Manar Elbaz

DUBAI: Japan’s renowned udon spot Marugame Udon has finally opened its first branch in the Middle East on Thursday, bringing an authentic udon experience to Dubai. 

Located at City Center Deira, the cozy restaurant offers a wide variety of udon flavors, such as curry, tan tan, and chicken katsu. Additionally, it also offers Japan’s popular nikutama udon, which features a sukiyaki-style beef with a soft-boiled egg, quickly becoming a favorite amongst guests. 

Chefs hand-pull the fresh udon for every dish to create soft and chewy noodles from scratch as guests witness the process in anticipation, mimicking an experience only found in Japan.

Upon receiving their dishes, guests can choose their own toppings at a special condiment station, which includes various toppings such as minced garlic, green onion, and shichimi togarashi. 

Aside from the tasty dishes, the restaurant immerses the guests further with an interior that highlights Japanese words and phrases related to food, such as “Mochi Mochi” and “Saku-Saku,” and their meanings in English, showcasing Japan’s rich food culture. 

The grand opening was attended by the Consul-General of Japan in Dubai, IMANISHI Jun, who gave a speech about the importance of Japanese food as a reflection of culture. 

“The growth of Japanese restaurants is not just an economic activity, but it also provides an important opportunity to show people in Dubai what Japanese cuisine is all about,” he said. “Japanese cuisine embodies Japan itself. As Dubai has been designated a hub for exporting Japanese products, we hope that everyone will embrace the unique charm of udon.” 

Japanese cuisine goodwill ambassador Shiro Ohkubo, who has been working in the Japanese food industry in the UAE for a decade, echoed the consul’s statements, adding that Japanese food is increasing in popularity in the UAE. 

“Japanese food has become familiar. (I see) there is room for expansion. Ramen is really popular here. Udon and soba are similar foods so it is easier to become popular here since they have had the ramen experience,” he told Arab News Japan.

Moreover, the president of Toridoll Holdings, the parent company of Marugame Udon, Hiroshi Yamaguchi, told Arab News Japan that he was surprised by the positive feedback the restaurant has received so far. 

“(Guests) said it’s really delicious. I was quite impressed that everybody is happy to have Marugame Udon here in Dubai,” he said. “Udon kind of represents Japanese culture, so we want to expand and share the culture.” 

He shared that the company is planning to expand the restaurant not just around the UAE but also in other GCC countries such as Saudi Arabia. 

“Dubai is our first expansion. We picked Deira specifically because we want to tap into the locals’ preferences and provide the deliciousness of udon to them. We want to open 10 or 20 stores around the region,” said Yamaguchi. 

Marugame Udon is open daily from 10AM. It is located near City Center Deria’s food court.