Soupy udon for dinner ($21.80)!
A Japanese udon dinner for two: thick handmade udon in broth, one creamy and one clear bonito, with sides of ebi and kakiage tempura. $21.80.
A comforting Japanese dinner with BB: soupy udon, $21.80 for two bowls and tempura on the side. 🍜😋
What we had:
- Two bowls of udon in broth, one in a cloudy, creamy soup and one in a clear bonito broth
- Sides of tempura: a kakiage (vegetable fritter) and ebi (prawn) tempura
The udon was the star, and you could tell it was the proper thick, handmade kind: fat, glossy noodles with that springy, chewy “koshi” bite that good sanuki-style udon is all about. Slurping them up out of the hot broth is endlessly satisfying.
The two soups gave us a bit of contrast. The clear bonito broth was the classic: a light, clean dashi made from kelp and bonito flakes, gently savoury so the noodles take centre stage. The creamy bowl was the richer, more comforting one, fuller-bodied and rounder, the kind of soup you keep spooning up.
The tempura on the side added the crunch. The ebi was light and crisp with a sweet prawn inside, and the kakiage was a tangle of vegetables fried into a crunchy fritter, both lovely dunked into the broth until they just start to soften.
A simple, soothing, well-made udon dinner. Exactly the comfort food I wanted.
Overall: 4.7 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Thick, springy udon in clean and creamy broths with crisp tempura, proper comfort. Would re-visit.
