Zaru: Mixed Review of Mills District’s Sanuki Style Udon Shop
Zaru is one of Chef William Shen’s latest concepts in the Mills District, and he’s been churning out restaurant ideas like Subway franchises lately. This Japanese udon shop focuses on housemade sanuki style udon, and there was a lot of hype following its opening.
For those unfamiliar, udon are thick wheat noodles. They’re slippery, chewy, and can be served either hot or cold, in soup, or dry. A very versatile base for different preparations.
The Mills District has become an incubator for more artisanal culinary concepts in Orlando, and I like that the city is getting more gourmet restaurants. Hopefully it will shed Orlando’s reputation for being a fast food franchise haven.
But my experience at Zaru has been mixed.
About Zaru in Mills District Orlando
Zaru specializes in housemade sanuki style udon, which is known for its chewy, bouncy texture. The menu can be overwhelming with many different preparations, from traditional dashi based soups to more creative modern takes.
I’ve been to Zaru a few times now, and I think a lot of their menu items come down to personal preference. My experience may differ wildly from others, so take this as one perspective.
What We Ordered at Zaru
Chicken Nanban Udon
I got the chicken nanban udon this time. Chicken nanban is basically fried chicken with Japan’s version of tartar sauce, which is more like a chunky pureed vinegary egg salad coupled with a vinegary soy sauce reduction.
I personally don’t think it goes well with udon, at least not an udon soup that uses a traditional dashi soup base like the one at Zaru. Dashi is a broth used in many Japanese dishes and consists of dried seaweed, katsuobushi, and other dried seafood ingredients. The flavors just clashed for me.
Miso Tantan Udon
My wife’s miso tantan was better. Tantan is a ground meat sauce that was popularized in Japanese tantanmen, which is based on the original Chinese dan dan noodles.
The ultra savory meat sauce plus the onsen egg made the dish so rich and helped add flavor to the thick chewy udon noodles, which can be a bit plain without a strong accompaniment. This is the kind of bold flavored udon that works well at Zaru.
Tempura Side
We also got tempura on the side, but the tempura vegetables along with the nanban tempura fried cutlet were not good this time. Tempura should have a delicate shattering crispiness, but this had more of a hard crunch from a thick batter shell.
From the looks and taste of the tempura, they definitely need to change the oil. It was tasting a bit old and greasy. Good tempura should have a paler fried color, not the dark brown we got.
Eggplant Appetizer
Not pictured, but the eggplant appetizer is always a must get for me. It’s soft but not mushy, perfect texture, and has some juiciness to it. Both sweet and savory from the miso sauce. If I could cook vegetables like this at home, I wouldn’t have high cholesterol.
Vietnamese Coffee
The viet coffee is also very good. Strong coffee flavor and extremely sweet. But honestly, I think they serve the same kind found at the next door Mills Market Banh Mi Boy, so I suggest getting it there instead. The viet coffee at Zaru Udon Orlando is like 80% ice and quite small. I can finish it in two sips.
My Previous Visit Was Better
On my last visit to Zaru, I got the Hokkaido Uni Udon and the Tomato Kani Udon, which I think were both solid. Both were very rich, although a tad salty. If you’re someone like me who likes a lot of flavor, get those.
I think if you find their menu overwhelming, stick to their specials. The creative modern udon preparations seem to work better than the traditional dashi based options, at least for my taste.
The Verdict: Is Zaru Udon Orlando Worth It?
Despite my less than pleased meal at Zaru this time, I will still come back. I think I’m just not the biggest fan of traditional udon noodles with dashi broth, but their special udons I am a fan of, as well as their appetizers.
Zaru is helping to elevate the Mills District dining scene, and I appreciate what Chef William Shen is trying to do. The housemade sanuki udon has that authentic chewy texture you want. The execution on some dishes just needs work.
If you go, here’s my advice: skip the traditional preparations and go for the bold, creative specials. The miso tantan udon is a safe bet if you want something rich and flavorful.
Tips for Visiting Zaru
- Order the specials rather than traditional dashi based udon
- Get the eggplant appetizer every time
- Try the miso tantan udon for bold flavor
- Skip the chicken nanban udon unless you love vinegary flavors
- Get Vietnamese coffee next door at Mills Market for better value
- Go for the uni or tomato kani udon if you’re adventurous
- Expect rich, salty flavors on the special menu items
Have you been to Zaru Udon Orlando? What did you order and how was your experience?
