Friend Mart on the north side of Uji Station. In the food court there is "Tarou (Friend Mart Uji store)", a noodle and cutlet restaurant. The specialty is curry noodles (curry udon, curry soba). You can choose between udon or soba for the noodles, and the sign at the restaurant says, "Either udon or soba...". I tried the curry udon. 770 yen. 10/26/2022 Curry cutlet soba. 880 yen. 01/15/2023 There are various types of curry noodles (soba) in the world. It's like pouring curry rice sauce over udon. The soup is a curry soup... The curry udon (soba) here has a curry sauce poured over it. The portion is generous in a bowl. Those who like sauce poured over food will be delighted. The noodles are well drained, and the sauce doesn't get watery until the end. The sight of the cutlet floating in the sauce is not something you see often. (Shinodaya in Sanjo has a "serving plate" that is curry sauce over cutlet rice, so it may be related). The thick sauce normally poured over tonkatsu enhances the richness of the meat and frying oil, making it a good way to taste the "oil" of tonkatsu. If you pour the sauce over the cutlet, the thick sauce envelops the oil, softening the oily sensation. The sauce is also a good way to taste the meat. The soup contains sliced green onions, thinly sliced onions, and a little thinly sliced pork, but when it becomes a cutlet, only green onions and thinly sliced onions are included, and there is no meat. Cooking takes time, and you have to wait for about 10 minutes. It takes time to eat it while it's still hot. The portion is satisfying.

I have been using this food court for a long time. They offer a variety of dishes such as donburi, noodles, set meals, and daily specials, so I never get bored. There are two shops serving flour-based dishes, "Komachi Takotei" and Friend Mart's deli and bento boxes are also popular here (microwave available). The spacious parking lot allows for easy parking without any restrictions on minimum spending or time limits. If you find yourself struggling to find lunch in Uji, where there are mainly touristy restaurants, give this place a try. There are also home centers, electronics stores, 100-yen shops, clothing stores, and drugstores nearby. Today's special on December 11th was a pork cutlet bowl for 715 yen, and on February 19th, a set of pork cutlet bowl and kitsune soba for 748 yen. On April 16th, I tried the cold ankake sansai soba for 715 yen, but it wasn't that great. On July 9th, I had the daily special of kitsune soba and a mini pork cutlet bowl for 770 yen. On September 24th, it was kitsune soba and a mini tempura bowl for 770 yen. On February 11th, I had kitsune soba and a mini oyakodon for 792 yen. On October 5th, it was kitsune soba and a mini oyakodon for 792 yen.

After finishing shopping at a DIY store, I decided to have lunch at this place located in the same building. It was lunchtime on a weekday and the place was almost full. I bought a meal ticket from the ticket machine, received a buzzer, and waited for about five minutes to be seated. I ordered the Mini Donburi Set for 648 yen, choosing udon noodles. The Mini Katsudon came with three freshly fried cutlets, although the breading was a bit oily. The egg was slightly on the richer side but was well-cooked. The Mini Kitsune Udon, however, seemed to have an imbalance in flavor and lacked a good aroma in the broth. The staff, mostly older women, were energetic and efficient. Overall, it's a good place for a quick meal.

I visited this restaurant around 11:30 on May 16, 2019. Although I knew that this shop is part of a chain store and also present in other Heiwado stores, this was my first visit to this particular location. Supermarket food courts are often associated with cheap dining options while shopping, but this place offers great value that defies that stereotype. The portion size was as shown in the picture. The egg on the katsudon was perfectly half-cooked, and the katsu itself was substantial and not overcooked. The large fried piece on top was sweet and savory, very delicious. This meal is definitely not just a 734 yen (tax included) dish. If you avoid peak hours, there are plenty of seats available in the food court for a relaxed lunch break. It's not a place you would go out of your way to visit, but it's a recommended spot for a lunch break when passing by.

Curry udon had too much thickening agent!

I sometimes visit the udon and soba restaurant in the shopping center. I noticed last time that they have raised their prices. They now include an 8% tax. The curry udon went up from 630 yen to 680 yen. The affordable and delicious tonkatsu set meal increased from 700 yen to 800 yen, plus tax. I think I'd rather eat at a proper Western-style restaurant. Maybe I'll go to Nakau for udon or soba.

I used to eat tonkatsu here often in the past. Instead of restricting carbohydrates, I started eating udon again, thinking that overall calorie restriction might be better. So, I ordered the curry udon for 630 yen. I was called by the bell and went to pick it up in just over 5 minutes. The bowl is ridiculously huge. The noodles are still thin and soft as usual. It might be just right for the curry sauce. They use curry powder instead of curry roux, which I like. There are some beef chunks and diagonally sliced white leeks on top. I have tried their small udon before, and it was nothing special. This one is much better in comparison. I felt like there was less noodles though. But the name of the restaurant is "Sanuki." Where is the Sanuki part, I wonder. Just a little joke.笑

It's a food court in a shopping center with only about two stores. There's a supermarket and a home center, and most of the people who come here for lunch seem to be blue-collar workers. The daily special comes with mini udon as a big service. The cheese tonkatsu, with cheese sauce on top of the tonkatsu, is surprisingly creative. The tonkatsu itself was solid, and there was plenty of cabbage, with a bit of carrot mixed in for color. The udon tasted average. I was satisfied for 700 yen and left.

I sometimes use the food court inside the supermarket for lunch while shopping. The food is more than enough in terms of taste and price. This time, I had a bowl of egg and vegetable tempura on rice with two shrimp tempura, seaweed, and pumpkin on top. It was quite filling. The tempura sauce was not too sweet or too spicy, just right for my taste. The shrimp tempura was crispy and juicy. It cost around 680 yen. The lady at the cooking station did a great job. I also tried their takeout takoyaki, which was also decent in taste. Overall, I have no complaints about this place.