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Shoan is a popular local soba/udon chain with 50 locations stretching across Shizuoka and Nagoya Prefecture.

I personally didn’t have any recollection of them having udon, nor did I see anyone ordering it, but it does say that they have it on their website, so for those of you that may not be very fond of soba noodles you don’t have to worry. 

I am actually always curious what it is that people find they don’t like about soba noodles… Is it the taste? I am not judging, I just always wonder what turns people off of them. But I digress…

There is a wide abundance of soba and udon shops across Japan, but it is kind of rare to find one that has done well enough to open up 50 shops (especially one that is pretty much solely eaten by locals). 

But this means one thing – that the food is good. Because in Japan, while being popular is one thing, if the food doesn’t taste good or just can’t simply compete against other restaurants then it will close.

It is the unfortunate truth, but that’s how cutthroat it is with as many good tasting restaurants across Japan – it is extremely cut throat and this is why I have seen a handful of restaurants I have been to close down over just the last few years. 

But Shoan has managed to thrive in this environment, and their food is a huge testament to that because it was amazing. 

They have a decently big menu, and everything is noodle related. One thing that looked amazing was their curry udon where they put a piece of cheese and have it melt in the middle. It is easily something I could make at home, but I don’t have confidence I will be able to replicate the curry taste and definitely not the quality of noodles. 

But, the thing everyone (including me) ordered was their soba and sakura kakiage set. 

First breaking down the word, sakura refers to “sakura ebi” or sakura shrimp which are tiny little shrimp that have been dried whilst in their shells. And kakiage is a form of tempura where they mix something together with batter to create a round, circular type shape and then deep fry it. There is absolutely no way this isn’t good! 

And spoiler, it was amazing. It was fried to absolute perfection and there was absolutely no heavy oil taste that you sometimes get with ordering kakiage from other chain restaurants. 

It was extremely crispy and they finished it with salt so the flavour was fully brought out too. Because it is deep fried I wouldn’t say that it has a super strong shrimp taste, but it was still there, and it was an excellent pairing for the heartier noodles. 

Speaking of which, the noodles are served hot or cold to your liking but I almost always get cold if I am getting soba. If I am getting udon I will always get hot however… I have no reason for this but it is just how I have eaten them from the start and haven’t changed it since. Maybe one day…

Regardless, the noodles were of incredible quality. Great elasticity, as well as flavour. I believe they are handmade, as with the udon noodles as well. I never make soba noodles and so when I have the chance to eat them out I a lot of the time do. 

Oh, and they had both counter seating as well as a place where you take your shoes off and sit cross-legged while you eat at the location I went to. This was where I sat and they had little cushions for each person so it wasn’t too bad – just a little cramped… 

This is a very solid spot for some high quality noodles as well as a unique tempura! 

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