Udon has always taken a back seat to other Japanese noodles. It’s especially overshadowed by ramen, its trendy and flashy sibling, which shows up to the party with lots of bling: 12-hour-simmered tonkotsu broth, wine-roasted char-siu, spicy dandan. Udon, by contrast, is warm, comforting and unfailingly simple. Now, a new restaurant in Honolulu is giving udon a glow-up.
At the corner of McCully and Young streets, Udon Yonpachi has taken over the space previously occupied by Izakaya Torae Torae. If you remember the old Jimbo’s on South King Street, think of Yonpachi as version 2.0. A small eatery, its focus is lusciously chewy noodles made in-house daily, with a silky mouth feel that makes them satisfying to slurp. While the usual bowls such as kake ($13.50) or curry udon ($17.50) are on the menu, it is the Nikujiru Tsuke Udon ($16.25) that rises to glamorous, even sensuous heights.
A plate of cold noodles is served with a hot bowl of concentrated beef and dashi broth for sumptuous dipping. For extra luxury, take a loving dip with the Niku Kinokojiru Tsuke Udon ($17.25). This one adds shimeji mushrooms to the broth, adding a nutty and earthy flavor to an already umami-rich broth.
If you can, visit during lunch, where udon sets come at a lower price. These sets start at $18 for the basic kitsune set and include a full bowl of noodles, two small side dishes and a bowl of furikake rice. Personally, I like scooping some of the curry soup into the rice bowl—because customization is part of the fun here…