ぐるめの貴公子
Located along the Tamagawa Josui canal, a bit of a challenge to get to from the city center after getting off at Seibu Tachikawa Station on the Seibu Hagiyama Line, this unique and popular tsukemen restaurant offers a visually striking dish where the dipping sauce is wrapped in pie crust. The restaurant has been featured in various magazines and TV shows due to this unique presentation, making it one of the few places in the country to offer such a visually stunning tsukemen. I had been curious about this place for a while but never had the chance to visit due to its location along the Tamagawa Josui canal. However, I finally decided to go last month! The exterior of the restaurant is also unique, with an American-style trailer house standing alone along the canal. The interior passage is narrow with several counter seats. Quite unique. I ordered the signature dish, the shrimp tsukemen. You can choose the amount of noodles, and I opted for the large serving of 300g. The eating instructions are posted inside the restaurant, but the owner also kindly explained it to me. And my impression after eating! This was delicious, so delicious!! The noodles are thick noodles with whole wheat flour, rich in the flavor of wheat. The noodles seemed to be homemade, and not only the visual appearance but also the taste showed a strong commitment to quality. Wonderful...!! Before dipping the noodles in the sauce, I first took a bite of the pie crust, which had a moderate saltiness and a subtle dried shrimp flavor that was delicious on its own. Then I tore off a piece of the pie crust and dipped it in the dipping sauce. The sauce had a slightly thick consistency and a rich umami flavor and aroma of shrimp, as well as a base of chicken or pork broth, giving it a strong impact. The saltiness was not too strong, and it was delicious! However, the noodles had a significant presence, so personally, I would have preferred the dipping sauce to be a bit thicker. The toppings were also carefully prepared, and the moist and tender texture of the char siu was particularly delicious. The soup wari (soup refilling) was also meticulously prepared, taking a few minutes after handing over the dipping sauce to the owner. Then, a hot and herb-flavored Western-style soup wari was served. It was mentioned on a sign that leaving a bit of noodles behind is the best way to enjoy it. It transformed into a Western-style ramen. The soup wari had a gentle and herbaceous flavor with a hint of olive oil. The unique shrimp tsukemen was not only visually striking but also delicious and enjoyable, with the owner being friendly and kind. And the fact that you can enjoy all of this with so many services for only 1,000 yen makes it a great value. I am truly grateful to the owner for this experience.