Around 2 o'clock in the afternoon, my family of three entered the restaurant. We were promptly seated at a table for six. I ordered the Seafood Spicy Udon for ¥780. It was a delicious and spicy udon dish with shrimp tempura, squid tempura, and vegetable and egg topping. I added plenty of tempura flakes and green onions on top, and after finishing the meal, my stomach was full and my body felt warm.

This is a udon chain restaurant located along Route 208 in Okawa City. They used to be open 24 hours, but now they operate from 10:00 to 21:00. I had the Mini Katsu Don Set for ¥840. The udon comes with a slice of thinly sliced kamaboko on top, and you can add as much green onion and tenkasu as you like from the table. The broth is made from bonito and kelp, giving it a refreshing taste. The noodles are medium thickness with a good chewy texture. The katsu don consists of two large crispy cutlets, thinly sliced onions, and egg on top. The broth is slightly rich but not overpowering, making it just right. Overall, I found the taste to be average and appealing to a wide range of people.

Business trip to Fukuoka after about half a year. As usual, I didn't have much time to relax, so I decided to have a quick lunch at this udon restaurant. It's a chain restaurant mainly in Fukuoka. It was lunchtime but not too crowded. I sat at the counter. The counter had vinyl dividers for safety measures. I ordered a Gobo Tempura Udon (390 yen) and a Kashiwa Onigiri (120 yen). It was ready in a few minutes. The udon had a nice texture, not too soft, and was delicious. The Gobo tempura had a good balance between the soft batter and crispy Gobo. There were also green onions and tempura flakes on the table, so I added some green onions. The broth had a good flavor, not too light or too strong. The Kashiwa onigiri was cold, but still tasty. It had a good amount of Kashiwa inside. Overall, it was a quick and satisfying meal.

The other day, I ate mentaiko chikuwa tempura at a different WEST and it was unexpectedly delicious, so I decided to try it at a different store, but it was already over. So, I looked at the menu and found a menu I had never seen before! It was a set of "yudame tempura" for 750 yen, which includes tempura and yudame udon. I'm not sure if it was available before. There is also a 100 yen more expensive "special" option, but I ordered the regular yudame tempura for 750 yen. Of course, the tempura is fried after ordering. The ingredients are shrimp, pumpkin, green pepper, and squid, I think. The udon also had a good chewy texture. The noodles at WEST are said to contain tapioca flour, but they weren't as soft as when I had yudame udon in Kagawa, and they stayed piping hot until the end even though it wasn't a hot pot udon. This is great! I used to think that my best menu at WEST was the burdock tempura udon, but this yudame tempura udon is also one of my favorites. Do all WEST locations have this menu?

I am Shinperi, who loves to explore Fukuoka's gourmet scene! If you want to read the full blog post, please check the link at the end of this review! One must-visit place I always recommend is Udon West, known for its delicious udon and motsunabe (offal hot pot). Rating: 4.5 Taste: ★★★★☆ 4/5 Satisfaction: ★★★★☆ 4/5 Cost performance: ★★★★☆ 5/5 Recommendation: ★★★★★ 5/5 It seems that there are no stores in Eastern Japan. To all those in the East, I urge you to try Udon West if you come across it! You won't regret it. I am determined to spread the love for Udon West through this article filled with passion for udon. While there are high-end and rare udon varieties, I strongly believe in promoting the taste of chain stores originating from Fukuoka. With many stores on the west side of Japan, if you come across one, be sure to visit Udon West! Since it is a chain store, you can enjoy this quality anywhere! I highly recommend trying the kakiage-don set! The motsunabe for 300 yen per serving is of such quality that I want to spread it nationwide!

According to the secret Kenmin SHOW, it seems like the soul food of Fukuoka residents. The soft udon is delicious in its own way. They even provide a service of serving the broth lukewarm for children's portions, which is not common!

2016.10.17 Night before shooting at Okawa - Dinner

On a cold rainy afternoon, I went with work colleagues towards Ogawa, but the driver mistakenly took us to Ogawa city instead of Yukuhashi. We ended up at the West Ogawa store. It had been about 5 years since I last visited a West restaurant. I ordered the mini squid tempura rice bowl set, while others ordered pork cutlet rice bowl sets and chicken and egg rice bowl sets. The udon that was served was average, with the option to add as much green onions and tempura crumbs as you like. The squid tempura rice bowl set was a bit lacking in quantity.

