MeNami [EVENT]

Name: MeNami
Location: 5469 Yonge Street, North York
Cuisine: Japanese
Website: www.menami.ca

MeNami is Toronto's first house-made Japanese Udon restaurant which has recently gained a lot of popularity among many foodies. Chae Kim, owner of MeNami and Han Ba Tang, another popular restaurant and bar, opened this udon restaurant with a big goal in mind: to serve the freshest and most authentic udon noodles to customers. In order to master the creation of Japanese udon noodles, Chae Kim imported an udon machine from Japan and sent her chef, Kevin Shin, to Japan for 3 months to learn the delicate process of making it so that he can bring those skills back to Toronto. What separates freshly made udon from frozen is the firm texture it holds and so it is no wonder that the process of making udon requires professional skills and great attention to detail. Not only does MeNami serve udon dishes, they also offer a tapas menu, rice dishes, as well as large shareable items for two.



It's hard to miss the restaurant when walking or driving by as it has two large doors and a brightly lit up sign at the entrance. Upon entering, you will see the rustic and trendy interior with wooden accents throughout the place.



The restaurant offers a great selection of Japanese sake, beer, Korean alcohol, and not to mention they have sake on draft. There is also a wide variety of sake-based cocktails on their menu.

Yuzu Mojito

This cocktail is a new item on their drink menu which has a refreshing taste of yuzu, lime and mint. I loved this drink because it wasn't too sweet and it made me reminisce about the times I spent on tropical islands. We can all use a lot of that during our unpredictable Canadian weather..

Seaweed Salad ($7)

Kaiso, Wakame, Salted Cucumber, Harusame,

Red Radish, Deep Fried Yuba and Sesame Seed.

This was a unique salad consisting of different seaweeds and vegetables combined. The salad was refreshing, light and crisp, a perfect salad for those looking for a highly nutritious dish.

Smoked Salmon with Parsnip Sauce ($10)
Torched Smoked Salmon,
Deep Fried Yuba and Parsnip Puree

This was a wonderful dish! The salmon had a nice texture which was soft and the parsnip puree really brought this dish to another level. The sauce was light and not overpowering at all which complimented the salmon.

Convention Roasted Pork Belly ($11)
Pork Belly, Dry Rub, Pickled Onion
and Shisho Spring Mix

Not your average pork belly! Right away I could taste the cumin in the dry rub which I absolutely loved. The spices reminded me of Asian lamb skewers and I was surprised at how well the flavours matched the pork belly. The pickled onion provided an excellent accompaniment to the pork because it helped to balance out the spices with tangy and sweet flavours.

Corn Kaki-Age ($5)

Corn Niblets and Honey Butter Mayonnaise

These were heavenly! At many Korean bars they serve sizzling corn with butter, mayo and cheese to enjoy with your drinks, and these corn niblets reminded me of that but with a twist. The corn had a delicious crunchy texture and the honey butter mayonnaise gave the corn a nice sweetness.

Chicken Kara-Age ($6.50)

Chicken Thigh and Shiso Mayonnaise

You can't go wrong with chicken kara-age and these pieces were huge! The meat was really juicy and tender.

Beef Tataki ($12)
Beef, Sesame Seed, Green Onion,
Green Onion Oil and Seaweed

Lovely presentation with the green onions and tomatoes to give it a vibrant and appetizing look. This dish was refreshing with a mix of sweet and tangy flavours from the sauce.

 

Kake Udon with Chicken Thigh Tempura ($11)

Grated Ginger, Green Onion,

Deep Fried Chicken Thigh and Cold Soup

The udon noodles and soup come in separate bowls, giving you the option of pouring the soup over the noodles or dipping it into the soup. Right of the bat I could taste how fresh the noodles were from the firm and stretchy texture, whereas frozen udon noodles loses the firmness and elasticity it should hold.

The soup had a soy sauce base that wasn't too salty which I liked. We ended up pouring the soup over the noodles but I would probably recommend dipping the noodles into the soup because the chicken thigh tempura got drenched and became soggy. The chicken still tasted great but it would have been better to eat it while it was crispy.

Black Sesame Puree Udon with Beef ($15)

Beef, Schichimi, Green Onion,

Red Pepper Thread and Baby Spinach

This udon dish was very unique with flavours I never thought would come together. The black sesame sauce had a thick texture and tasted savory with the beef. I wasn't sure if I liked it or not because it was such an interesting combination that I never had before. If you're a fan of black sesame and want to be adventurous, try this dish out and let me know what you think!

Mentaiko Cream Sauce Udon ($12)

Mentaiko, Green Onion and Spicy Tomato Oil

This was my absolute favourite dish of the night! The sauce was creamy which made the noodles very silky and delicious. I couldn't taste the mentaiko and I wasn't sure if I should be able to taste it or not, but regardless these noodles were fabulous! I especially loved how well the udon paired with the cream sauce and I don't think anyone would have thought that these ingredients combined would create such an amazing dish. I think it's safe to say that this was one of the most popular dishes of the night!

Sukiyaki ($24)

Beef, Napa, Green Onion, Enoki Mushroom,

Shitake Mushroom, Oyster Mushroom, Harusame, and Chrysanthemum

This soup comes on a portable stove top and is a great shareable item for more than 2 people. You have the option of ordering udon noodles on the side but it also comes with Harusame, clear thin noodles. I really liked the soup and I think it's a great item to order on a cold day and it is also perfect to have on the side when you're having some sake.

Sake

At the end of our meal, the waiter brought out a chilled sake decanter which had a pocket for ice.

Cheers!

I had a wonderful time learning about the delicate process of creating authentic udon noodles and trying MeNami's specialty items, both their food and drinks. I loved the overall atmosphere of the restaurant and I could already see this place becoming "The spot" in North York to hangout over food and drinks.

After the event all I could think about were the corn niblets and Mentaiko Cream Sauce Udon, so I had to go back a second time to satisfy my cravings! I highly recommend this restaurant because you get the best quality food at such an affordable price. Even if you're just looking for a nice Asian bar to hang out at, MeNami has everything you need!

Related Items Japanese Toronto