sanuki udon at taman desa

p.s. work has been demanding a lot of my attention lately. now that my beginner's korean class has finished for the time being before the next session, i'm searching for time for entry updates! sorry but please anticipate my new blog entries soon!

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remember my entry about ori-udon in midvalley?

and the special mention for seiji fujimoto in the entry?

that's basically the gist behind my desire to cross out sanuki udon on my wishlist!

let's rewind just for a bit. 

fujimoto-san is the the udon expert collaborator behind the inception of ori-udon, what transpired after my meal at the former was inevitable - i had to try the original. fujimoto's very own sanuki udon shack in taman desa. 

somewhere in old klang road, it was almost a challenge to find the right location and we were beginning to despair when we sorta got lost along the way. third time's a charm aptly described our 'excursion' cos we finally managed to get the accurate location of the restaurant after 3 tries - first time, it was google's fault and the second, i admit it was my mistake although i'm still trying to figure out why.

the petite noodles shack unpretentious. despite the simplicity of the decor, it breathed japanese - with the use of dark wooden panel that arched the entrance. mostly alfresco dining while the other half of the dining space inside was entertained by the open kitchen. 

sticking to their basics and the simplistic approach thus far, their menu was similarly contained within a single page menu with a handful of udon choices and kushiage as well as side dishes aplenty.

"let's start out slow," {mh} and i figured. thus, the order of a noodle each and a couple of accompaniments was our menu with our drinks of refillable green tea at rm 1 per glass. 

it didn't take long for all the dishes to make their appearances. i'd say our choices made up a pretty balanced meal! ;)

sanuki udon :: house special with egg | hot or cold {rm5}

when i can't seem to make up my mind, my fall back plan is to go with their speciality. i mean, it's already in its name AND you can't really go wrong with the soft cooked egg to top it all off! this was more of a basic version of the one i had from ori-udon.

starting with a base of a couple of spoonfuls of dashi broth that seasoned the noodles sufficiently, breaking the soft yolk was gratifying as the silky richness embraced the freshly made udon, cooked el dente, it gave a chewy texture with a hint of elasticity. the udon was a slurping goodness that shone in the simplicity of the dish. uncomplicated and the dish made complete sense. no need for extras and is best to be experienced as is. oh it's probably better hot instead of cold. 

sanuki udon :: original soup | hot or cold {rm 5}

{mh}'s choice seemed to be well received. topped with a handful of vegetables, the same freshly made thick udon that is made out of japanese wheat dough was served with a warm light broth that i guess was dashi but had a bias towards the konbu flavor.  it was a comforting bowl of tasty noodles, perfect for the rainy evening.

topping :: kakiage {rm 3}

my first introduction to kakiage that i remember was at ori-udon. prepared tempura style, kakiage is a mix of vegetable (perhaps onion, carrot and burdock root), thinly shredded into thickness of match sticks. 

just ever slightly less greasy than its ori-udon counterpart, it was missing that crispy crunchiness that left me rather unsatisfied. although subtle different between the two, ori-udon had the ratio of vegetables mix that better suited my taste buds with a more prominent natural sweetness of the roosts and onions. 

kushiage :: tori momo | chicken leg meat {rm 2}

breaded in panko bread crumbs prior to the deep frying, my first bite had me pause to reassess the flavors of the skewer. while the chicken mea remained moist, the lack of seasoning on on the chicken and the not-as-crispy-as-i'd-hope panko breading compelled me to slather a generous amount of the delicious sauce which had the much needed punch from the japanese yellow mustard, which i loved. 

there was something amiss about the tori momo kushiage that we couldn't quite put our finger on and was staring at some tables that ordered the karaage which seemed to suggest a better feedback from the clean plates. *nods subtly*  yeah, we were sorta wishing that we had ordered that instead.

one word that resonates the being of sanuki udon is simplicity - but definitely in an optimistic way, allowing the basic and clean flavors that highlight the essence of the dishes although a couple of tweaks in the execution would probably be good. thus, proceed with a simple expectation and you may be greeted with a pleasant surprise, especially with the very reasonable price tags, to boot. 

sanuki udon | location

9 jalan bukit desa 5,
taman bukit desa,
58100 kuala lumpur
{opens tuesday - sunday:
10:30 am - 2:30pm;
5:30pm - 9:30pm}

disclaimer this is written based on personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.