On the way back from a trip, I stumbled upon "West Daikawa" in Daikawa City, Fukuoka Prefecture, so I parked my car and went inside the restaurant. It was around 2 pm on a weekday, and there were empty seats at both the counter and table. I decided to sit at a table and looked at the menu. I was intrigued and ordered the Kyushu-exclusive "Kashiwa Udon" for 520 yen and added "Gobo Tempura" on top for 630 yen. When the udon arrived, it had a delicious broth infused with the flavor of simmered chicken, chewy udon noodles, flavorful simmered chicken, and sliced gobo tempura. It was incredibly tasty, and I finished it in no time. Udon with ingredients like chicken and gobo tempura really capture the essence of Kyushu cuisine and have a high likability factor.

Today, I decided to go with the Moon-viewing and Wakame Udon. While waiting, I added an order of pickled mustard leaf rice balls to enjoy. The pickled mustard leaf rice balls had just the right amount of salt and were delicious. The Wakame and Moon-viewing Udon arrived before long, and I noticed that the broth had a soy sauce-like taste that caught my attention. I wondered if it always tasted like this as I finished the meal. It wasn't bad at all, no issues. The Wakame was stem wakame, providing a nice crunchy texture that paired well with the chewy udon noodles. Thank you for the meal.

Visited after a year. The 208 highway around here seems to have undergone multiple construction projects, as the asphalt is bumpy in various places and the main street doesn't have clear lane markings. There is a large hospital parking lot in the busiest area, making it look a bit messy. However, today I came for the West purpose, but I feel like strolling around and exploring the old arcade streets. West here is open 24 hours, but for about 2 hours a week, it is closed for cleaning (maybe on Tuesday mornings?). Last time I arrived during that time and said "I'll come back later," but it has been over a year since then. I always go to the same shops in my territory, so I thought it might be time to explore some new West places. There is a collaboration between Udon West and FM Fukuoka's program Morning Jam called "Fukuraitaru Festival of Laughter" from December 1st to January 10th, with a limited-time menu of "Powerful Fukuraitaru Udon with Meat and Shrimp Tempura for 650 yen." It's Udon with meat, shrimp tempura, and red and white grilled rice cakes. Recently, at Udon restaurants, I have been ordering and eating Niku Udon as part of a campaign (my personal campaign), but since there is no Niku Udon at West, I ended up going there thinking this menu might be like the Niku Udon. When the dish was served, I felt a bit disappointed. But that's my fault because the image of Niku Udon had interfered. The bowl served had plenty of green onions and the Udon sauce for the meat Udon was dark, sweet, and thick, so it felt similar to Niku Udon. Since there was no yuzu pepper on the table, it was too much trouble to ask for it, so I added a lot of ichimi pepper (I also thought about adding a boiled egg at my own expense, but that would increase the cost... so I endured). The taste was indeed similar to Niku Udon. I don't actively eat meat Udon, but most places add meat for Niku Udon and often include shrimp tempura, so for me, meat and shrimp tempura equals Niku Udon. I realized it had been a while since I had Udon at West. The noodles were cooked perfectly, with a firm core, smooth surface, and a slightly chewy texture. Ah, it's truly appreciated. I ate it eagerly, almost burning my mouth, and enjoyed the happiness of eating Udon in winter. I agree with one of the program MCs who said they felt like having white rice balls. From the 18th, it seems there will be new collaboration menu items available again.

