Review: Yoshinoya - Beef Yaki Udon Bowl

Yoshinoya's Yaki Udon is a new noodle dish for the Japanese beef bowl chain. I recently tried the Beef Yaki Udon Bowl which consisted of sliced beef stir-fried in a wok with a mix of fresh vegetables (zucchini, bok choy, cabbage, snow peas, onion and garlic), udon noodles, and Yoshinoya's special sauce.

It cost me $6.69 for an order.

They call it a bowl, but the udon came in a fairly standard styrofoam clamshell container. When I popped open the container, the deliciously strong aroma of garlic wafted out.

There was a good amount of meat and vegetables in the container. The vegetables were cooked very nicely; they were cooked through but retained a fresh crispness.

The beef slices were just okay and a little bland. I was hoping for something tender, but no go. It wasn't chewy or tough, but slightly overcooked.

The noodles were a bit slick with sauce and oil.

I mentioned the garlic smell before and indeed the dish was very garlicky, but also very salty, and not much else. I was expecting more flavor to the sauce; like a sweet teriyaki or something, but it just wasn't there.

Bottomline: The vegetables? Good! The beef? Just okay. The sauce? Salty and garlicky, but otherwise lacking in flavor. I would rather just go for Yoshinoya's Beef Bowl and save some money while I'm at it.

Nutritional Info - Yoshinoya Beef Yaki Udon Bowl (526g)
Calories - 450 (from Fat - 200)
Fat - 22g (Saturated Fat - 8g)
Sodium - 1570mg
Carbs - 106g (Sugar - 13g)
Protein - 30g