Williamsburg’s Condom Company-Backed Udon Shop Gets Two Stars in the Times

In a neighborhood home to several noodle shops, newly opened udon restaurant Hanon stands out against other “generic” options in Williamsburg, Times critic Pete Wells writes in a glowing two-star review.

Wells raves about Hanon’s tempura — which he says is “engineered for udon, thick and substantial enough that it will not dissolve and float away in the soup, yet somehow not oily or clunky.” The restaurant, started by a Japanese production company Rock’n Roll Japan and condom maker Sagami Rubber, also excels in making two types of udon noodles, he writes.

The zenryufun, or whole wheat, has a “slightly rough” texture that helps absorb the dashi-based broth, while the sasauchi, or green noodle, tastes like green tea, he writes. Both are flat, and “moderately chewy and reasonably springy,” the critic writes.

As for how to order them, he says:

Either flavor, or both, can be ordered cold and spread on a bamboo mat for dunking into a sauce, either a peanut-buttery sesame sauce or the traditional dashi-based dipping sauce. For larger or more curious appetites, these dipping noodles, called seiro udon, can be dangled into a hot duck soup in which a few hunks of well-boiled duck meat swim.

Though a liquor license hasn’t been secured yet, the drink menu looks promising: Wells reports that Jorge Riera, the man behind the acclaimed natural wine list at Frenchette, is creating the one here, too, which will also include sake and shochu. Two stars.

• Udon, Innovated for Your Pleasure [NYT]