That's a big-ass serving of Mentai udon, kakiage and an onigiri.  All for S$14++! Where can you get such value?  It's this small izakaya/bar called Kawara Tokyo Cafe which brings you slightly into Japan as some of the wait staff are Japanese or are Singaporeans who speak fluent Japanese.  There isn't any uniform for the staff, unless you count being kooky/grungy/punky/casually-hip a uniform.

Taste-wise, the udon was really worth the money.  As for the kakiage (fried vegetables), there was too much batter in the middle and it ended up tasting a little weird instead of being light.  It was not an oily flavour.  Just...a bit sour?

If you're not full with udon, there's still that onigiri which you can choose its stuffing - this changes daily.  I chose the chicken stuffing and my goodness, the rice ball with the stuffing was really salty!  Realised that the rice was sufficiently salted but not quite sticky.  Didn't seem like the typical Japanese short grain rice.  What a downer that was.

They've got tons of other types of udon (one is named 'Hell') which I'd love to try one day.  There's always some special promo - either daily or monthly.  I had tried a whiskey high ball cocktail with my aunt before and it was delicious but not strong enough for my taste.  Nonetheless, they do have typical Japanese mixers which I love.

Go try them one day! If the weather's good, opt to sit outside unless you have a large group.  If the latter, choose the large sofa set inside where you can enjoy the air-con, large comfy seats, anime on the TV and the nice chillax atmosphere.

Location-wise, it's right smack in Cuppage Terrace so you can shop in Orchard before heading over for a beer or dinner!

Update as of 15 March 2014 - Kawara Cafe is no longer at Cuppage Terrace.