Udon here is treated as everyday food rather than an event, the concept borrowed from the neighbourhood noodle shops of Japan, where a bowl is quick, unfussy and quietly exact. The noodles come from Kagawa, the prefecture most associated with the form, chosen over an in-house imitation so the texture stays true: thick, slippery, with the particular chew Kagawa is known for. The signature is the kamaage set, the noodles served warm from the pot with a deeply savoury dipping broth, sesame, spring onion, ginger and fresh wasabi arranged alongside to build as you go. Tempura is fried to order and eaten while it crackles; sake and Japanese beer round out the table for those settling in. It reads as much as an izakaya as a noodle bar, the sort of room where you can graze and drink at the same easy pace. The setting is Johnston Street, and the mood matches its stretch of Fitzroy, relaxed, expressive and quality-driven, without the formality that often shadows Japanese dining. The team behind it also run a pair of well-regarded sake bars nearby, and the same care shows. Come for a bowl on a weeknight, stay for the tempura, and treat it as the locals' canteen it means to be.