Now You See It, Now Udon: Marugame Seimen in Chaoyangmen

Japanese udon chain Marugame Seimen has arrived in Beijing with a location just east of the Chaoyangmen subway stop. Fresh-made noodles and full-flavored broth will make it an excellent way to fight off the quickly approaching cold weather.

While waiting for a friend last week, I stood outside and watched a worker make the noodles. They've got some pretty serious equipment, complete with a gear shifter, for pulling and stretching the dough. Once you're inside, you line up along the counter and place your order with the noodlesmiths before paying and taking a seat. The gaotang udon (高汤乌冬面, gaotang wudongmian, RMB 25), which comes with a creamy broth, thin strips of beef and half of a hard-boiled egg, was our favorite. If you want to really focus on the noodles, you could also try the clear broth udon (清汤乌冬面, qingtang wudongmian), which runs RMB 15 for a medium bowl with a gentle soup.

A beef udon with egg (牛肉蛋拌乌冬面, niurou danban wudongmian) tastes like a Japanese carbonara with strands of slippery egg folded among the meat. It's a wonderful experience, though a tad on the rich side. There are a few other choices on the menu, such as curry or mala, and you can get those dishes over rice instead of noodles, but, seriously, why would you eat rice if you could eat these noodles?

I'd also recommend picking up a few sides while you make your way down the line. A tangle of fried onions tastes almost like a blooming onion, and skewered nuggets of fried chicken offered textural contrast to the chewiness of the noodles.

Marugame Seimen's assembly line noodles are solid stuff, and I'm tickled pink they're in town. The location isn't the most convenient, but let's hope the chain will catch on (recent current events, notwithstanding). I'd eat these noodles weekly if they were in my neighborhood.

Marugame Seimen 丸龟制面
Daily 10am-10pm. 1/F (next to Paris Baguette), Huapu Bldg, 19 Chaoyangmenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District （6580 2191）
朝阳区朝外大街19号华普国际大厦

Subway: 400m east of Chaoyangmen (Line 2)