If you want authentic hand made Sanuki Udon (wheat flour noodle) without flying to Japan? This is it. While Udon might not caught on quite like sushi or ramen have in North American's food consciousness, it's about time it makes an appearance. Bushi Udon Kappo illuminates the reason why Udon is such an obsession in Japanese food culture; they even made a movie on Udon! People go on Udon vacations in search of and lined up all day for the perfect noodle, crazy, huh?
I tried the house special Pork and Onion Udon, it was so good. The hot broth was deep in flavor from hours of simmering and it warms up your soul! The slightly cooled Udon is dipped in a very hot broth, to allow for the noodle to come up to temperature without losing its al dente quality. Each strand of Udon was coated with porky deliciousness, it was just heavenly! The price was also reasonable and it was more filling than that of the recently opened Hokkaido ramen house.
I also tried the chef special fried eggplant, the taste was really authentic (the grated daikon and ginger on top of the dish is a dead give away as to where the chef is from, ). However for $6.90, this appetizer scored a little low on the value side, consider you only get about 6 or 7 tiny pieces. Authentic Japanese portion and authentic Japanese pricing. Overall, the whole experience was great enough to warrant a return visit.
Went back again for the second night, this time the mixed veggie tempura (kakiage) Udon for $9.50 ( see picture) along with two extra pieces of shrimp ($2 @)and eggplant ($1.5@). The broth (dashi) was slightly different than the pork and onion variety, it was clear and lighter with a subtle aroma of Benito. The Udon is served in the broth rather than on the side. The tempura is served separately and it has only a whisper of coating on them, it was light and crispy; every bit as good as the tempura in Japan.
Just remember it's ok to slurp loudly if you enjoy the Udon, so go make some noise!!