Crossing UDON off my “must eat in Japan” list at Mimiu

I did so much eating in Japan that I’ve realized that I can’t write every post as an epic adventure. So even though this one ends with my dad and I laughing so hard that I was crying as we raced away from the scene of a “crime”, I won’t share the story with you. Well, maybe I’m not going to share the story with you because it may (or may not) have included a tiny bit of accidental vandalism that could ban us from ever returning to the restaurant again.

The udon in Japan is so head and shoulders above anything I’ve had outside of Japan. I know in Vancouver, where I live, I can name 3 or 4 places to go for really good ramen but not one for udon. This makes me sad because I think a good bowl of udon is the best comfort food. It’s what my mom offers up when you’re looking tired or cold. A great udon is all about excellence in the noodles and broth. Excellent udon noodles are slurp-able with a bouncy chew  and the broth should be flavourful but not so much so that it overpowers the delicate noodles.Udon is always on my “must eat” list when I go to Japan but I’m happiest when we go to Mimiu because it’s some of the best I’ve had there.

My family’s favourite udon in Osaka is Mimiu and although there are various locations throughout Japan, I feel like if you want the best a restaurant has to offer, you should go to its main location. Mimiu is best-known for its udon-suki (udon hot pot) but we go to Mimiu for its more basic udon dishes. My sister and my “usual” order is tempura udon and my mom, brother and dad order the kitsune udon. My previous visits to Mimiu have always been at lunch, so I thought I’d try something new and order a dinner set which had a few courses before finishing with a smaller tempura udon.

Mimiu – 4-6-18 Hiranomachi Chuo-ku Osaka