There is nothing quite like the sound of slurping noodles, or men (めん) in Japanese, at a meal time. There is no food group that is quite like the humble noodle. Whether eaten in a hot soup, served cold with a delicious dipping sauce, or fragrantly stir fried, noodles are a carbohydrate that I will never get sick of.

So, it makes sense that a restaurant would specialise in everything to do with the noble noodle. In Japan, there are four main noodle types: the well known udon and soba, as well as the yellow ramen noodle and lighter somen, which is not unlike vermicelli. At Menya Mappen, down towards the Chinatown end of George Street, udon and soba are the go-to.

The sheer size of the menu may leave you a bit befuddled as to what to order. First, decide your preferred sauce or soup base, then your noodles, and finally the toppings. Choose from three different broth bases to accompany your noodles: bukkake, a sauce of dashi and soy; kake, a soup form of bukkake; and tonkotsu, a creamy, pork-based soup.

With wallet-friendly prices and a wide range of toppings to suit all tastebuds, there’s not much to hate about this casual, canteen-style eatery. Unless you dislike queues at lunchtime, that is.

Add what you like, self-serve style, from the line-up of fried goodies which stretch across the main length of the servery. With morsels such as prawn, fish cake and vegetable tempura, takoyaki, karaage, and even fried frankfurts, there’s something for everyone. There are also mini tempura and rice bowls for those who like a little variety. At the end of the line is a small, refrigerated cabinet which houses tiny containers of noodle toppings like seaweed, corn, bamboo and kimchi, as well as a small range of snack-sized desserts.