As the moon rises and the lights go out one by one in the tall glass towers, there lies a place in the CBD where the day has just begun. Lined with paper lanterns and yellow lights, just like the back alleys of Tokyo, is a place known as Shukuu Izakaya. Rated as one of the best sake bars while serving a variety of Japanese small bites such as charcoal skewers, Shukuu Izakaya is the perfect place to have a drink with colleagues and friends after a long day of hustling.
But hold on! Plot twist! We’re not going to try their sake or skewers, we’ll be tasting their cold Inaniwa udon. Inaniwa udon is a type of Japanese udon that is thinner and smoother than other types. The noodles originated from the Inaniwa area of Akita prefecture. They are made by kneading repeatedly and aged for a while.
The Sight
Served on a plate and comes with soy sauce, spring onions, seaweed, wasabi and grinded ginger is the snowy white Inaniwa udon. The udon is flat and thin as compared to the usual rounded or squared version.
The Smell
As we ordered the cold version of the udon, there wasn't much fragrance from the dish.
The Sound
‘Ssssssllll!’ accompanies our every slurp. The udon has a jelly-like smooth texture when dipped in the soy sauce and it just glides gracefully past our lips and into our mouths.
The Taste
By mixing the spring onions, seaweed, wasabi and ginger into the dipping sauce, the sauce is brought to life with the added fragrance. The wasabi and ginger provided that little tinge of heat in contrast to the cold udon. However, the udon wasn’t as chewy as expected as it cuts off cleanly.
The Verdict
The Inaniwa udon gave us more insights into the different varieties of udon offered in Japanese cuisine. We would say that the highlight of this dish isn’t the flavours but the textures. Definitely had fun slurping our way through. Another thing to note is that even though the portion may look huge, it really isn’t. After all, Shukuu Izakaya is a place where sake is the main dish while the other dishes are just appetisers.
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