black631650
"I ate a Yakisoba U.F.O. at a Chinese restaurant in Osaka the other day." - When I told my acquaintance this, as expected, they said, "Huh? What does that mean??" Well, anyone would react like that, right? However, I am not lying, I did indeed have it. The only thing is, it's not the cup Yakisoba U.F.O. that everyone knows, but a real Yakisoba U.F.O. made by a Chinese restaurant. The "Osaka Osho U.F.O." that I had this time is a collaboration menu with "Nissin Foods," also originating from Osaka, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of "Osaka Osho" in 2019. It consists of freshly boiled and stir-fried noodles, pork, and cabbage, which the customer mixes with the sauce of "Nissin Yakisoba U.F.O." to finish. Initially, I was thinking of ordering some rice dishes or side dishes, but upon learning about this Yakisoba, I decided to order the U.F.O. along with the Okonomiyaki-style dumplings called "Dotonbori Gyoza" and a non-alcoholic beer (note that orders are placed using a tablet that supports multiple languages). The first to arrive were the dumplings and beer. The dumplings were topped with Okonomiyaki sauce, mayonnaise, green onions, and pickled ginger. The taste was just like Okonomiyaki, which might be interesting for tourists, but personally, I felt that the flavor of the dumplings themselves was a bit overshadowed. After a while, the awaited Yakisoba was brought to the table. The paper lid had the sauce from the commercial "Nissin Yakisoba U.F.O.," and inside were medium-thick noodles with large pork pieces and cabbage. After mixing the sauce myself and trying it, the chewy medium-thick noodles were well coated with the sauce. The noodles had more elasticity compared to instant noodles, and the large pork pieces added more substance to it. This taste can be described as a real "Nissin Yakisoba U.F.O." that can only be experienced at the restaurant. This Yakisoba was just released recently and seems to be limited to 60,000 servings. For those who love U.F.O. or are looking for unique menus, I highly recommend trying it out (by the way, payment is made at the self-checkout on the first floor). By the way, on the first floor of this main store, they have a limited edition Gyoza hot dog menu that is only available here. Given that they have Yakisoba sandwiched in bread, it's not surprising to have Gyoza sandwiched as well, especially since it is also labeled in English, Chinese, and Korean, indicating it is likely targeted towards foreign tourists. Although I did not try it this time, there was a long line of foreign tourists waiting, so if I have the chance, I would like to try it as a conversation starter.