Arata Udon @ Damansara Utama

Fans of udon, this ones for you: Freshly made renditions of these wheat-flour noodles reign supreme at Arata, a Japanese-run restaurant from which ramen & soba are strangely banished.

Aratas house-manufactured udon is very nice indeed, firm but not chewy, entirely enjoyable with accompaniments like five-vegetable tempura.

Dip them hot or cold into pork-filled sauce; Arata serves a something-for-everyone variety.

Bukkake udon (RM18 before taxes), splashed with dashi-broth brewed by chef Yukihiro Arakawa, topped with plump prawns, fried mochi rice cakes & crisp veggies.

Mentaiko cod roe udon (RM16), savory & slurp-worthy. Could Arata be the Klang Valleys best udon restaurant? Potentially.

Side dishes of juicy pork cha-siu, eggs & miso soup are available too.

Our sole lament: Sake is absent. The best we can do here is Asahi beer.

Arata Japanese Noodles,
72, Jalan SS21/35, Damansara Uptown.
Tel: 03-7732-4088
Open for lunch & dinner, except Mondays.