Whether you want a cold and refreshing or hot and heartwarming bowl of noodles, Yume Ga Arukara is the place for you. With fresh udon handmade daily, Yume Ga Arukara boasts delicious bowls of udon with complex flavor profiles that leave your heart happy and your stomach satisfied. Located in Porter Square, the restaurant has a bustling on-the-go vibe, perfect for a quick, sit-down meal.
So, why udon? Udon is unique for its thickness, giving it a firmer and chewier texture than other noodles. Because of its thickness, the difference between cold and hot udon is very pronounced. From the picture below of the chef pulling cooked udon out of iced water, you can see how long the noodles are. The lengthy noodles make for a delightful experience texturally.
Cold Niku Udon
The cold niku udon consists of a bed of cold udon in a chilled dashi-soy broth, topped with thinly-sliced beef, tempura flakes, green onion, nori flakes, and a slice of lemon. I also added on an onsen egg.
First, the udon. Words cannot describe how delightful the texture of the udon was, but the process can explain the uniqueness of the noodles. After boiling the udon, it was quickly submerged in iced water, preserving its natural bounciness and making for a soft yet chewy noodle.
The dashi-soy broth is delightfully savory, with flavor undertones of fish and mushroom that go hand-in-hand with the nori flakes. The thinly-sliced beef adds a sweet, meaty component elevated by the crunchy, salty tempura flakes. The green onion lightens the dish with its refreshing, bright taste. The component of the dish that really elevates it to the next level is the lemon slice. The acidity that the lemon brings to the dish contrasts the savory, salty, and sweet tones. Finally, the added onsen egg's rich yolk worked perfectly with the noodles and beef. If I had to choose, this would definitely be within my top 10 noodle dishes.
Soup Curry Udon
The soup curry udon consists of hot udon in a curry broth, topped with thinly-sliced beef, tempura flakes, green onion, red onion, cheddar cheese, shichimi flakes, and an onsen egg. This is one of those dishes that feels like a hug– warm, hearty, and comforting. The sharpness of the cheddar and slight kick from the shichimi pairs perfectly with the spiced curry, making for a well-rounded rich broth.
Having the tempura flakes in the hot udon was adjacent to putting chips on a sandwich in that it added a nice greasy, savory textural component. Surprisingly, as the tempura flakes melted into the broth over time, they were not soggy and unpleasant, but actually incorporated into the broth and made it even creamier. Just like in the cold udon, the onsen egg only made the broth so much more complex, and the bites of udon coated with yolk were phenomenal. The sweetness of the beef fit right into the dish, contrasting the salty flavors. With all of these richer flavor profiles, the green onion and red onion helped cut through the heaviness and provide a perfect contrast within the dish.
Texturally, the udon itself was less impressive than the cold udon, but only because the cold udon has no equal when it comes to the springiness only achieved by dunking the cooked noodles in ice water. Overall, this was a heartwarming dish that I would love to have on a cloudy day.
The Aftermath
With Yume Ga Arukara tradition, at the end of the meal, the server and host came over to rate how well we ate our dishes. "Perfect!"