Maybe you love noodles - ramen, soba, udon - but how far would you go for the best udon ever? I'm asking you this because my Japanese boyfriend, who probably loves udon more than he loves me, assures me that the udon at Nikuju no Nantetsu in Sagamihara is the best udon he has ever eaten.
He took me there last week after seeing it on a TV program, and it was certainly the best udon I myself have ever eaten. The noodles looked like they were hand cut, served cold on a platter in an attractively twisted hank. The idea is that you lift some noodles into the accompanying hot soup, swish them around with your chopsticks to warm them up, then slurp them into your mouth.
'Nikuju' means meat soup, and it was really the soup that elevated the meal to a gourmet experience. A strongly flavored meat based soup was generously loaded with chunks of sliced leek and pork. It was delicious, hearty and a perfect foil for the soft blandness of the noodles.
When you have eaten all the noodles, meat and onion, you can thin your soup with Udon cooking water placed in insulated jugs on the tables, until the flavor is to your liking, and simply drink the rest of the soup.
People often eat pickles and tempura with udon, so we also ordered the fill-your-own side dish, a small square dish which you could fill with a selection of pickles from a side table. I was impressed at the selection, and at the amount my boyfriend could balance on a tiny plate! There was pickled burdock flavored with sour plum, scrumptious slices of sweet potato fried in tempura batter, and also fresh cherry tomatoes and sliced cucumber. (By the time we left, the burdock was gone, and there were different pickles on the table).
What's the restaurant like? Not so big, but it has both counter seating and table seating. We sat at a counter against a wall, and I appreciated the basket placed under the counter to hold my bag. Ordering is done by ticket machine, unfortunately without pictures, but there are plenty of photographs on the walls you can refer to, and even illustrated menus on the tables. Prices start at ￥650. The restaurant was very busy, even though it was after 2pm on a week-day. Service was prompt and cheerful. I liked the atmosphere.
Now I come to the only problem with this restaurant – access. We drove there, and the small car park was full, so we had to wait for a park, then wait for our seats. The nearest stations are Hashimoto Station and Sagamihara Station on Yokohama Line, but they're both about 30 minutes walk from the restaurant. However, if you want to try the best udon you ever tasted, you'll just have to figure out a way to get there!
