B.J
When I visit a certain famous udon chain, I often order kama-age udon, about every other time. Even when I eat Sanuki udon, I start with kama-age udon. I want to fully enjoy the flavor when I know the noodles are firm. This time, when I visited the relocated Azumi udon, I looked at the menu and thought, "Come to think of it, I've never had kama-age udon at this restaurant," and ordered it, slightly taken aback by the high price. I wanted some oil in the dipping sauce, so I ordered it with gobou tempura. For a while now, I haven't been able to understand the price difference between kake udon, kama-age udon, and zaru udon at most udon restaurants. At Azumi, kake is 350 yen, kama-age (listed as kamaage) is 600 yen, and zaru is 490 yen, so there's quite a difference. It doesn't cost 300 yen at a certain chain store, and the prices for kake and zaru are the same, so I can't help but think about it even more. Is the dipping sauce really that expensive to make? While pondering this, the product was served. It seems that it takes about 10 minutes to serve kama-age udon. As soon as I saw the tray, I thought it was some kind of small side dish on the menu, but it turned out to be tempura bits, which was disappointing. Why do gobou tempura and tempura bits overlap? I should have checked, but I have to accept it. In addition to grated ginger and chopped green onions, there is also a raw egg. First, I dipped the noodles without adding condiments and took a sip. Oh, it's quite sour and spicy. I added the condiments except for the egg and took another sip. Oh no, the spiciness just increased as I imagined. However, when I added the tempura bits and egg, it miraculously became dramatically milder. This must be the power of the raw egg. But what about people who dislike or cannot eat raw eggs? It would be more enjoyable if the dipping sauce was a bit milder... Well, the overlapping gobou tempura also added more mellowness, so it turned out alright in the end. The interior of the restaurant has definitely become cleaner and more spacious, with more seating, so they will be able to accommodate more customers. It was always crowded during lunchtime, so that's a good thing. However, the voices of the staff that used to echo in the store are hardly heard now. It feels a bit lonely. Also, the initial question I had about the price difference was not resolved. I thought the same thing when I ate zaru udon before, but at Azumi, I don't seem to get the satisfaction from zaru and kama-age udon. This is just my personal impression. The warm udon is quite delicious, but there must be a compatibility with the noodles. While praying for the continued prosperity of the new store, thank you for the meal.