Fukuoka-style udon without leaving Kanto

Niku goboten udon

Brand: 7-11

Price: 550 yen

Place of purchase: 7-11 Convenience store

Rating:

7-11's interpretation of Fukuoka Prefecture-style udon has burdock tempura, minced beef, and finely chopped onions over a soy-sauce based broth. It comes with a little packet of ichimi togarashi ground chili pepper. I asked the convenience store staff to heat it up for me for 90 seconds in their microwave. It's got a lovely light soy sauce broth, burdock tempura that is crunchy on the outside and satisfyingly chewy on the inside. The seasoned minced meat and ichimi togarashi lend it lots of flavour.

Does Niku gobouten udon live up to expectations? I wonder what Fukuoka Prefecture residents would make of this interpretation of a a regional form of udon. It comes in a styro container, so I decided to decant it into my favorite donmono bowl. The broth brought a wave of nostalgia for Kansai-style udon - it's a light unlike the dark soy sauce version common in the Kanto region. The flavor and texture with the addition of tenkasu, little bits of tempura soaking up the broth reminded me of familiar shokudo fare. Good for the price, I'd say.