Menya Mappen Noodle Bar

A new japanese eatery has popped up! Hiding in the arcade next to 85 degrees cake on George Street, this humble little joint is Sydney's first self serve udon/ramen/soba bar. The decor and dark wooden seating is inviting and the smell of soy simply mouthwatering. There is a great buzz to the place as people line up at the bar waiting to chose their noodles.

Be warned there will be a queue!




You can either order udon, soba or ramen, chose either hot or cold and then select your own accompaniments at the self serve counter, or order dishes e.g. curry chicken rice upfront. I reckon the fun part is mix n matching your own tempura and other battered veges at the self serve counter - the sense of accomplishment at the end!

As you get ur noodles, scoop a spoonful of finely sliced shallots and tempura crumbs before shifting to the right and be greeted by an array of tempura!





i ordered the udon with onsen egg. the udon was authentically chewy served in a dashi base soup however the udon is the frozen prepackaged type. I quite enjoyed it as it was freshly boiled, hence the long queues.

My tempura vegetable was massive and tasted like the ones in japan - super crunchy and battery. The onsen egg was just devine! poached eggs at its max

This is a great place for a quick 5 minute eat-and-run meal and also great for your wallet. A udon (small) with onsen egg sets you back at $4.90, the tempura tofu only $0.90 and tempura veges $2.80.

Dont forget to pick up your tempura sauce!




Menya Mappen Noodle Bar
Shop 11, 537-551 George St
Sydney NSW 2000
Tel - 02 9283 5525
www.menya.com.au/mappen/index.html