KANIYAN
Located in Yahatanishi Ward, Kitakyushu City, Ritanaka is a udon restaurant that has been in business for 20 years. Despite being in a position that could easily join the ranks of long-established udon shops in Yahatanishi Ward, the menu offers a fresh and innovative feel. The specialty dish is the gobou (burdock root) tempura. The gobou tempura udon allows you to choose the number of tempura pieces. The most popular choice is the Sankamori gobou. The Sankamori bukkake udon is also a hit. Other menu items include shrimp gobou, meat gobou, gomoku, satisfying bukkake, umekatsuo bukkake, zaru, zaru kara, kamayaki udon, katsudon, gyudon, homemade shrimp fry set meal, and mackerel rice with nukadaki set meal, among others. This time, I ordered the Sankamori gobou (850 yen). The Sankamori gobou features thick burdock tempura, plump shrimp tempura, and a large chikuwa tempura. The noodles are chewy and soft. The clear udon soup has a strong dashi flavor, perhaps slightly salty. The tempura coating for the gobou, shrimp, and chikuwa are all different. The gobou tempura has a thick and crunchy coating, making it a bit difficult to eat. The shrimp and chikuwa tempura are crispy and delicious. For some reason, the wakame seaweed is served separately. This is the third installment of the short series "Kitakyushu Udon Map," exploring delicious udon shops in Kitakyushu. Thank you for the meal.