UDON IN HIMEJI
Hyogo Prefecture, Japan
Shuffling through a 14th century castle on a cold, damp day with your shoes in a plastic bag and slippers a couple sizes too small, is an amazingly good way to put one in the mood for a welcoming bowl of noodles. And what better place to find yourself when that mood strikes, than in Japan. Ramen, shirataki, soba, somen, hiyamugi - one could eat noodles for days and not have the same type twice. But on this particular day the warm and welcoming bowl of noodles was to be udon and we would find it at Menme where they have been making their udon by hand for the last 30 years.
Entering the restaurant my glasses immediately fog up, the steam from the noodles obscuring my vision. A quick wipe to clear things up reveals a fairly small shop with six or seven tables, which to our great fortune are all taken. This earns us a spot at the counter directly across from the stove and with an unobstructed view of the noodle prep table and the giant noodle cauldron. Several times through the course of the meal we watch as a tall, thin man rolls out a large sheet of dough and folds it over on itself several times. So prepared, he then places the entire mass on a device, akin to a large paper cutter, and proceeds to cutting. Each cut of the blade automatically moving the arm down a notch, rhythmically revealing one perfectly cut row of noodles after another until the entire sheet has been whittled down to individual noodles. From there they go directly into the cauldron and would last about 20 to 30 minutes before the process needed to be started again.
From hypnotically watching this process we turn our attention toward the menu which is thankfully in English. It is not extensive, probably 10 to 15 options, but the decision is difficult as everything sounds amazing and it’s unlikely we will be back this way to try a different dish any time soon. Eventually I settle on the beef curry udon and Courtney goes with a more unique option, one in which the noodles are served straight from the cauldron (they are normally rinsed off after being cooked) and served simply with a bowl of dipping sauce. When the food is finally served I am a bit overzealous and dive right in, unable to wait, despite the fact that it has been no more than 30 seconds since it came off the stove. With a scalded tongue I force myself to wait taking in the heavenly smell of the Japanese curry and watching as Courtney receives instruction on the best way to eat her noodles. A bit more cautious, I start back in, slowly making my way to the bottom of the bowl. While enjoying every fresh and chewy bite, I watch as a new batch is made and listen to the chatter of the staff as they welcome new arrivals and bid farewell to those on their way out. When I’ve finished I regret that I don’t have the words to convey to the staff how wonderful the meal was, so we settle for an arigato and head back into the chill. There will be other noodle stops in Japan with their own character, but none will quite live up to this small restaurant in the shadow of Himeji Castle.
- Menme Restaurant
- 68 Honmachi, Himeji
- Hyogo Prefecture, Japan
- +81 79-225-0118
