Tweet
Follow @asianbeat_en

There is a well-known theory that Fukuoka is the "birth place of udon." Hakata-style (soft) udon has been popular amongst locals for quite some time. "恵味うどん (EMIUDON)" was opened in 1969. The restaurant serves noodles that have their root in sanuki (hard) udon, which are quite rare in Fukuoka. The establishment was originally located in Yakuin area before moving to its current location, which is about six-minute walk from Ropponmatsu Station (Fukuoka City Subway Nanakuma Line), in March 2019.

The owner Ichinomiya went to Kagawa Prefecture to learn how to make udon and gain the experience needed to work in his aunt's restaurant. After finishing his training, he began to serve sanuki style udon in Fukuoka, but he soon encountered two challenges. The first one was connected to the texture of noodles. People in Fukuoka do not usually accept noodles with a hard texture. Soft noodles are far more popular. The second problem was tied to speed. Ichinomiya used to boil the noodles as soon as he took an order to ensure that they were fresh. But he began to receive feedback from diners. They started saying, "this is taking so long to boil, I can't wait." He overcame these obstacles by boiling the noodles faster and adjusting the texture of the noodles. He decided to prepare udon that are 4 mm wide and 2 mm thick. These textured, flat noodles are the "Ichinomiya-style" sanuki udon. The "torioroshi udon" is a big hit with visitors. Another dish that goes down well with diners is the "yoridori udon." In keeping with the restaurant's sanuki origins, "yoridori udon" is served bukkake style and is available either hot or cold (the photo below shows the cold broth). These items are well worth sampling!