I had an early dinner at Katsuo + Kombu on Divisadero yesterday. K + K specializes in udon noodle dishes, hot and cold, in soup and dry. I believe the name of the restaurant refers to the main components of a dashi broth. It opened in 2023 and is from chefs Jiro Lin and Takashi Saito of Hamano Sushi in Noe Valley.
They are a pretty small restaurant and are also quite popular. You order at the front and get a number before sitting down. There’s a roped off area in the front of the restaurant when there’s a wait.
Menu
I had the Tan Tan DRY 汁なしタンタン ($18). It was very good. The udon noodles were plentiful and had a very nice texture. There was a Japanese style tan tan sauce that had ground Kurobuta pork and I think some miso, and had a little bit of chili spice. There was a runny onsen egg which I broke apart and mixed in with the sauce, and also a tender red pepper. There were also some large chunks of soft eggplant which added some more meatiness. It was a very satisfying bowl of noodles.
On a previous visit I had the Kakiage かき揚げうどん ($18) - udon in dashi with a tempura fried fritter of battered shredded vegetables and a shrimp tempura. I couldn’t find any notes about it but I do remember the dashi broth being quite good.
