Sanuki Udon is a restaurant that specializes in Sanuki-style udon noodles. This region, also known as Kagawa, is famous for its chewy udon texture and its dashi stock, made from a special combination of kombu and bonito.

Most impressively, the restaurant actually makes its own udon from scratch every day using a custom machine, which is then physically inspected to ensure freshness and consistency. 

The restaurant's space is warm and inviting. The prominent wooden accents bring a sort of Scandinavian-Japanese feel to the whole space.

The spacious room is filled with seats that are comfortably spaced apart with a view of the open kitchen where the food is prepared.

The whole concept is the brainchild of Bruce Woo, a local entrepreneur who actually spent a whole year in Kagawa studying udon-making techniques from an udon sensei.

"Ramen culture in Toronto is now at such a developed level," Woo remarked with a smile. "My goal is to bring udon to a similarly high standard."

Woo adds proudly that "we boil our scratch-made noodles for exactly ten minutes before we serve them in order to get the best texture possible." 

Consistency is truly the name of the game here.

Sticking true to Japanese convention, Sanuki Udon's servings are quite limited in variety. There is essentially only one type of udon noodle produced, which is served either hot or cold.

However, the modest number of menu choices is more than made up through the exceptionally high quality of its dishes.

The traditional hot soup udon that everyone is familiar with here is well-represented in a few different forms, but the most popular is the Signature A7 Wagyu Beef Udon ($19.99).

The fact that Sanuki Udon uses only A7-grade beef is itself a testament to its commitment to quality, and the perfectly marbled meat is a delight to my tastebuds.

I also found the soup to be very comforting. Clear and light but with a defined umami sweetness. It is everything I hoped it would be. Of course, the udon itself is perfectly bouncy and chewy, and extremely slurpable.

Something perfect for the summer months is the cold udon, otherwise known as zaru udon. The Jumbo Shrimp Zaru Udon ($19.99) features firm noodles in a very concentrated cold stock that's served alongside a pair of deliciously decadent tempura shrimps.

The combination is awesome between the rich and savoury clear broth and the sharp contrast of the crunchy battered shrimp.

And since the udon is served cold, the texture is a bit firmer than the hot udon (I like to liken it to how your muscles relax when in a hot bath and contract in a cold one). I really enjoyed it.

You can also pair the same cold udon with some chicken karaage ($16.99) which provides a different experience since the chicken comes with a spicy mayonnaise dipping sauce.

My favourite part is that you can actually order additional side dishes to complement any noodle combo, such as the crispy, nest-like fried Vegetable Tempura ($3.99 each) which features sweet potatoes and zucchini.

Heck, I'deven order this on its own, such is my love for fried Japanese snacks.

Sanuki Udon is on Carlton, just east of Yonge Street.