kinako-anko
On August 18, 2023, I got off at Nagahoribashi Station on the Osaka Metro Sakaisuji Line and headed to a nearby restaurant for some "cold udon" for lunch. In the evening, I felt like having some hot "ramen" in a restaurant with strong air conditioning. I arrived at "Kadoya Shokudo Crista Nagahori" after a 2-minute walk in the underground shopping area of Crista Nagahori. This restaurant is a branch of the famous ramen shop "Kadoya Shokudo" in Osaka, and I have visited their Hanshin Umeda and Nishi Umeda branches before. I once lined up for an hour and a half before the opening of the main store in Nishi-machi, Nishi Ward, enjoying a bowl of tsukemen with pig's feet topping while drinking beer. There were only two customers waiting in line outside the store, and I was able to enter in just 5 minutes. I was seated at the counter and ordered the following:
- Special tsukemen for 1280 yen
- Pig's feet topping for 650 yen
I didn't expect the branch to have the most popular "tsukemen" like the main store, but I found a signboard for it outside and decided to go for the luxurious version with pig's feet topping, just like at the main store. It took 15 minutes for the bowl to arrive, and I dug in. At the main store, they would shape the noodles by hand, rinsing them with cold water, gently squeezing them to straighten them out. Here, the noodles were simply placed into the bowl. The texture wasn't as smooth as at the main store, but it was still deliciously chewy. Unlike at the main store, they served the noodles with rock salt and vinegar with citrus, which I sprinkled on top before savoring the wheaty flavor by chewing on the thick noodles. I then dipped the noodles into the rich soy sauce-based broth, underneath which were tender pig's feet, along with thick and thinly sliced chashu, menma, naruto, and chopped green onions as toppings. The portion of noodles and meat was generous, satisfying my hunger. The well-cooked pig's feet melted in my mouth, and the next morning, my skin felt smoother and younger, thanks to the collagen. I ended the meal by asking for soup refills, and the deliciousness was so overwhelming that I ended up finishing the broth. Bon appétit!