Today, my wife and I decided on motsunabe, so we went to a restaurant in West. It was too cheap at 290 yen per serving (you have to order at least 2 servings). We had udon in the motsunabe broth, and then added udon noodles. It was so filling. I burnt my mouth though (T.T).

For breakfast, I went to "Ue-su" for the first time, as I have been to "Shisan Udon" and "Makino Udon" before. The udon noodles were a bit thin, but had a nice soft texture. The broth was a bit on the salty side, but it paired well with the meat udon, which had a nice sweetness to it. The kashiwa onigiri was unexpectedly large for one serving, I should have just ordered one instead of a plate. I wished it had a stronger kashiwa flavor. Overall, I was satisfied. Thank you for the meal.

On March 1, 2023 (Wednesday), I had a late lunch at the 24-hour chain restaurant "Udon West" due to various circumstances. It's a great place when you're really hungry. The Meat Udon is delicious with meat, seaweed, and tempura, and it's a great deal. The Tempura Soba is also good value for money. I forgot to take a photo of the Oden with daikon radish and egg, but it was tasty and I finished it quickly. Overall, it was a satisfying meal.

[Original at Kokura Katano Store] Pork Cutlet Curry 880 yen I suddenly had a craving for curry and thought about where to go, and remembered the limited edition Pork Cutlet Curry at this store. As soon as I entered the door, I shouted at the top of my lungs, "One Pork Cutlet Curry!" despite the cold stares from the staff and customers. The Pork Cutlet Curry here is a typical Japanese-style European curry, different from CoCo Ichibanya, but still delicious. The pork cutlet is thick and well-made. When it comes to curry, it easily beats out Zensan Udon. Sorry, Zensan.

The last stop on my Kyushu trip was West, a local favorite udon restaurant in Fukuoka. The udon here is soft, similar to Osaka udon, which was gentle on my stomach after all the eating I did on this trip. The noodles and broth were delicious. It's a good thing there isn't a 24-hour udon restaurant like this one nearby, or I would definitely be a regular and end up gaining weight!

I tried two types of udon noodles created by Koji Nakajima. I had the healthy soy milk broth udon with tempura on top. The tempura soaked up the soup well, and the soy milk broth was light so I added chili oil. The tempura had a satisfying crunch. Thank you for the meal!

Tenzaru Udon 820 yen I didn't have a habit of eating cold udon, whether it's bukkake or zaru, but after trying it once due to the influence of MyReviewer, I thought, "This is good!" and recently I have started eating cold udon. Tenzaru Udon. The noodles are unique to Uest, slippery and chewy. I like it, but some people may find the chewiness unnatural and not prefer it. There are people like that. The chewiness is further increased by the cold effect, making it even more chewy. It's delicious. As for the tempura, the quality was a bit lacking today. It's tasty, but just average. It's nice that there are tempura flakes and green onions on the table. That's all from Katano.

I visited West Udon Kokura Katano branch for dinner during my business trip to Kokura. I was quite indecisive when looking at the menu, but I ended up choosing the Mini Tamagodon Set Udon for 680 yen and added 280 yen to change it to Kakiage Bukkake Udon because the tempura next to me looked delicious and I was in the mood for cold udon that day. The dish arrived in about 5 minutes. The Bukkake Udon was not as soft as I expected for Hakata udon, but it had a decent firmness to it. It wasn't as chewy as Sanuki udon, but it was still good. The tempura had a variety of ingredients like shrimp and squid, and they were delicious with a nice crunch. The tempura at West Udon is better than Marugame. The Tamagodon had the perfect half-cooked texture. Another 24-hour open udon restaurant, Sann Udon, is also tasty, but West Udon is also great. Thank you for the meal.

Kakiage Udon for 490 yen at West, a 24-hour restaurant. I arrived early in the morning and the place was moderately busy. I ordered the kakiage udon, which I have had a few times before and it's one of my favorite udon dishes at West. The noodles have a good chewy texture and a glossy appearance, which I really enjoy. The soup is light and gentle with a dashi flavor, perfect for when you're feeling a bit under the weather. And of course, the freshly fried kakiage on top is crispy and delicious. There are green onions and tenkasu on the table. I usually eat about a third of the dish as is, then add a lot of green onions, a decent amount of tenkasu, and a generous sprinkle of shichimi pepper to finish it off. That's my usual routine. Thanks for the meal!

Tomorrow is an early day, so here's a quick review. I went with two friends so no photos. In Kitakyushu, there's a popular udon chain called "Sanchan," but "West" is also quite popular. At West, the broth is a bit weak in flavor, and the noodles are very chewy with a lot of gluten. The noodles are stretchy and gummy, with an unnatural chewiness that I didn't really like. On the plus side, you can add as much green onion as you want, and the soba noodles are really delicious. This time, I had the tempura udon and added extra green onions towards the end. We sat in a raised seating area since there were three of us, which was a bit unusual for West. The parking lot at the Katauno branch has a decent number of spaces, but it can be a bit difficult to park due to the heavy traffic. The Wakamatsu branch, on the other hand, is spacious and easy to park, even for someone like me who's not great at parking.

