Lunch Ladies: Demae Japanese Restaurant
The Lunch Ladies enjoyed a scrumptious sit-down meal at Demae Japanese Restaurant in downtown Provo.
Willy loved her new experience of eating both Chicken Donburi and miso soup. CREDIT: Gabrielle Harris
Sylvia was very happy with her choice of Soba noodles and tempura seafood and veggies. CREDIT: Sylvia Abbott
Jennette enjoyed spending the lunch hour downtown, sipping Diet Coke and eating tasty Pork Katsu Curry. CREDIT: Jennette Esplin
Gabby savored every bite of her tender Salmon Teriyaki Bento Box, complete with California rolls, side salad, and miso soup appetizer. CREDIT: Gabrielle Harris
Whenever we try a new restaurant, we always take our good friend Willy along.
She’s such a good sport to take a risk on wherever we decide to drag her. And today was no exception. We decided to throw her into the deep end of the pool and make her an official Lunch Lady at somewhere she wouldn’t typically ever go on her own: a Japanese restaurant.
Once we decided we were craving some Japanese cuisine, Sylvia especially couldn’t stop drooling at the thought. So we decided we wanted to head over to Demae on Center Street in downtown Provo. Having personally enjoyed its delivery and dining-in on multiple occasions, I knew there would be something for everyone, but novice Willy stoically agreed to give it a whirl even though it was far from her usual meal of choice.
We headed down to the heart of Provo and snagged the first parking spot we could find, which happened to only be a block down from the restaurant. If you go to downtown Center Street much, you know what a feat this can be, so we considered it a sign of definite good luck!
We headed into the small, cozy and culturally decorated restaurant. The friendly waitress quickly seated us and we began perusing the menu. I navigated Willy past the sushi and other menu items I knew she wouldn’t be too keen on. Sylvia barely had to glance at the menu before her mind was 100 percent made up, and Jennette and I ooohed and aaahed over numerous tempting items that sounded tasty. But within a few minutes we had placed our order.
Here is what the Lunch Ladies went with:
Sylvia: Tempura Udon/Soba (Your choice of noodle) $10.95
We all know I like to check out the menu online before we go to a spot. Before even doing that I kind of had a hankering for a noodle soup. Anyway, Udon is a thick wheat noodle and Soba is thin buckwheat. I went with the Soba. The broth was really good, more veggie-ish than the miso soup we had as an appetizer. My meal also came with a green salad topped with this really nice nutty dressing, plus tempura shrimp, crab, and assorted vegetables. Everything was really tasty and renewed my love of a really good broth.
Jennette: Lunch Special — Pork Katsu Curry $8.95
I love the restaurants on Center Street in Provo. I feel so cool and hip when I eat at one. Demae was no different. I ordered from the lunch specials and decided to try the curry. Japanese curry is not as spicy as Indian curry, but it is just as delicious! The curry was very flavorful, but not too overpowering. The curry had just the right amount of carrots and potatoes. Served on top of the curry was lightly breaded pork cooked to perfection. The curry was served with a side of rice and miso soup. As the sign on the front of the building reads, my curry was better because it was served with Coke.
Gabby: Salmon Teriyaki Bento Box $8.95
Let’s just start off with, “Where can you get a tasty piece of salmon for $8.95?!” Round of applause for Demae, please! This bento box is one of my favorites in all of Utah County. I love it so much, that it is hard for me to order anything else when I go to Demae. As usual, the salmon was so tender on the inside that it practically melted in my mouth. It had crisp edges on the outmost border, and was flavorfully accented with light teriyaki sauce on top. This bento box also comes with a cup of Miso soup, two pieces of California roll, which the restaurant was kind enough to upgrade to six, in place of the gyoza I did not want. It comes with a small side salad and some of that amazing dressing Sylvia mentioned. It also comes with some great, firm rice I loved, and lastly, some tempura veggies, which Jennette reaped the benefits of. This meal is filling, a great price, and downright fabulous!
Willy: Lunch Special — Chicken Donburi $5.95
This was definitely a branching out experience for me in more ways than one. My meal started off with a cup of miso soup, which comes with seaweed and tofu chunks. It was my first time having it, and my first time having tofu. I didn’t know what to expect, but I actually thought it was pretty good. Next came my main dish, another first. Chicken Donburi is grilled chicken served over rice and tempura-covered onions and carrots, and teriyaki sauce. It was really great! The vegetables were finely shredded, and well coated. The teriyaki sauce was not too sweet, but flavorful. It was just enough to let you know it was there, but not overpowering. Every part of the meal was in the right ratio, so nothing was drowned out. It was just a delightful lunch and at just the right portion.
One satisfying lunch later, we had mustered the energy to make it back to work and through the long afternoon. All had enjoyed our dip into Japanese cuisine and look forward to going back to Demae soon!
– Demae Japanese Restaurant. 82 W. Center St., Provo. Open Monday to Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Closed Sundays.
Dining
