Today, on this chilly day, I wanted to eat curry udon with firm Sanuki udon noodles, so I visited Sanuki Udon no Kokoro Tsurusaku at AEON Mall Komyo-ji. The noodles had a firm texture more like Osaka udon than Sanuki udon, and the Japanese-style curry udon lacked depth in its broth.

"Hiyoshi Forest Resort Yamanokami" Camping Day 2! For breakfast, we had hot dogs for the first time in a while, and once again, "TUBU" from A-chan's girlfriend was a big hit! Shredded cabbage, sausages, tomato ketchup, and plenty of TUBU made for a delicious meal. After enjoying our meal, we spent 2 hours cleaning up! The weather was cool, so it wasn't as exhausting as in the middle of summer, but we were still tired. On our way back to Uji on the highway, let's stop for lunch! We stopped at "AEON Mall Kumiyama" and headed to the food court on the 2nd floor. Both of us were too tired to eat something heavy, so we decided to have some light udon! We chose "Sanuki Udon no Kokoro Tsurusaku AEON Mall Kumiyama store." Here's what we ordered: - Oroshi bukkake (cold) 450 yen → Me - Beef udon (warm) 640 yen → Friend - Special fried chicken 150 yen x 2 *All prices include tax *Total payment 1,390 yen - Oroshi bukkake (cold): I ordered this one. The default toppings include grated daikon radish, green onions, and lemon. The daikon radish is finely grated, giving it a nice texture. The udon has a good chewiness and is nicely chilled, making it delicious. - Special fried chicken: I wasn't planning on eating this at first, but I couldn't resist when I saw the staff replenishing the freshly fried ones. It turned out to be thigh meat, juicy and delicious! - Beef udon (warm): My friend ordered this. I had a bite and found the mildly sweet and savory beef and onion with a gentle Kansai-style broth to be delightful. It was quite cold that day, so the warmth of the udon was a welcome treat for me after eating cold udon. After my friend finished, I even drank the remaining warm broth! The young male staff member who boiled the udon to order and the older male staff member who prepared the toppings and broth worked efficiently and seamlessly. Their quick service was impressive! Next, we'll be heading to that popular shop with a long line in the same food court! Stay tuned!"

I came back again because it was delicious last time, but it was very crowded due to spring break. I waited in line for about 30 minutes before finally being able to eat. ★ Kitsune Udon Cold. I like the firmness of the udon here. The cold broth was also good. It was lukewarm last time, so ★ Gyudon. There was plenty of meat and the seasoning was to my liking. I was satisfied.

The freshly boiled noodles were delicious. The broth had a good consistency and was tasty. I noticed that this restaurant is part of the Hanamaru Udon chain. I wonder why they have two different brands instead of just using the Hanamaru name. Since it's not self-service, there's a chance that the average customer spending might decrease if they accidentally take too many tempura pieces.

The udon shop on the second floor of the food court. The position is similar to Marugame Hanamaru. If you like that, this might be the place for you. I ordered the Oroshi Bukkake for 450 yen. I saw them feature chicken egg udon on Kenmin Show, so I wanted to try it if they had it, but I went for the refreshing option with grated daikon and lemon. The noodles had a good texture, just like authentic Sanuki udon. They looked beautiful and shiny. I would definitely come back when I visit AEON Mall Komyo again. I also wanted to try the Hamaguri Udon for the Hinamatsuri season in March. Thank you for the meal.

At lunchtime, I suddenly had a craving for udon, so I decided to stop by. After researching online, I found out that it is a restaurant affiliated with Hanamaru Udon, and the texture of the udon noodles was similar. However, the noodles didn't have as much bite as those from XXX Seimen. As someone who values chewiness, I found it a bit lacking.

The cold Kitsune Udon I unexpectedly tried had a strong chewy texture and a good elasticity. The sweet and savory flavor of the fried tofu was to my liking. Although a bit firm, the broth was also good. I quite enjoyed it.

Limited time offer: Clam udon (regular size)

Curry Udon: ==========

In the end, we decided to have dinner here. Since my bad cholesterol is high, we opted for something light, so we chose a udon restaurant. However, I couldn't tell the difference between this place and Marugame Seimen (udon chain) haha.

This is "Sanki Udon no Kokoro Tsurusaku" located in the food court of Aeon Mall Kuyama. I decided to try this place as I am a fan of Hanamaru and found out that this place is similar. The menu offers a variety of udon dishes such as zaru, bukkake, ontama bukkake, kitsune, gyuniku udon, kamatama, kamaage, and Japanese curry udon ranging from 390 yen. I ordered the kake (regular) udon for 290 yen and also got surprised tempura for 150 yen and chikuwa isobeage for 110 yen. The udon had a good texture with a clear broth and a hint of iriko flavor. The tempura was large but not particularly impressive. Overall, the udon was decent, but slightly more expensive than Hanamaru. It was a comforting and simple meal in a convenient food court setting.

In the end, for dinner, I left Kyoto Tango PA and drove on the Kyoto Jukan Expressway for about 40 minutes to return to my local area. I felt like anything local would be fine, so I got off the highway and decided to go to the food court at Aeon Mall Kuyama. I didn't want anything too heavy, so I chose Sanuki Udon at Tsurusaku. The menu at Tsurusaku looked like this. I was thinking of getting the beef udon, but then I discovered that you could add beef as a topping in the bottom right corner! So, I added beef to my kama-tama udon! The udon had a good texture and a smooth mouthfeel, but I felt like it could use a bit more dashi flavor. Well, I guess this level is fine for a food court meal (^^).

Today, I went on an expedition to Kyo-tango Town in Kyoto Prefecture. I was really interested in a ramen restaurant called "Takei R1 Store," which opened here in July, but I was discouraged by the long line and the hot weather, so I decided to go to the nearby Aeon Kyo-tango store instead. I arrived around 11:40 AM. I went to the food court on the second floor, where I was overwhelmed by the large number of families. I chose "Sanuki Udon no Kokoro Tsurusaku" which was right in front of me. It's a self-service udon restaurant, so I picked a large serving of beef udon, which I have been into lately. The flavor was surprisingly sweet, so I added plenty of grated ginger and chili pepper. The beef was small but had a good balance of fat and meat. The slightly thin udon had a chewy texture rather than a strong firmness. It was satisfying to eat. I finished it off with a glass of water, feeling content with a full stomach. Self-service udon that you can eat quickly is a good thing. Thank you for the meal.

During the typhoon, I was looking for a place to have lunch and decided that a food court would be convenient, considering the parking situation. Since the restaurant area was crowded, I opted for udon. The noodles were standard in taste for a chain restaurant, with a good texture and sweetness from the wheat. Unfortunately, they were out of some fried items like vegetable tempura, which was disappointing as I wanted to try it.

I wanted to have a quick dinner, so I decided to try this place. I ordered kake udon and vegetable tempura. The noodles were a bit thin, but I later found out that this place is part of the Hanamaru Udon chain. While Hanamaru Udon offers kake udon starting at 100 yen, this place is more like Marugame Seimen with higher prices. I wonder if they created this place to cater to a different crowd. It's not bad, but I didn't find it particularly appealing. I think sticking to regular Hanamaru Udon might be a better choice.