Marufuku Udon, Jaya One

The deal: RM12 for RM20 cash voucher for food and drinks at Marufuku Udon

What we got:

We've been frequenting Sanuki Udon in Taman Desa for several years now, which we love for its simple, fuss-free, affordable meals and speedy service. So when we decided to check out Marufuku Udon, Sanuki's sister restaurant located in Jaya One, we couldn't help but make comparisons with our favourite udon place in KL.

Gyuniku nabe (RM13)

Tempura seafood nabe (RM12)

Marufuku has, no doubt, a lot more choices when it came to the menu. There was a bigger variety of udon, side dishes and drinks, and they also serve donburi and dessert which are not available at Sanuki. Prices are generally RM1 or so higher than Sanuki, which is understandable given its location.

We got the gyuniku (beef) nabe and tempura seafood nabe, both of which are not offered at Sanuki. Served in a claypot, both nabes were rather substantial in portion, with more than sufficient servings of beef/tempura. While most people would welcome an egg in their noodles, we would have preferred doing without it so that we could enjoy the light, sweet taste of the broth. Aside from that, we were pretty much satisfied with our main course.

Kakiage (RM2)

The kakiage here was surprisingly cheaper (by RM1) than the one at Sanuki, despite Marufuku being housed in a shopping complex. The vegetables were cut thinner than what we're used to and have come to enjoy, but that's just us nit-picking.

Chicken katsu (RM5) 

Chicken katsu with wasabi mayonnaise, also not available at Sanuki. We would have enjoyed it more if the wasabi flavour was more prominent.

Chicken karaage (RM3) and tempura oyster mushroom (RM2)

The chicken karaage was pretty consistent in quality with the one in Taman Desa, albeit being rather small. The tempura oyster mushroom was fine.

One significant difference I found between the two outlets is the service. While service was efficient at Sanuki, with food usually served within five to ten minutes of placing the order, the waiters at Marufuku seem unable to cope and appear to be working somewhat haphazardly, resulting in food reaching our table rather slowly.

All in all, considering the amount of food we had, the price we paid was certainly more than worth it.

Tax: Service charge of 10%

How much we paid: RM24.70

Manmaru Homemade Udon, Mid Valley Megamall

The deal: RM10 for RM20 cash voucher for food and drinks at Manmaru Homemade Udon.

What we got:

Kamo seiro udon (regular: RM15.90)

I love udon. If I had to choose between ramen, soba and udon, I'll almost always choose udon (except when there's cold soba, because cold udon still seems a bit strange to me). It's been two months since I've last had udon, so the voucher was very timely.

I got the kamo seiro udon, which was udon served in hot water, with duck broth in a separate bowl. I know they call it 'gravy' on their menu, but I thought broth would much better describe its consistency. There were four or five slices of duck, which were tasty. The broth tasted somewhat herbal-y but I found it a little too salty.

Niku udon (regular: RM14.90)

My partner got the niku udon. The beef slices were tender and the broth was less heavily flavoured compared to the duck one, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. We also thought the noodles were firmer in texture compared to udons we've had in other places.

Tori karaage (RM2/piece)

 Yasai kakiage tempura (RM1.80/piece)

The tori karaage was less oily than the ones we have at our usual udon place, and the kakiage had less flour coating as well--which means we could taste more of the veggie, with us deceiving ourselves that this was 'healthier' (though we know it likely isn't). 

After our meal, we washed it all down with a cup of cold green tea (RM1.50).

Tax: None.

How much we paid: RM20