◉Genre: Udon, Soba, Donburi, Oden ◉Area: Kataono area, Kokura Kita-ku, Kitakyushu City ◉Access: 7 minutes on foot from Kaarikuchi-Mihagiya Station on the Kitakyushu Monorail ◉Parking: Available ◉Credit card payment: Accepted ◉Frequency of use: Multiple times ◉Number of reviews: 4th visit On this day, I casually visited "West Udon Kokura Kataono Branch." ◇Exterior and Interior This udon restaurant is located in Kataono, Kokura Kita-ku, Kitakyushu City. It is part of a chain originating from Fukuoka, specializing in udon and other dishes. The exterior is familiar to residents of Kitakyushu, with a consistent appearance across all branches. The interior has a cozy udon restaurant atmosphere, with non-smoking inside and ashtrays available outside. ◇Seating There are counter seats, table seats, and raised tatami seating, with a total capacity of around 50 people. ◇Menu They offer udon, soba, donburi, oden, and other dishes like motsunabe. The order placed included: - "Negattara Kantara" (690 yen) This time, I am writing my 4th review of this restaurant. I don't usually write reviews for the same udon restaurant four times, but the reason for this is simple - their collaboration with FM Fukuoka's Morning Jam! The new addition this time is the "Udon with Tempura Cod, Beaten Egg, and Shimeji Mushroom Hot Sauce." In simple terms, it is udon topped with tempura cod and hot sauce, and it was delicious. It was perfect for the cold weather with its hot sauce and temperature. The udon noodles were chewy, as expected from West, and the amount of shimeji mushrooms used generously was a delight for mushroom lovers. The tempura cod was tender and well-matched. The bonito flakes added a nice touch, and the black pepper for flavor enhancement was a great addition. Overall, the collaboration was delicious, and the restaurant's strong points include being open 24 hours, offering affordable and tasty udon dishes. The service was better than average, and in conclusion, West Udon is always a good choice for a satisfying meal.

Uesuto Udon is a chain restaurant mainly serving udon and yakiniku, with several locations in Fukuoka and also in Kitakyushu. There used to be more branches in Kokura Kita-ku in the past. I had the set meal with mentaiko and onsen tamago, and the mentaiko was generously mixed in. The udon came with four pieces of gobou tempura. It's nice that there are many affordable set meals with udon and rice dishes. The price of motsunabe went up from 300 to 350 yen. Thank you for the meal.

Today, I enjoyed Fukuoka Prefecture all day. I have come to Kyushu twice this year, and maybe I won't come to Kyushu again while I'm alive (>︿<). In this kind of world... If I could come to Kyushu again, I would like to visit Miyazaki and Kagoshima, where I have never been. For the last dinner in Kyushu... it has to be "Fukuoka Udon" (*^◯^*) West, which is a pretty big chain, probably has over 50 stores in Fukuoka Prefecture alone. This Kokura store serves udon + izakaya. There are various forms like udon + yakiniku, udon + Chinese restaurant, udon + cafe, etc. The Gobou Tempura Udon for 390 yen comes with unlimited green onions and tempura flakes. It's not as soft as the udon shop with no chewy noodles that I went to before, but it has soft noodles typical of Fukuoka udon. The classic Gobou Tempura has fluffy batter soaked in soup, with crunchy burdock. The Motsunabe for two for 700 yen and Ojya set for 250 yen. The soup is probably the same as the udon soup, with garlic, chili peppers, and good broth from the motsu. It's a sufficient amount at this price. The motsu is chewy and really delicious. We added soup and made Ojya with rice and eggs as a finishing touch. Oh, pickles were also included. It's so delicious but super cheap. The izakaya menu is all 200 yen, 300 yen, 400 yen. I want to drink until morning. I wonder if they could open one in Niigata, Ken-oh. I might end up going once a week. ( *>ω<*)/

I visited a restaurant in Kitakyushu City, Japan in December 2019. The restaurant is located shortly after turning from Route 3 to Route 10. I tried their "Shrimp Tempura Udon" for 590 yen. It's a casual and convenient place to stop by, and I appreciate that it's open 24 hours. The crispy shrimp tempura on top of the soft noodles was really delicious. Now, I'm going to visit Kokura Castle before heading to Moji and passing through the Kanmon Tunnel to reach Honshu in Shimonoseki. Thank you for the meal.

