Ten-Ichi Udon

Ten-Ichi Udon
23 Serangoon Central
#B1-02 NEX

http://www.res.com.sg/en/brands/ten-ichi-udon.html


Create Your Own Udon (Toppings)

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 7
Ambience & Setting: 7
Food & Beverage: 7
Service: 5
Value for Money: 8
Spent about SGD $12 per person.


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The newest concept restaurant from Japanese food street brand RE & S Enterprises, Ten-Ichi Udon specialises in a very focused menu, revolving mainly around udon, curry rice, and tempura. There is a simple, uncomplicated appeal about Ten-Ichi Udon, with its fast-food style self service, uncluttered table layout, and tasty food.

Ambience at Ten-Ichi Udon is clean, minimalist, and uncomplicated. The main attraction is their beautiful signage and menu, along with the display of hot tempura along the counter. Furniture is well laid out, making full use of the ample space, without making it seem crowded.

Service at Ten-Ichi Udon is fast-food style self-service, similar to a cafeteria style, where you collect a tray, place your order, collect it, make payment, then collect your condiments and utensils. You're also encouraged to clear your tray after your meal. Still, I note that staff are friendly, and will engage you in conversation, very good!

The menu at Ten-Ichi Udon is very focused, highlighting their star items of udon, tempura and curry rice. The selection of tempura are add-on toppings to any order, and there is decent range, though repeat visits to Ten-Ichi Udon can get boring because of the limited selection. The udon is hand made, and I find the texture to be very good. Prices at Beef Sukiyaki Rice are very affordable, averaging about SGD $12 or less per person.


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Loved the Beef Sukiyaki Rice (SGD $7)! The thin beef slices are tender, and well marinated, each bite is so flavourful. The rice is well cooked, neither too limp or hard, with the correct fluffy texture of Japanese rice, and the soft-boiled egg is perfectly runny.

Beef Sukiyaki Rice

Paired the Beer Asahi (SGD $4.80) with just about everything I tried here!

Beer Asahi

I loved the Zaru Yuzu Udon (SGD $5.50), for its bouncy, springy texture of the noodles. Very filling! The zaru yuzu soy dipping sauce has a refreshing citrus sweetness, complementing the savoury taste of the soy sauce. Very clean flavours, and tastes great!

Zaru Yuzu Udon 01

Zaru Yuzu Udon 02

Zaru Yuzu Udon 03

The Chicken Katsu (SGD $2) is among the selection of the fried items / tempura that can be added-on to any order. I like that the meat is not too tough, and still juicy, while the skin is slightly crisp and tasty. Good!

Chicken Katsu

The Eggplant Tempura With Minced Meat (SGD $1.80) is among the more unique items here. The crisp tempura skin gives way to a soft, cool eggplant, then to the savoury pork minced meat stuffed within.

Eggplant Tempura With Minced Meat

The fittingly named Jumbo Ebi Tempura (SGD $3) is meaty, juicy, and most importantly, fresh. Excellent!

Jumbo Ebi Tempura

The Ika Tempura (SGD 2.20) was rather one-note and tasteless. Skip this.

Ika Tempura

The Aji Fry (SGD $2.20) was probably the worst item in the fried items / tempura selection. The fishy, unpleasant smell makes me suspect this isn't fresh, and the texture was dry and tough. Avoid!

Aji Fry

The Jumbo Kakiage (SGD $1.80) is made with shreds of onions, carrots, and corn, and stacked well togather into a mini-tower / nest of sorts. Lovely crisp texture and nice crunch, not too oily or limp, and the distinct taste of the vegetables comes through, very good! Seems to be a popular item here!

Jumbo Kakiage

The Yuzu Wasabi Udon (SGD $6.50) has a nice balance of flavour. The citrus sweetness and savoury saltyness blended with a slight hint of spicy wasabi makes the tastebuds come alive, and each mouthful is refreshing and cleansing all at once. Very good!

Yuzu Wasabi Udon

The tangy, zesty, citrus flavour of the thick yuzu noodles within the Yuzu Kitsune Udon (SGD $7.70) gets somewhat muted / lost in the much stronger soup / broth, though you can still taste a slight hint of it. At least the beancurd / tofu skin is nicely grilled with a savoury smoky aroma and taste, making this dish passable.

Yuzu Kitsune Udon

Not a big fan of Japanese Curry Rice, but the Beef Curry Rice (SGD $8) here was excellent! Tender, soft thin strips of beef sukiyaki, over fluffy Japanese rice, doused with a savoury, non-spicy Japanese potato curry, and garnished with pickled daikon and spring onions. Excellent!

Beef Curry Rice

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Update Apr-2016: About 2 years on, and Ten-Ichi Udon is still around. Largely the same too, with ambience, service, and food almost as consistent as before, which I suppose is a good thing. What has changed at Ten-Ichi Udon, however, is their prices have increased, and they've also expanded their menu.

Prices have increased on the Beef Sukiyaki Rice (SGD $8.50), but it remains just as delicious as before. The portion is also the same as before, medium-large, and filling enough for an individual. The beef strips are still thin, savoury salty, absolutely tasty. But the consistency of the onsen egg varies, I sometimes get an egg that is semi-solid, instead of soft boiled and runny.

Beef Sukiyaki Rice Again (SGD $8.50)

Introduced in early 2016, the Oden (SGD $3.50) is a totally fail dish for me. While the clear soup / broth is warm and savoury, it lacks the light sweetness usually associated with this dish. Also, the daikon radish could be more tender. While the hard-boiled egg was decent, I wish they used similar fish cakes, instead of fish rolls. Furthermore, the quality of the fish rolls are rather poor, tasting fishy and overly salty. Terrible.

Oden (SGD $3.50)

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