Jennifer H.
Yelp
9.0/10 Everyone knows that Torrance has the best Japanese food. Now dare I say Matsui has the best ten don and udon in SoCal? I got: Complimentary Iced Tea (Not sure what kind) | M-7 Tendon Combination Special with Hot Tanuki Udon (天丼セットと饂飩) $15.25. This is an absolute favorite now.
A lot of udon-eating done over the years but none that tasted like this one, at least not outside of Japan. It blew my mind. The udon noodles had a tender yet chewy texture with a slight springiness when bitten into. The broth was rich, flavorful and savory. And yes, even better than Marugame Udon. The tanuki udon here is better than almost all the places I've had in the States including Marugame Monzo, Meiji Seimen and Shin-Sen-Gumi. Although, that's not to say that Marugame Monzo and Shin-Sen-Gumi aren't good.
The tempura was light and crispy with the shrimp being tender and the vegetables slightly crisp. The rice was moist and fluffy with a perfect amount of sauce drizzled on top. The Tendon really reminded me of the one I got at Kaneko Hannosuke (金子半之助) in Odaiba, Tokyo, Japan (お台場, 東京, 日本), so good. I have yet to try the Hannosuke in Mar Vista, Los Angeles (LA). This one was better than the one I had at Meiji Seimen. It's quite hard to find tendon at Japanese restaurants in the states.
Everything was so comforting and I'm so glad I got this combination. All the flavors worked so well together. This is a lot of food for me, I wasn't able to finish either, ate half of each and took the rest home for later, still tasted good, however, I'd recommend either separating the udon noodles from the broth or eating it as soon as possible for the freshest taste. You can air fry the tempura.
I wasn't able to find anything on their website regarding them using eco-packaging or their sustainability efforts, bummer. They're located in a shopping plaza with plenty of free parking in their lot. The inside is casual with cute wooden pillars for decor. There's plenty of indoor seating. Service is very friendly and efficient. I came on a Tuesday as a walk-in around 7:15 PM and there was no wait. I was seated almost immediately, ordered and my food came shortly after. The price is on point here! The quality is very good and for the price, the quantity is a lot! You know you are getting good value when you come here, but not just value, quality and quantity too. It checks all the boxes.