Situated in the older part of Kowloon’s residential district of Cheung Sha Wan, this cosy little udon shop serves a creative selection of special soup bases as their draw. Expect to get close to whoever is sitting next to you during peak hours.

Now, onto the food. The te-uchi udon in black sesame soup (黑芝麻手打烏冬, $53) didn’t have much of a wow factor, but it was certainly sizzling hot. While the sesame flavour of the soup was nice, it was the thick coating on the udon that made every slurp a pleasure. The texture of the te-uchi udon was firm to the bite but I wonder whether they were mass-produced due to their uniform shape. The meat on the grilled pig knuckles (醬燒豬手) in the udon set was surprisingly tender, juicy and fatty in all the right places.

While the combination of seafood and lobster bisque seemed appropriate, the flavours of the mussels, scallops and cuttlefish did not go well with the rich base of the te-uchi udon in lobster bisque with seafood (龍蝦湯海鮮烏冬, $49). The marriage of flavours was a bit too overpowering and was definitely a test for your palate.

On the side, we ordered the grilled scallops (醬燒帆立貝, $28) which were slightly too firm, a sign of being overcooked or having come straight from the freezer. The grilled ox tongue (燒牛舌, $12) was thick and overly chewy. The pork cordon bleu (流心吉列豬扒, $22) with the crispy golden crust and melted cheese was the best of the three and worth praising.

There were hits and misses but the great service made up for the lapses in execution.

Jason Bon Vivant

Shop I, G/F, Green Court, 498 Un Chau St, Cheung Sha Wan, 2786 3386. Mon-Sun: noon-11.30pm Meal for two: around $130.