It’s been roughly a week since Udon Shin opened in Singapore. Located in the basement of Takashimaya, I was honestly quite shocked to see such a long queue for a bowl of udon on a weekday.
For those who haven’t heard of Udon Shin, the brand hails from Tokyo and attracts constant queues daily over at its Shibuya outlet.
This is also Udon Shin’s first overseas outpost. How lucky are Singaporeans?
Popular Udon Brand From Tokyo Now in Singapore
Udon Shin was founded in 2011 and follows a “Four Fresh” philosophy: freshly kneaded, freshly cut, freshly boiled and freshly fried.
There’s an open kitchen display where everyone can witness their udon-making process, and even the way they scoop the udon into the bowls can be quite mesmerising.
Udon Shin Singapore Menu
The menu here in Singapore features hot and cold udon, as well as an assortment of freshly fried tempura.
Signature Item
Their most signature item is the Carbonara Udon ($24) which most people queue up for. It features thick kamaage udon, raw egg, parmesan cheese, a cute slab of butter, and a piece of crispy bacon tempura.
Honestly, based on the description alone, I was kind of expecting the bowl to be really cloying, or jelak in local terms. However, this bowl of udon was nothing like that!
It was really balanced and flavourful. The bacon tempura also took me by surprise because it didn’t feel greasy, and there were no rancid hints from the oil.
Other hot udon offerings include the Butter Shoyu Udon with Sweet Potato Tempura ($19), Spicy Beef Shoyu Udon ($24), and a Mentai-Tamago Butter Shoyu Udon ($15).
Cold Udon & More
I also tried the Tempura Zaru Udon ($28) while I was here, which usually comes with an array of crispy tempura, like shrimp and vegetables. I opted for the premium tempura, which costs $34 instead of the usual $28, for that additional salmon and squid.
I really loved the cold udon and dipping sauce provided! The texture of the udon really stood out, it was slightly chewy, bouncy, and had a nice firmness to it. They really perfected the art of making udon, because each strand was so delicious.
Tempura-wise, everything came in a light batter and was not overly greasy. My favourite was the ebi, along with the pumpkin & lotus root!
Interestingly, Udon Shin also offers other tempura options, such as chicken thigh, cheese, and chashu.
The Verdict
In all honesty, this was one of the best bowls of udon I’ve had in a while. There’s just something amazing about creamy udon, and I think their carbonara udon really sealed the deal for me.
However, I don’t think I would queue for hours just for this. Thirty minutes maybe, so I’ll wait for the hype to die down a bit before going again. Hopefully, I don’t crave this within the next few months.
Udon Shin
391 Orchard Road, #B2-32, Takashimya S.C., Singapore 238872
Mon-Sun, 11am to 10pm, Last Order 9:15pm
Break time: 3:30pm-5pm, queue closes at 2:30pm for lunch
*This article is based on a media-tasting event, but all opinions expressed about the food are entirely our own.
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