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Ask any udon lover heading to Japan who keeps up with social media, and odds are they’ll know about Udon Shin, a 10-seater udon eatery that’s been around since 2011. After 14 years of operations, they’ve decided to open their very first overseas outpost at none other than Singapore’s Takashimaya Shopping Centre at Orchard Road (woohoo!) on 13 Nov 2025.
Now, a little introduction of the original Japan outlet. Even though its address is located at Yoyogi, Shibuya, it’s actually just a short walk away from Shinjuku Station. Because of its limited seats and the not-so-straightforward queue system, you’ll need to wait at least over an hour before you’re seated.
Thankfully, the outlet on our shores has a larger seating capacity. The udon is freshly kneaded, cut, and cooked to a precise duration for the ideal texture.
From the open kitchen, you can witness the entire brigade of chefs hard at work, firing up dishes to order. My jaw dropped to the floor when I saw the hugest net-like sieve to pick up the strands of udon — it looked just like a giant fishing net at a kelong! We also had a chance to meet Chef-Owner Shinji Narahara in person.
You may be thinking, what can you expect from the menu and how much is it? There are over 18 varieties of udon including cold, soup, and hot options ranging from S$15++ to S$42++. You can even build-your-own bowl of udon from a choice of 4 bases, with various tempura ingredients and toppings.
The main highlight of this establishment is definitely the Carbonara Udon (S$24++), it consists of kamaage udon with dashi, raw egg, parmesan cheese, butter, pepper, spring onion, and a generous slab of bacon tempura (whatttttt?!). Those who feel icky about the raw egg can change it to a soft-boiled egg (+S$1) instead.
Only the heavens know how excited I was trying this dish for the first time, having seen it on several TikTok reels. After mixing everything, I slurped up the noodles and took a while to fathom the combination. I LOVED IT! Just imagine chewy, to-die-for udon, coupled with the mild smoky hint of torched parmesan, creaminess of the butter and egg, the gentle heat of the pepper, and the tempura bacon. It was perfection in a bowl without being jelak!
Next up, the Premium Tempura Kake Udon (S$34). The bowl of udon soup came with a tempura lineup of 2 shrimps, salmon, squid, and 4 veggies including mushroom and lotus root.
The broth was hearty and savoury with strong hints of dashi. Needless to say, the udon had a divine texture — bouncy and addictive.
Kudos to the chefs! Every variety of tempura was expertly prepared — not only was it wonderfully crispy and delicious, but it was also impressively oil-free.
Lastly, we tried the Tempura Zaru Udon (S$28++) that rests its udon and assortment of tempura on a rustic bamboo tray, served with a dipping sauce.
It was so satisfying to dunk and slurp up the plump noodles from the dipping sauce; the seasoning was well-balanced. To have a taste of Tokyo’s popular udon spot, head over to basement 2 of Takashimaya Shopping Centre and give Udon Shin a try.
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