Fu Men Udon and Donburi Restaurant – The First Halal Certified Udon Restaurant in Singapore

Found in a corner of “The Basement” of Hong Leong Building is Fu Men Udon. Its location may not ring a bell, especially if you’re not working in the CBD. Toshihiro-san and Sharon, along with their business partner Chef Teppei Yamashita, are the brawns and brains behind this Japanese restaurant that has been around since April 2018.

What intrigued me the most was the fact that it is Halal-certified, and it’s really rare to find a Halal-certified Japanese eatery in Singapore. Sharon shared that the motivation behind getting the Halal Certification was upon the realisation that their recipe did not include pork, so why not just be Halal certified? It was also an opportunity for them to expand their customer base. Hence, with minor changes to their source of food supplies, they manage to get the certification in no time. Here’s another food option you can consider when meeting up with your Muslim friends!

I would say that they have quite an extensive menu. I admit that I was rather lost and looked to Sharon for some recommendations of the signatures and crowd favourites. Eventually, I settled on the Japanese Burdock Tempura Udon ($14) with Ajitama ($2), Stamina Rice ($18), and Beef Korokke ($4). All diners will enjoy a cup of tea on the house! The type of tea varies daily, but you can choose to have it iced or hot. However, there are no refills.

As they practice self-service at the restaurant, so you’ll have to pick your food up yourself from the kitchen counter once the buzzer rings. Naturally, there’s no service charge here. Their staff would ask if you’d like to include all the toppings available for your food at the counter. The condiments include spring onion, tempura bits, chilli powder and seaweed strips.

The burdock tempura was larger than I expected – one of the rare times when reality exceeds expectations. Burdock is also known as Gobo in Japanese, or 牛蒡 in Mandarin. It is commonly used in traditional medicine remedies and is known its high antioxidants content amongst other health benefits. Back in 2016-18, it was trending in Japan and Taiwan. Thus, the team decided to include it in the menu and the rest is history. Some love it and some hate it for its strong earthy and bittersweet taste.

I really love it as I am a fan of vegetable chips and this tempura reminded me of that. With the crisp and thin cuts, it tasted like a slightly blander and oilier vegetable chip, that left me feeling a little jelak by the time I was halfway through the meal. But I absolutely loved the crunch of the top part which was not submerged in the broth.

The udon was very enjoyable because of its smooth and chewy texture! The soup was clear and flavourful and I mixed in some chilli powder for good measure. When asked what is so special about the broth, Toshihiro-san said that it is prepared as closely as possible to how a good udon soup is created back home in Japan. Using four types of fish that he could only name in Japanese (but I couldn’t translate it), the broth is boiled over temperatures of 80 to 90 degrees celsius to ensure that the soup doesn’t get scorched and develop a burnt aftertaste. The amount of effort is really commendable.

If you’re craving a hearty bowl of rice, do try their Stamina Rice which includes beef slices, beef tendons, spicy minced chicken and an onsen egg. Apparently, stamina rice bowls, also known as sutadon, is a common dish in Japan. It is commonly made using pork, Fu Men’s version comes with a twist.

A unique thing about this bowl is the inclusion of beef tendons. It looked a little dubious to me at first, but it was well marinated and tasted quite good . It reminded of pigskin, with the gelatinous texture, but rest assured that it is beef!

Other than the beef tendon, the beef slices and minced chicken were a little dry for my liking. Thankfully, after mixing the runny onsen egg into the rice along with all the meat, it was just right. So remember to give your rice bowl a good mix or add in some of the accompanying miso soup.

To spruce up your meal, get some toppings! I had the Beef Korokke since it is a limited edition item on the menu that day. As it is handmade from scratch, Sharon said that it is only available on random days, whenever their kitchen is available to handle the work done to prepare it as it’s a rather tedious job.

The korokke had a good ratio of beef to potato and it was paired with ketchup by default. The exterior was very well fried and it provided a good contrast to the soft insides of the croquette.

Overall, it’s a nice place for lunch or dinner if you work in the vicinity.

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

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