Umeda’s ‘dancing’ udon purveyor puts a swing in diners’ steps with soft and fluffy home-style noodles available as part of classic dishes such as kake (in warm broth), kamatama (mixed with raw egg) and namajoyu (hot or cold in unpasteurised ‘raw’ soy sauce), as well as with a variety of topping combinations.
Among the latter, we like the Niku Maitake Ontama Bukkake (¥1,200), served in a nicely balanced soy sauce broth and topped with crispy maitake mushroom tempura, a soft-boiled egg and beef simmered in a sweet sauce. Alternatively, you can leave out the meat and pay only ¥900 for the flavourful deal.
A word of warning: Odoru Udon enjoys a cult following among the Kansai region’s noodle aficionados and the queues in front of the Umeda shop in particular can get long.