kennny
Near Hachioji Interchange, on the way up from the old Takayama-dori road at the Sainyuu intersection to Utsugi-dai, there is a place on the right called "Teuchi Udon Ogawa" where you can get countryside soup udon for 700 yen. If you don't have a car, you can take a bus from Hachioji Station or Hino Station to the last stop on the Utsugi-dai route, then continue down the road, turn left at the dead end, and go down the slope. The road is a prefectural road, but it is quite narrow. The shop is located in a residential area on a slope cut into the western side of the mountain, and it seems like it may have been renovated from a private home. It still feels new, and I believe it has been in business for a few years now. This was my third visit. I visited around 2 p.m. on a holiday, and there was one other group of customers. Upon entering, you purchase a meal ticket from the ticket machine on the left. Aside from a few recommended popular menu items, there are not many menu options, and there are no menu photos or descriptions, so it may be a bit confusing. There are three large tables with white walls and dark oak-colored tables on the left side, as well as six counter seats facing the window. The tables are quite large for four people, likely catering to families. You hand the meal ticket to the staff, and upon looking at the menu again, you can see that each ingredient used, such as flour (special sparrow), broth (bonito only), kombu (Rishiri and Hidaka), dried shiitake mushrooms (Yamanashi Prefecture), rice (Ibaraki Prefecture), meat (Abukuma beef, black Wagyu), etc., is carefully selected. It is somewhat rare for a restaurant to mention the ingredients and even the dishes. The bright and calm atmosphere makes the waiting time not too bothersome. It took about 15 minutes for the udon to finally arrive, served in a basket with dipping sauce, condiments, tempura flakes, a side dish (kombu and shiitake mushroom stew), and udon hot water. The udon portion is slightly small, white and thin. It has a dense texture, and when chewed, it has a strong resistance, with a refined scent of wheat flour standing out in the transparent taste. The dipping sauce, called "countryside soup," contains meat, green onions, as well as shimeji mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, wakame seaweed, and fish cake. The soy sauce is strong, but the sweetness is also quite noticeable. I personally find this sweetness in the soup a bit too much. The slightly thin udon changes texture slightly in the warm soup, but I didn't feel that the balance with the sweetness of the soup was very good, so I ended up adding all the condiments and tempura flakes to enjoy the change in flavor. After the meal, when I said "thank you for the meal!" to the staff, they came out of the kitchen to greet me. This place is perfect for a leisurely meal with family when you feel like dining out. Thank you for the meal.
