When I’m in the mood for Udon, I love going to Omen A Zen in Soho in New York City. Introduced by a good friend who is an expert on Japanese food, Omen A Zen serves traditional dishes from Kyoto with a modern feel and ambience.

For tonight’s meal, my friends and I ordered several dishes to share with our Udon. We had the Agadashi, Black Codfish and Omen (Udon with servings of goodies).

Agedashi is one of my favorite starters for Japanese food. This Agedashi exceeded my expectation for such a simple dish. The presentation was perfection with symmetrical shaped items in the bowl. The fried eggplant, lotus root and tofu in Dashi broth was warm, balanced and flavorful.

Now for the Omen. It was quite fascinating to receive each item of the udon soup in separate dishes: one bowl of handmade udon, one bowl of broth (I added sesame seeds in mine) and one bowl of fresh veggies. We added the Black Codfish to have with our Omen. 

We dipped each item in the broth and then savored every morsel. Incredible. The udon was perfectly cooked, and truly the best I’ve ever had. The Black Codfish was also perfectly cooked. The miso flavor of the fish blended well with the soy sauce and sesame seeds from the broth.

An elegant, authentic Japanese meal that is simple, traditional but modern. The food, ambiance and staff made us feel as though we were in Kyoto. It’s no wonder that I keep coming back to this restaurant.

For more about Omen A Zen and to see their menu, you can visit their website at http://www.omen-azen.com.

Happy Eating!

All images and content © 2017 Carol Vu, unless otherwise indicated.