Confessions of an Udon Addict (Yu Jin Yi)

When one thinks of some Japanese cuisine, the immediate responses are
usually sushi, ramen, soba, or gyu-dong. My personal favorite, however, is a bit minor—
udon. With its thick and tasty noodle and flavorful, hot soup even the winter’s piercing
wind cannot dare freezing me.
Like many other foreign students in Japan do, I would go around places and try
famous Japanese restaurants. Among them my personal favorite so far is a udon
restaurant (a franchise) called Tsurutontan (つるとんたん). I went there with my
parents when they came to visit me in Japan—we had our dinner there, got
mesmerized by the taste, and came back for the two consecutive meals.
Roppongi, Shinjuku, and then the remodeled Haneda Airport all has a branch of
Tsurutontan. The udon restaurant has the traditional, clear soup Sanuki udon, but also
has the variations of udon such as sukiyaki udon, curry udon, and the cream sauce udon
(yes, the cream sauce that we see in spaghetti alla Carbonara). I’ve tried the sukiyaki
udon, Sanuki udon and the curry udon myself and each and every one of the udon have
distinct and delicious savor.
I’ve been to Tsurutontan in Roppongi and Haneda Airport—and at both places
I had to wait for about twenty to thirty minutes. The restaurant is overall covered with
wood (the tables are built in wood, and also many of the wall decorations use wood and
rock to make it feel like a cozy, Japanese traditional restaurant) and that makes the place
look exclusive. In case of the Roppongi one, a huge, open kitchen takes up about one
third of the first floor, with cook in their white gowns busily boiling soup and
simmering noodles. It is reassuring to see the udon I am about to eat being cooked in
open (so I get to see the whole process of my udon being cooked). When ordering, the
waiter offers several choices, such as the thickness of the noodle (thin, average, and
thick), drink (whether a warm tea or cold water), and the amount of the udon. There’s
something called Oomori (大盛り)and one can order additional noodles. I once ordered
a level two Oomori udon and regretted—it was just too much for me—but nonetheless
ate it all. It was just too good to leave behind.
I have never tried a cream sauce udon yet, but many of my friends have either
heard of it or actually eaten it. I might try it myself sometime near future. My personal
favorite was sukiyaki udon, with a little bit sweet soup and blanched beef, vegetables,
and shiitake mushrooms. Just looking at that udon made me happy. Curry udon was
somewhat interesting, as the soup of the udon was closer to sauce than a proper soup—
but it was good nonetheless. A giant bowl of hot udon during the freezing winter time is
the best.