West Udon - Kyushu's pride, burdock tempura udon - It's been a while since I visited West! West Udon, which is now a well-established presence in Fukuoka, opened its first store in Fukuma Town, Fukuoka Prefecture in 1966 (Showa 41), and has grown into a large chain with over 150 stores mainly in northern Kyushu. They offer over 80 different types of dishes, including udon, yakiniku, Chinese cuisine, and ramen. When it comes to West Udon, on this day, it was Saturday, and they had a great deal with a fixed price. By the way, on Fridays, the oden is discounted from 90 yen to 50 yen. You can add as much green onion and tempura scraps as you want! In the image, I only added a little bit for appearance, but later on, I added a lot of green onions (laughs) to share with my friend... First, when it comes to Kyushu udon... "Burdock tempura udon" (390 yen -> 290 yen) The soup has a strong Kansai-style dashi flavor. The noodles are from Kagetoshi, a well-known frozen noodle brand. (If you pass by during off-peak hours, you often see Kagetoshi trucks parked nearby...) Kagetoshi's frozen noodles are slippery and chewy, which I really like. The burdock tempura here consists of about 10 short strips. The freshly fried burdock tempura blends with the dashi, releasing a tantalizing aroma as the oil seeps out from the batter. The burdock tempura soaked in dashi has a simple sweetness with each bite. The crunchy burdock and chewy udon make for a delightful contrast. The burdock tempura is truly the perfect tempura for udon! I wonder if burdock tempura is only found in Kyushu? And when it comes to West, there's one more thing you shouldn't forget about... "Mixed tempura udon" (390 yen -> 290 yen) The freshly fried, piping hot mixed tempura here is unbelievably large! Unlike regular tempura, the tempura here is three-dimensional! There's even a softball-sized tempura. The biggest charm of this tempura is the first bite! Take a big bite. Crunch! The surrounding batter crumbles in one go. And the juiciness that spreads throughout your mouth! The ingredients include sweet shrimp, squid, and various vegetables. Enjoy the crispy texture as it is, and then dip the crumbled parts in the udon. Despite its large size, the tempura is properly drained of oil, so it's not too heavy. But still, the volume is incredible... Is 80 yen too cheap even as a standalone dish?! (゜_゜>)**********************************************************March 2011. Again, this was a few days ago... On this Saturday night, I went to the Oogawa branch! "West Oogawa Branch" This area along National Route 208 is a fierce battleground for chain stores like "King Shou" and "Fukugen," as well as diners like "Kasan." In such a competitive environment, a udon restaurant that is well-received by people of all ages is a popular choice. On this day, they had a great deal with a fixed price of 390 yen on Saturdays! The oden at West is carefully made! The daikon radish is cross-cut and the konnyaku is also prepared with a hidden knife. As I pick up the oden, here it comes! I'll definitely take advantage of the "390 yen fixed price on Saturdays" (laughs) My choice! "Grated mixed tempura udon (warm)" (390 yen) I love mixed tempura, and being able to eat it with grated daikon at this price is great. After mixing it up, I added the usual generous amount of green onions! I poured in the warm dipping sauce and mixed it... Let's eat! The noodles are shiny and slippery! It felt thinner than regular udon, was it just my imagination? It doesn't have the strong chewiness, but it has a smooth and refreshing texture. The big mixed tempura is, of course, freshly fried! If you ask the staff, they will bring you a separate tempura dipping sauce. The crumbling sensation... but after eating West's mixed tempura several times, I've started to notice that there's quite a bit of variation?! Today, I feel like there were fewer vegetables... My companion went for the usual "Shrimp tempura udon," which was a great deal at this price! We always make the same choices at West (laughs) Satisfied with 390 yen! "West Oogawa Branch" Address: 59-3 Enotsu, Oogawa City, Fukuoka Prefecture Phone: 0944-89-4500 Business Hours: Open 24 hours a day, Open Year-round

I met a friend who lives in the Chikugo area after a long time. I was happy to be invited by my friend. Despite being invited, I went to the Chikugo River to see the colorful lights of the Nobori Bridge in Oto City and was impressed by its beauty. The main reason for meeting my friend was to have an important conversation, so we decided to relax at "West" restaurant. It had been a while since I last visited "West", a restaurant in Fukuoka that offers udon, yakiniku, Chinese, and Japanese cuisine. The restaurant was founded in 1966! I found out that they also have branches in Saitama and Chiba in the Kanto region. When we arrived at 8:30 pm, there were only three high school students who had just finished their club activities. But by the time we left around 10:30 pm, the restaurant was packed with six 4-seater tables, three sunken kotatsu tables, and a counter (not sure how many seats). I ordered tempura udon (around 400 yen) and two inari sushi (60 yen each), while my friend ordered cold udon noodles (around 400 yen) and one kashiwa onigiri (180 yen). The total came to 1,080 yen for both of us. The tempura in the tempura udon was made fresh to order. It was about 15cm in diameter and 3cm thick, with onion slices standing like a crown on top. The tempura contained onions, carrots, shrimp, small shrimp, squid, and something else, making it very voluminous, crispy, and delicious. The broth was also delicious. The noodles, although likely quickly boiled to be firm, were not bad at all. The inari sushi had a nice sweetness to it, which I enjoyed. Unfortunately, I refrained from trying my friend's cold udon and kashiwa onigiri to avoid indirect kissing. The restaurant had just introduced a new menu item, "Motsu Nabe 290 yen, available for 2 people or more," which looked quite delicious. The beer at West is Sapporo Black Label, which is quite good. However, since I had driven 50 kilometers to get there, I couldn't drink alcohol. I was there to listen to my friend's story after all! I remembered a line from a song by Dreams Come True, "Nante Koishitandaro," which goes, "I ate udon while crying." When you feel like crying, it's okay to cry until you're dry. Just like the weather, after the rain comes the sun. My friend was overflowing with smiles. I had thought that I couldn't do anything for others now, but it turned out that I could. My friend, who had always been my support, now needed my support. I was able to be of help. I felt like I could tell my friend to have courage and jump into a free world, just like the lyrics of my favorite song "Go West" by the Pet Shop Boys.