See the booth towards the rear of this humble shop, past the window benches and the shelves of Japanese books? Odds are this is where you’ll find owner Kan Masuda, mixing flour and water, folding and refolding dough, and hand-cutting his noodles with an enormous knife.

All udon are thick and chewy, but Masuda’s are mega, based on a style popular in Musashino, west of Tokyo. Served cold to dip into soy and dashi-based broth, eating them is an activity as much as a food.There’s slurp and bounce, and the dipping broths work as seasoning and sauce: they’re ballasted with mushroom, pork or beef, and there’s a spiced cold sesame soup too.

The tone is friendly, but the care here comes through the food, through miso nikomi udon that softens in hot broth, juicy karaage or surprisingly great tempura. And of course Masuda’s noodles: unique, glorious and unforgettable.

Good to know: Drinking the broth is optional – it’s made quite salty to flavour the noodles but you can ask for extra liquid to dilute it at the end.

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