Izakaya Seki’s inaniwa noodles (Kat Lucero)

Dish of the Week: Inaniwa udon

Where: Izakaya Seki

A hot bowl of udon is one of the delectable cures to this season’s cold-weather blues. The cold, stormy evenings brought on by Hurricane Sandy’s landfall to the Washington, D.C-area was one of those opportunities to try these Japanese noodles made from wheat-flour noodles.

So when my roommate and I learned that Izakaya Seki, a small Japanese eatery in the U Street-Shaw neighborhood, opened while most of D.C. shut down to avoid Hurricane Sandy’s wrath, we immediately dashed up the street to savor that opportunity.

Little did we know that these were not the thick varietals many Japanese noodle fans are used to eating. Izakaya Seki serves the thin type called Inaniwa udon, regional noodles from northern Japan known for its smooth texture.

Co-owner and chef Hiroshi Seki’s presentation of his udon is simple, but satisfies a ravenous appetite intensified by Monday’s cabin fever. It’s served in a smaller bowl and sprinkled with tempura flakes, thin strips of dried seaweed and scallions that add flavor and crunchy textures that enhance the noodles’ smoothness.

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