Aozora Blue

At first glance, it’s easy to mistake the udon at Aozora Blue for soba due to the noodles’ unusual reddish-brown colour. But that’s what makes the udon here so special: it’s all down to chef-owner Hirofumi Matsui’s 15 years of experience in soba-making.

Aozora Blue’s signature Jikaseki Arabiki udon is made fresh on-site daily, using techniques distinctive to soba. Domestic wheat, sourced directly from farmers across Japan, is coarsely ground with the husks on using a stone mill. This preserves the grain’s natural flavour, aroma and colour, resulting in a noodle that’s more granular in texture and surprisingly fragrant – in ways that common white udon simply isn’t.

On the menu, you’ll find the aforementioned coarse-ground whole-wheat udon alongside a blended version that’s closer to regular udon. The former is the reason Aozora Blue holds a Bib Gourmand rating, and it’s revelatory in both texture and flavour. Also worth watching out for is the rare special where chef Matsui showcases seasonal ingredients, such as perilla leaf, in his ‘speciality’ udon.

For lunch, Aozora Blue serves udon as set meals – available cold as zaru with a dipping sauce, or hot as kake in a dashi broth – which come with side dishes such as sushi and tempura. Come dinner, the menu expands to include classic izakaya dishes like grilled fish, braised pork belly and tempura.

While there’s almost always a queue, especially at lunch, the original Aozora Blue is more atmospheric with its rustic interior. Its other outlet on the 10th floor of Daimaru Shinsaibashi offers more seating and thus might have shorter waiting times – plus, it’s open daily.