Woohooo, Japanese cuisine lovers, you can now rejoice cos Japan Food Town, a 628-pax dining food hall covering over 20,000 square feet, has just officially opened today! Located on level 4 of Isetan Singapore at Wisma Atrium, this S$8.5-million project is a collaboration between the Cool Japan Fund and the Japan Association of Overseas Promotion for Food & Restaurants. One of the restaurants that caught my eyes is the Inaniwa Yosuke udon restaurant. Instead of the usual fat fat udon, the Inaniwa Udon is as thin as soba and it takes 3 days to hand make these udon! Wah… Interesting, right?
These thin and chewy noodles are handmade in Akita Prefecture and according to jpninfo.com Inaniwa Udon is one of the top three udon types in Japan! Good news for us, we do not need to get a ticket to Japan to have the Inaniwa Udon. Currently, there are 5 outlets in Japan and Singapore is the 6th and latest outlet that has opened outside Japan!
What is so unique about the Inaniwa Udon is that every step of the noodle making is painstakingly hand-made using techniques and ingredients passed down from the Sato Yosuke family line for hundreds of years. When Inaniwa Udon recipe was developed in 1665, it was only served to the Imperial family and has even received an imperial decree. But when Inaniwa udon was made available to the general public in 1860, it became one of the best udon noodles in Japan till today.
The making of the Inaniwa Udon paid mediculous attention to details and it required at least 3 days to make the udon.Thus Inaniwa udon is slightly more expensive than other noodles. Not to forget these noodles has a tradition of more than 150 years!
There are hot and cold Inawani Udon available. If you have a bigger appetite, get the Ajikurabe SyouyuTare set ($19) which consisted of both versions.
But people, get the chilled version one if you have limited tummy space. This is what they are famous for and also the best way to enjoy the smoothness of the Inaniwa Udon!
For me, I have gotten the Tempura & Seiro set ($26) which consisted of prawn, lotus roots, shitake mushroom, brinjal and pumpkin tempura together with both the GomaTare (sesame miso dip) and SyouyuTare (Soy sauce dip).
There are also wasabi and spring onion served by the side.
The tempura batter was thin and I enjoyed the crispiness that enveloped the fresh ingredients.
Unlike other udon as you might have tried, Inawani Udon was served in their signature “number 8” twist. =)
Between the 2 dips, my vote goes to GomaTare (sesame miso dip) which has a beautiful aroma of the sesame. However, do note that the flavours here are still very much according to the liking of the Japanese. Thus Singaporeans might find the dip slightly too salty. But if you are here, please live live don’t leave without having the Inaniwa Udon with GomaTare, especially if you are a sesame lover, as this is really my favourite. My Japanese friend, Elly, also shared that Japanese likes to mix both sauce together to get the best of the both worlds. As for me, the GomaTare is good on its own.
Will I be back again? Yes, definitely I would as I really like the chewy texture of the Inaniwa Udon and the smoothness of it gliding down my throat. With 16 different concepts available at the newly revamped space in Wisma Atrium, I can foresee Wisma Atrium getting more happening and exciting. Do check out mshannahchia.com again soon for reviews of 3 other resturants in Japan Food Town.
Inaniwa Yosuke @ Japan Food Town
435 Orchard Rd, #04-39/54 Wisma Atria Shopping Centre, Singapore 238877
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm Daily
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