Den-Udon

This is another bad example of so-​called-​Asian restaurant in Europe. The taste of Us on was below mediocre and the qualify of noodles was bad as well. People seemed to be kind but that is not an excuse to the poor quality of noodles.
It was not even cheap. One pork udon cost £9, which is expensive compared to other restaurants. The cheapest udon is £6.5. I’d seriously recommend other restaurants.
The reason I give this place 2 stars instead of 1 is simply because the ingredients they use seem to be fresh. But I should mention that it’s just my guess.

As a noodles fan, I was really excited to try this place! I left not craving for more mainly due to the black broth. It honestly just tasted like soy sauce, had no meaty flavour to it and did not add to the noodles or the ingredients. The pork and the udon were, however, very well cooked. The noodles werent soggy or too broken and actually quite chewy. I would have to try the white broth and see if its any better. They also have at least 5 new variety of meat donburis plus 3 curry donburis on the menu. While they lack veg donburi option, they do have veg broth and veg only toppings. My friend’s bowl was covered in veg — contrary to just a few pieces. I definitely appreciate the amount of toppings they give you.
The service was friendly and they do have an ample selection of drinks, wine, beers, and sake. A clean modern design with long communal tables would accommodate large groups at night. The price was around £10 per person with a non-​alcoholic drink. They do offer 10% student discount! Just flash your ID when paying.

First of all, many thanks to Josy to taking me to here — I went to an awesome event (lots of dishes on display) which gave me no choice but to come back to try some more things. Den-Udon’s a nice little space — it’s set up in an old pub and feels light, roomy and uncramped. And, most importantly of all, you have to go to the toilet here for the full washlet experience.
Unsurprisingly, Den’s main focus is udon, along with small plate starters and a handful of rice dishes. The soupy dishes feature three types of broth — white ‘Osaka style’ bonito and dashi broth, a black Tokyo broth (as above but with dark soy sauce), and veggie broth. So far, I’ve only tried the white broth — it’s not in-​your-​face, but it’s backloaded with umami. It’s not as complex as Koya’s, but it’s really quite satisfying all the same. The udon noodles themselves are really good and generally come out quite firm which I really appreciate (they make the noodles on site too). Last time I went, I tried their carbonara — udon with parmesan, cod roe, egg, bonito and nori. Apparently it’s somewhat of a London first and it’s a really good, well put-​together dish. Some people might find it a bit slimy, but I love the silky texture of the egg (my dining partner found it a bit fishy, but this wasn’t something that I found to be unpleasant). I’m looking forward to trying some of the other udons… so far, they’ve impressed, although they’ve lacked a bit of wow factor which I can’t put my finger on.
The side dishes are decent — I love the sesame sauce on their vegetable dish (although the veggies could have been crunchier). The sizzling beef comes in a delicious sauce, but the beef itself doesn’t have the most pleasant flavour as it isn’t the best quality. It’s a shame as it could be one of those amazingly addictive dishes. I found the same thing with one of their braised beef ribs at the event — delicious, but let down by a bit too much… beefiness (and I mean that in a chuck steak way).
Overall, I really like it and it’s a couple of quid cheaper than Koya. I don’t know what it is, but the food just doesn’t quite make 5*. Maybe it’s ingredient quality or just plain old je né sais quoi, but it’s missing something. Still, friendly staff and a good menu and pretty reasonably priced, definitely a welcome addition to Japanese dining in London.

**New Udon alert!!**
Den udon is located on the premises of an old pub, so it is quite spacious. The décor looks nice and the staff were really friendly (and speedy.) We arrived at 6:30, and there were loads of empty tables, but it started to fill up around 7pm.
Udon-​noms:
— They have three main broths: Kansai «white» style, flavoured with dashi, konbu and mushrooms. Kanto «black» style with more soy-​sauce. And a veggy version with the konbu and mushroom, but without the dashi.
— We both went with the lighter, Kansai broth. It’s pretty damn good!
— I had ebi tempura, which was presented on a separate plate, so they didn’t get soggy. They weren’t quite as big ebi in Japan… but they gave me 3(!) so I was still happy.
— Marc had the veggy broth with tofu and wakame seaweed. It was nice, although I like the dashi-​flavoured broth more than the vegetarian version.
Other things:
— We asked for green tea, which was (slightly annoyingly) served in a glass, so it is quite hard to drink. This is probably a good reason to choose a cocktail or ume-​shu instead.
— They have lots of small izakaya-​like dishes: karaage, pickles, pork belly etc.
— Apparently the main chef is from Italy, so he has created a udon version of carbonara. This basically sounds like a fusion version of «wa-​fu pasta» It has spicy mentaiko (cod roe) and nori seaweed as well as egg and parmesan. The waitress told me it is really good… so I’d like to go back and try this next.
— THEY HAVE JAPANESE WASHLETS! If you’ve never been to Japan and sat on a Japanese loo, then you need to try the high-​tech toilets downstairs! They didn’t have the music or drying options… but you can still give your bottom a bit of a wash.
Londoners already love ramen, so I really hope lots of people start falling in love with udon as well.

Den is the latest noodle bar specialising in udon noodles. On the lunch menu there is a selection of hot or cold noodles with broth or dipping sauce as well as donburi and a few sides. I chose the ‘duck and mixed leaves’ udon in ‘black’ broth. The black broth is simply the white broth with the addition of dark soy sauce. The slices of duck were rather fatty and chewy. To go with the udon I ordered the prawn and vegetable tempura which consisted of 2 prawns, sweet potato, butternut squash, red pepper and a piece of cauliflower. The tempura was passable but it was quite annoying that the slice of butternut squash was not peeled having to resort to using the chopsticks to remove the skin.
I went during the half price soft launch period and found the noodle portions to be on the small side. I am not a big eater but had to buy dessert to continue lunch at work. Had I paid full price for the 2 dishes, the bill would have been £20 which seems pricey for an everyday lunch meal and to still be hungry?!
Overall den is nothing special, just another noodle bar. The location is a bit out of the way so I would not make a special trip to return, the food would have to be far better to even consider returning.