I came all the way to Kitakyushu and wanted to go to West Udon! West Udon Kitakyushu Katanote store is open 24 hours! That's convenient. It was a bit early for dinner, so it wasn't crowded. They had side menus, rice bowl sets, and side dishes like kashiwa onigiri and takana leaf rolls that caught my eye. I usually get the meat udon with burdock tempura, but today someone recommended the mixed tempura udon for 480 yen. They have a pitcher of ice-cold water on the table, so you can help yourself. You don't have to ask for water refills, which is nice. There are sesame seeds on the table, and when you order green onions, they bring a lot for you. I'll enjoy it with plenty of green onions. People say Fukuoka's udon is soft, but I confirmed that there is a firmness behind the softness. It was my first time trying the mixed tempura at West, and it was delicious. When in Fukuoka, you have to go to West!

Surprisingly delicious for the price! The motsu nabe is only 300 yen per serving! It's so cheap, it's shocking (⌒▽⌒) It's open until late at night, so it's good for a late-night snack☆ The kamatama udon and other udon dishes are decent for the price, not bad at all (⌒▽⌒) I sometimes use it when nothing else is open late at night.

The national Diet is in turmoil. There are talks of an all-night session, which must be tough. Apparently, during a previous all-night session in late February, the total overtime pay for both houses of the Diet amounted to about 17 million yen, all funded by taxpayers. Of course, if the discussions were constructive, it wouldn't be an issue... Anyway, on this day, we spontaneously decided to visit "West Udon Ogura Katano Branch" for our second stop of the night. The restaurant is conveniently located within a 10-minute walk from the Monorail Kasarikuchi Sangano Station. The exterior resembles a detached house, while the interior offers counter seating, raised tatami seating, and regular table seating with a moderate capacity. The menu includes udon, soba, and rice bowls, but they also serve oden! We ordered the following dish: - Duck meatball and green onion with spinach Udon ~Special dashi broth~ (580 yen) The name of the dish is quite long, but it's a special collaboration with a radio program as advertised. The dashi broth was different from the usual, stronger in flavor, and enhanced by the essence of the duck meatballs. The spinach complemented the dish well, and overall, it was a delicious bowl of udon. The restaurant has a unique twist on traditional udon, making it a versatile choice for both lunch and dinner. Personally, I appreciate the fact that they are open 24 hours. Thank you for the meal.

When it comes to noodles in Fukuoka, the image of ramen is strong, but recently the popularity of udon seems to be increasing (there is a magazine called Udon Walker Fukuoka/Kyushu). In my opinion, the top 5 udon places in Fukuoka are Azuma Udon, Makino Udon, West, the Toyomae Urauchi Association led by Tsudaya Kanbei, and Dokidoki Udon. Plus, the origin of yakisoba (without "ki") is said to be in Kokura. When I visited Fukuoka, I almost tried all of them except West for some reason. When I searched for a udon place while staying in Kokura, I found one – the Kokura Katano branch located between Kashunoguchi-Mi Hagino Station and Katano Station. It's a typical chain store appearance. I decided to go with the Maruten Udon (\430+tax) and added a gobou tempura (\110+tax). The lady who took my order asked, "Do you want the tempura cut?" I wanted to keep the tempura whole, so I declined. After a while, my order arrived. The broth was clear and slightly darker than usual. It tasted a bit strong for my liking, but maybe that's a unique feature of West since they have izakaya menus as well. Interestingly, West offers an option for "lighter broth" for those who prefer a milder taste (they also have yuzu pepper as a condiment option). The noodles were soft but had a good chewy texture. The Maruten tempura soaked in the broth was delicious. The gobou tempura was cut in a way that retained the texture of the gobou when fried. Overall, it was a good experience at a chain store. Depending on the branch, they may offer individual hot pot menus in the evening. It's a convenient udon place (I was surprised to see West's advertisement during an Avispa Fukuoka game – they were an official sponsor in 2018).

When there was a West in Otemachi, I used to go there often because I could choose from Chinese, yakiniku, Western food, and udon, but this was my first visit to Katano-ten. It's located next to a big intersection, and it's a bit dangerous to turn right to enter. It's easier to turn left from Mihagiya towards Katano. I visited before 1 pm. There were only a few customers. However, the staff didn't come to take our order until we called out to them. My mother had zaru soba, and I had the kakiage-don set. I replaced the udon with zaru, which cost an additional 100 yen. The kakiage-don could have been a bit crispier. It was quite thick, so it didn't reach the rice all the way. It might be easier to eat if they were served separately instead of in a bowl. But it was delicious with seafood in it. The zaru udon had a good texture that took some time to chew. I think I prefer smoother udon. It was hot, so I chose zaru, but I thought hot udon might have been fine too. You can also eat the kakiage on top. Inside the restaurant, it feels like Zaisan, but Zaisan seems to have more energy.

Fukuoka's three large udon restaurants. When I got here, I couldn't resist ordering the tempura udon. The broth was strong and the flavor was a bit spicy. Thank you for the meal.