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Udon it? Photo by Suzie Ok, so we’re a bit late on this one. By now every blogger in the whole damn sphere has sunk their face into a write-up of Koya’s twangy udon. But we know many of you have been putting off your trip to Soho’s newest noodles, waiting for the Gobbler nod before hopping on the bus. We’re doing this for you. The first thing to say is that this place is popular, so expect to wait. We pitched up around 1900 hours and were asked to take a seat outside - there’s a little waiting room-style row of chairs on the pavement. The second thing to say is that these noodles are hefty, so bring an appetite. There are a number of different options from which to choose - assuming you only really have eyes for udon. You can pick from cold noodles in a hot broth (Hiya-Atsu), hot noodles in a hot broth (Atsu-Atsu), and cold noodles in a cold sauce (Hiya-Hiya). Once you’ve selected the temperature at which you’d like to receive your noodles, attention switches to the extras. Amongst the usual meaty suspects, there’s a good deal of tempura, so adopting the personae of hungry lunch breakers, we went for an Atsu-Atsu with tempura prawns, and a Hiya-Atsu with duck.  The noodles are spectacular. Koya specialises in udon, so you’d be foolhardy to stray. Each batch is laboured over with a potent mix of sweat and love by chefs Oda and Yamasaki, who import flour from Japan, and mix it with water from the Thames. The noodles are thick and springy, smooth and slippery, and clearly worth all the effort as they slither into the broth, which by the way is no slouch either: Salty, and complex, with hints of ginger and sweet mirin. Having tried both noodle/broth combinations, we favoured the Hiya-Atsu, as it gave you control over the amount of noodles you had cooking at one time, and maintained elasticity and bite. The tempura was also just how we like it; crisp and light with a fat succulent prawn perfectly cooked within. Perhaps a better option would be to order a selection of tempura as a side order, because whilst we love the sodden batter, it’s the type of thing we like to regulate. Koya certainly isn’t the thriftiest place we’ve eaten - it’s perhaps not even the thriftiest place we’ve eaten udon - but such things are relative, and when two chefs have devoted this much time and effort to making a single foodstuff this enjoyable to eat, we’ll happily skip a mid-morning coffee to make up the difference. - http://www.thriftygobbler.com/117/

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