Oooooh Udon!

Koya got quite a lot of promotion when it opened.  Lots of people went and lots of people waited outside to get in.  And lots of people enjoyed it.  It's mainly udon with a few other specialities.  They make udon in house, when the udon runs out, that's it for the day.  Even if you walk by now, there are still queues outside.  So finally I gave in.

My friend an I showed up around 2pm (after my hair appointment.  Note:  do not go here if you are unable to hold your hair back - it makes eating very difficult!)  Although there was a queue outside, it moved really quickly and we were inside in less than 5 minutes.  The decor is minimal and wooden.  Fits in with my thoughts of Japan.

There are so many different types of udon:  Hot udon in hot broth.  Cold udon with sauce - to dip or to pour.  Cold udon with hot  broth.  There is also donburi - food served over rice with a side of miso soup.  And a large selection of side dishes such as roast duck, fish and chips, pork belly and a selection of salads and pickles.

My friend and I went for vegetable tempura and hot udon with hot broth - smoked haddock udon and mushroom and walnut miso udon.  The smoked haddock udon was really good - full of flavour with a generous helping of fish.  The mushroom and walnut miso was also good, albeit a bit bland after a while. Both felt very healthy and satisfying.  I have to say I was disappointed by the tempura - the batter, although it looked good, was a bit too greasy for my liking. I guess though, if you are going to a specialist udon restaurant, then stick to udon!