Inaniwa udon set ($24.80++) & Truffle chawanmushi ($4++)!
Monday dinner — inaniwa udon set $24.80++ + truffle chawanmushi $4++. The Akita regional udon variant with the truffle steamed egg side.
Monday dinner with BB — inaniwa udon set at $24.80++ + truffle chawanmushi at $4++. The Akita regional udon variant with the truffle-upgraded steamed egg side.
We ordered:
- Inaniwa udon set — $24.80++
- Truffle chawanmushi — $4++
Total: $28.80++ (roughly $34 final).
Inaniwa udon (稲庭うどん) is the Akita-region variant of udon — different from the more famous sanuki udon (the thick square-cut Kagawa variant). Inaniwa udon is the hand-stretched, hand-rolled, sun-dried noodle that’s been made in Akita prefecture since the 17th century. The noodles are thinner than sanuki udon, with a flatter cross-section and a distinctly silky-smooth texture.
The eating ritual for inaniwa udon is the dip-and-slurp format. The noodles are usually served cold on a bamboo zaru with a small carafe of tsuyu dipping sauce on the side. The thin silky noodles are picked up with chopsticks, dipped briefly into the tsuyu, and slurped loudly.
The set composition included the standard accompaniments:
- Cold inaniwa udon noodles on a zaru
- Tsuyu dipping sauce with chopped scallion, grated daikon, and fresh wasabi to mix
- A small tempura side (probably 2-3 pieces)
- Pickled vegetables
- A small soup or salad
The truffle chawanmushi at $4++ was the side upgrade. Standard chawanmushi (silky Japanese steamed egg custard with prawn, mushroom, ginkgo) gets the truffle upgrade — either truffle oil drizzled on top or shaved black truffle as the garnish. The truffle’s earthy aroma pairs with the eggy custard in the kind of indulgent combination that justifies the small side-dish premium.
Inaniwa udon at $24.80++ is upper-tier udon pricing — the inaniwa style is rarer than sanuki in Singapore and the import cost makes the format more expensive. Sanuki udon at Tamoya runs $14-19; inaniwa runs $22-28 at most spots.
The set format provides the variety that a single bowl of udon wouldn’t. The cold udon + tempura + truffle chawanmushi + sides covers multiple textures and temperatures.
The Monday dinner slot at the upper-tier udon spot is the variety break from the standard Tamoya runs. Trying the inaniwa variant gives us the comparison point against the sanuki style we’d been doing.
Year-end was approaching, and the rotation through different Japanese udon styles was one of the small year-end exploration projects.
Overall: 4.1 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Solid inaniwa udon + truffle chawanmushi — would re-order occasionally.
