Uki Uki- Fabryka Makaronu Japońskiego (Japanese Noodles Factory) is one of those talked about places. People first talk about it as soon as it opens, then when it’s already there, about what you can it, is it worth it and how’s the service. We made our first attempt right after Easter, before our planned trip to Provence – unfortunately 8 pm was already too late – all sold out. Ok, we decided to find a better time.
Uki Uki had a really good start – a place so crowded from the very beginning must be a dream of every restaurant owner. But beware: it’s also a big challenge. Will the kitchen make it? Will the staff manage? Usually, not everything works perfectly at the beginning and the service might not be ideal either. We’ll see about that…. We visit Uki Uki on Sunday evening – remembering our previous visit, we call to ask if they are fully stocked. We want to book a table, especially that we’re with Maks and sitting at the bar might not be the best idea, but as for now, there’s no booking possible.
bar seats
Well, what the hell! We’re hungry and we want these noodles real bad! Maks wants it too, and you know the case – don’t mess with a hungry 4-year-old. In front of Uki Uki we see trees with pink blooming flowers… are these cherry trees? Is Uki Uki that good at bringing JApanese vibe? 🙂
Inside it’s loud, crowded and packed. Wooden tables with simple short chairs, origami figurines for decorations and the kitchen where we can see chefs preparing thick udon noodles. Udon is the thing at Uki Uki. In the future they seem to be planning adding ramen and sushi. As for now, it’s mainly a place for a soup with noodles and some other ingredients. We go through the menu and see what’s all the fuss about since we never been to Japan (sad face).
menu – check, eating manual – check. Good idea!
Menu includes traditional Japanese soups served with udon – fresh noodles prepared from wheat flour, salt and water on the spot. There’s not much to choose from yet. One type is called kama with noodles served separately in water so you can grab it with your chopsticks and dip it in the soup. Second one is called sanuki – we get a ready soup with noodles as well as ginger and chives to season it. With it, vegetables in tempura. There’s also fusion udon – again a traditional bonito soup with udon noodles but with additional salmon and teriyaki sauce (Red Fuji – PLN 34) or with stewed pork, onion and sukiyaki sauce (Buta Shabu Udon – PLN 28) – unfortunately they don’t have it anymore this Sunday evening.
In the end, Łukasz goes for Ebi Gozen – udon noodles in fish broth with shrimps, shiitake mushrooms and sweet potatoes in tempura (PLN 36) while I get Yasai Gozen (PLN 30) – a similar thing minus the shrimps. We’re thinking about getting something for Maks, but the waitress assures us that the portions are large enough and we can put some of it to a separated bowl for him. Feeling curious, we order a weird salad made from cucumber, tomato, salad, wakame seaweed, mozzarella and sesame oil (small – PLN 8). Mozzarella in a Japanese restaurant seems like a weird thing but let’s don’t be judgmental. We’ll see what it is. Shortly after ordering we get water (free of charge, a good thing!), towels to wash our hands looking like bulging tablets which Maks loves and sesame seeds we can crush on our own. We’ll need it later to spice up the soup.
something to kill time while we’re waiting – let’s crush the sesame seeds
I won’t be fooling you – it’s a damn long wait! 30-40 minutes – be prepared for that if the place is full. We’re running out of patience but we’re holding on. And then we get our reward: udon! The noodles are thick, not too hard nor too soft, the broth is fragrant, especially after spicing it up with sesame, ginger and chives. With this we get tempura, which can be dipped in a soy sauce based dressing. Tempura is fantastic – the batter is delicate, crispy and the vegetables inside are still perfectly soft. I really like the aubergine, shiitake mushrooms and sweet potato. Maks loves shrimps in tempura. We follow the rules and eat udon with chopsticks taking it out of the soup, drinking the broth using round spoons. Even though we haven’t been to Japan yet (I want to change it NOW!) I immediately turn to soups in Singapore eaten the same way… so many memories! As usual on a visit to a new place, I wonder how will Maks react. Udon is a perfect shot, he devours his noodles with broth like mad and then says: ‘We have to get back to this uki uki soon because these noodles are really cool!’. Looks like we’re growing a competition for ourselves! 🙂 We also keep ourselves busy eating, sipping noodles and chewing tempura. We know that we’ll be back too!
The portions are really huge – two were enough for us three! Only the salad… completely unnecessary. I don’t get the idea- there was absolutely nothing special about it – don’t order it, get an extra veg tempura instead. 🙂
Ebi Gozen – tempura, sauce, udon in broth
udon noodles w bulionie – bohater wieczoru
delicious vegetables in tempura
only the salad turned out to be a bummer – nothing special, save your money!
Uki Uki is a place that serve delicious food, yet crowds and long waiting times are something you will have to cope with. We were prepared, we tried not to get angry with the long waiting time as we weren’t going anywhere. We liked udon, Maks liked it too. It’s different, intriguing, tasty and it makes you wanna sit at your computer and look for tickets to Japan as soon as you get back hom!! 🙂 Who knows, maybe we’ll give it a try too? 😉
PRACTICAL INFORMATION:
UKI UKI
ul. Krucza 23/31 (near ul. Hoża)
tel. 690 962 254
email: udon@ukiuki.pl
opening hours:
Tuesday – Sunday – 12.00-21.00
lunch for 2 adults and one child
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