with oden, the noodles weren't overcooked, and it was just generally very pleasant.

[CookieLee]

Thanks, everyone! I'll check them all out! That curry croquette sounds yummy! I'm a croquette fan from way back.

[meuri]

Agreed - not a big fan of Gari's despite its closeness, but the nabeyaki udon there is good - great broth, resilient noodles, pretty balanced in a bowl about the size as the one you'd get at fugakyu. We've eaten Gari's nabeyaki udon three times, so I think the results should be reliable.

We tried the nabeyaki udon at Shiki earlier this month - it's on the small side. The broth was good, but the broth:solid ratio was too small and the noodles a little soft.

[Luther]

Cafe Mami for katsu curry

[kobuta]

The nabeyaki udon at Sakura Bana in downtown Boston is quite good - in fact, their whole array of udon/soba dishes are better than most Japanese restaurants in the area. I'd definitely recommend you try it there.

I don't eat katsu as much in Boston (calories!) but if you enjoy katsu kare, I'd recommend making a pit stop at Cafe Mami in the Porter Square eatery by Lesley College. With Kotobukiya closed, there's less incentive for me to hop over, but a lot of the eateries in the food court are decent. Cafe Mami has some pretty good, hard to find in the US (let alone Boston) yoshoku. Their hamburg plates are also really good.

[voodoocheese]

I love cafe mami, but for katsu curry I tend to frequent Tampopo in the same food court. I love that they offer chicken breast if you want it, but of course you can get pork or chicken thigh. While you're at it, get a curry croquette; it is so good!

[robertlf]

Tampopo has the better katsu and the cream croquette is wonderfully good!