Zaru begins serving handmade Japanese udon noodles this week in Mills 50

The city’s noodle craze will get a bit crazier this week with the opening of udon noodle house Zaru at 1114 E. Colonial Drive, next door to Tien Hung Market.

The concept, which we first told you about back in July, is by James Beard Award-nominated restaurateurs Johnny and Jimmy Tung, who say they’ll open Zaru by “the end of the week.” So we’ll have to wait just a few more days before enjoying the slick and chewy squircle-shaped squigglers in Zaru’s intimate and striking 25-seat dining room.

“After traveling extensively throughout Japan earlier this year, Jimmy and I wanted to carry on the 500-year-old noodle making tradition, and we wanted to do it here, in the heart of the city,” Johnny says of Zaru.

Indeed, the Tungs are intent on bringing the genuine experience they enjoyed in Japan to Orlando. Udon noodles will be made from Japanese flour sourced from Kagawa Prefecture, the birthplace of udon, and will be offered in both hot and cold options, with and without broths, along with freshly fried tempura and a host of add-ons for a custom-built bowl.

But beyond the noodles, they, along with chef William Shen (who will also head the high-concept Sorekara in Baldwin Park early next year), teased a few additional dishes that will appear on the menu — miso-grilled eggplant, marinated okra, chicken chashu and warabi mochi.

The full menu is being kept under wraps, as the trio want to keep it a surprise for Zaru’s patrons. Meanwhile, in other noodle news, KungFu Kitchen, the famed New York City hand-pulled noodle house by Peter Song, has opened its Orlando outpost at the Vista Center Shoppes at 8466 Palm Parkway.

Indeed, September will be a month for slurping. Be sure to follow @Zarufl for all the latest updates.

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This article appears in Sep 6-12, 2023.