Inaniwa Yosuke Udon: Handmade Udon

TL;DR Very good noodles, go only at lunch. ~$15-$20 

So hungrygowhere had a 1-for-1 offer for an udon restaurant called Inaniwa Yosuke in Wisma Atria. Did you say 1-for-1? I'm there.

I've actually never visited any of the restaurants in Japan Food Town so good to have such promotions to bring me to places I've never visited before. The restaurant seems rather authentic, with many Japanese customers. I would say that around half of the customers when I visited were Japanese.

Food

The 1-for-1 offer is for the Seiro udon (cold udon) with a choice of soy sauce and/or sesame sauce as dipping sauce and Kake Udon (hot udon). We got one of each. The selling point of this establishment is centred around their handmade udon. And I was pleasantly surprised by it.

Seiro Udon with Soy and Sesame dipping sauces (reg: $17.80, lunch: $12.80)

When the cold udon set was served, I was surprised by how different this udon looked. It's not fat and chunky like normal udon, but thin and glossy. The texture is also very different; this udon has more of a bounce and bite to it, almost like al dente linguine. This is served with dipping sauces of either soy sauce or ground sesame (or both) and, it ensures that the star of the show, the noodles, is not overwhelmed.

Kake Udon (reg: $18.30, lunch: $10.80)

The hot udon uses the same noodles (of course) and was served in a dashi soup. If you're used to regular salty, heavy ramen broth, this soup is like fresh spring water in comparison. There is only one flavour, a single note ringing through, such that it is so clear and unmistakeable, and you appreciate it in its entirety. It's almost like drinking a liquid form of bonito flakes. I don't know if this does justice to it, but it was really good and I drank the whole bowl.

Both udon dishes are served without any fanciful accompaniments. No side dishes, no fanciful plating. Just... noodles. And it takes a lot of confidence in your own establishment's food to do something like this. The simplest things are the hardest to accomplish. And I was pleasantly surprised to have enjoyed such a simple meal.

We also ordered a side dish - Bara-kakiage (mixed vegetables tempura). Mainly because I haven't had tempura in a long time. Some sweet potato, mushrooms, and vegetables.

Bara-kakiage ($5.80)

The Bara-kakiage was well-done as well. Light, crisp, unoffensive.

Value

I enjoyed the food. A lot. But the dinner pricing though. I have to say, is rather on the high side.

The Seiro udon (cold udon) is $15.80 (Soy sauce)/$16.80 (Sesame sauce)/$17.80(both dipping sauces). The Kake udon is $18.30.

That's for just noodles, nothing else. A bit too much, in my opinion. Thankfully, they have lunch pricing as well, which is almost half as expensive, and much more worth it.

For their lunch menu, the Seiro udon is $10.80/$11.80/$12.80 and the Kake Udon is $10.80.

They don't just have noodle-only dishes of course. They also serve their handmade noodles with other dishes, like kakiage (veggie tempura), curry sauce, beef. And also rice dishes. Prices are between $15-$20 for lunch, which is reasonable.

Would I go back again? Only for lunch.

Location

Inaniwa Yosuke

Wisma Atria #04-45 (in Japan Food Town)

435 Orchard Road, Singapore 238877

Nearest MRT: Orchard