Udon Shin, the popular noodle house from Japan with hour-long queues, is finally open in Singapore. This is its first international outlet outside of Japan, and it has picked a pretty central location for its Singapore store, right in the heart of Orchard Road at Takashimaya.
For those unfamiliar, Udon Shin opened in 2011 in Shibuya, Tokyo, specialising in freshly made udon noodles served either hot or chilled. With only 12 seats, the space gets incredibly packed and can see queues of up to three hours. Good news for us in Singapore, because the restaurant will be able to seat 60 people, though expect it to be a bit of a squeeze. There are several counter seats for solo diners and pairs, a larger sharing table in the centre, and a couple of tables for bigger groups.
The joint is known for its "Four Fresh" philosophy, taking pride in noodles that are freshly kneaded, cut, and boiled, as well as freshly fried tempura. Noodles are made in-house each morning to achieve their distinct slippery, chewy texture, and the mark of a perfect strand of udon if it has a good balance between koshi (firmness) and nobi (stretchiness). The Singapore menu will feature some of Udon Shin's signature hot, cold and soup udon, as well as tempura.
What we tried
Carbonara udon (9/10)
Udon Shin's signature dish ($24). This bowl of dry udon is what attracts long queues to its store in Tokyo. The dish features kamaage udon cooked in dashi and topped with parmesan cheese, butter, pepper, spring onions, a raw egg, and a strip of tempura bacon. Break open the yolk and mix in the toppings till each strand is glistening and nicely coated in the creamy, buttery sauce. Despite how indulgent it all sounds, the dish is surprisingly light, balanced and doesn't get cloying over time. Even the seemingly artery-clogging tempura bacon is gently fried and not dripping in oil. A must-try for first-time visitors.
Tempura kake udon (7/10)
If a warm bowl of udon soup is what you prefer, Udon Shin has several options on the menu, from the standard kake udon without toppings ($11) to the more luxurious premium tempura kake udon ($34) that comes with assorted vegetables and seafood. The regular tempura kake udon ($29) is somewhere in the middle, with the same vegetables and shrimp, but excluding the fish and squid. The noodles are excellent as expected, but the dashi broth is a tad salty for our liking with a strong bonito flavour, which is further intensified when paired with tempura. It's alright if you don't mind a more robust broth, but if you're after something milder and more comforting, this might not be your first choice.
Tempura zaru udon (8/10)
Chilled noodles might just be the answer to Singapore's scorching heat, especially if done well like this bowl of zaru udon with tempura ($28). Again, you get the same silky-smooth and bouncy noodles here, but this time, you're to dip them into a house-made dashi sauce, mixed in with spring onions provided on the side. Each mouthful is refreshing with a subtle sweetness, and the crispy, savoury tempura pieces on the side – including two shrimp and four vegetables – make for a good accompaniment.
The verdict
Udon Shin is definitely worth visiting, especially for a taste of its noodles. They look deceptively simple, but these noodles have been perfected with a decade-long recipe and don't leave that starchy, heavy feeling you'd tend to get after eating processed or frozen noodles. We'd recommend visiting when the queues die down for a more comfortable experience.
Also, expect to pay around $30 for a meal here, which is on the steeper end considering that udon is typically a simple, fuss-free comfort meal. That said, there are several more affordable items on the menu between $10 and $20, including cold or hot udon with shoyu or dashi ($10), kamaage udon with raw egg ($10), mentai-tamago butter shoyu udon ($15), butter shoyu udon with sweet potato tempura ($19) and others.
Udon Shin is open daily from 11am to 10pm at 391 Orchard Rd, Takashimaya S.C., #B2-32, Singapore 238872.
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