Spotted a new udon shop Tamoya Udon at a corner of Liang Court and its very Japanese vibes called me out to try it. Nope, never an udon person. Never had a decent bowl in Singapore at least – most were just fat, filling and heavy-going. Of course in Japan it is a different story all together. (Read: Sugamo Konaya Udon at Tokyo)
Singaporeans love their ramen obviously, and their soba occasionally. But, udon? Maybe you should give Tamoya Udon a try.
Tamoya, opened by udon champion Tamotsu Kurokawa, is one of the best known udon chain in the home of udon – the “Sanuki (Kagawa)” prefecture in Japan. Having been around for more than 10 year, this outlet in Singapore is its first overseas branch.
I got a little confused at what to order at first, and because it is an assembly-line order-and-collect style, you better know what you want before you hold up the entire queue.
There are a few udon types available hot and/or cold: The most basic Kake in clear broth topped with thinly slice green onions($4.80); the chilled Zaru accompanied with a thick dipping sauce ($4.80), thick and stiffer Sanuki type with thick soya sauce taste; ($4.80) and hot only thicker and chewy Kama-age style ($5.30). The Kama-age may take 10-15 min to serve as it is freshly made.
After selecting the base udon type, you can top it with tempura, onigiri and deep-fried stick items, all very reasonably priced at $1-2.50.
If you are a first timer, why not go for the basic Kake ($4.80)? It looks very plain, but that is when you can taste its real quality with the extra frills.
The udon noodle, made from a proprietary flour mixture of 3 different flour, is very chewy with a lot of bite, and it does not make you feel overly bloated or full. The golden dashi broth is light yet very tasty. This really reminds me of what I had in Tokyo. Thumbs up.
Loved the Beef Bukkake Udon ($10.80) which had a flavorsome sweet-salty stock that you would want to finish till the last drop. The Kama-Curry Udon ($10.80) was too thick and chewy for my liking, and did not helped that I combined it with curry which was also quite gooey.
Tamoya’s tempura, which they claimed to be “extremely crunchy” could be crisp or cold and lackluster depending on your luck. Use your eyes to decide if they have been left out in the open for too long.
This is a fast-food style udon restaurant, yet packed with Japanese families and executives at most times of the day. If you want to know if a Japanese restaurant is authentic and good enough, just check if there are Japanese inside. Won’t go wrong.
Tamoya Udon たも屋うどん-シンガポール
#01-32, Liang Court 177 River Valley Road Singapore 179030 (Clarke Quay MRT), Tel: +65 6337 0301
Opening Hours: 11am – 9:30 pm
Other Japanese Restaurants at Liang Court
Ryoshi Sushi Ikeikemaru (Liang Court)
Nirai Kanai Okinawan Restaurant (Liang Court)
Dulcet & Studio (Liang Court)
Saizeriya Ristorante (Liang Court)
Marutama Ra-Men (Liang Court)
The post Tamoya Udon – Finally, Some Decent Udon in Singapore appeared first on DanielFoodDiary.com.