「ただ美味しい一杯のために」──“うどんの名店”の裏側に密着！｜The Bast in Osaka Udon, Japan

「ただ美味しい一杯のために」──“うどんの名店”の裏側に密着！｜The Bast in Osaka Udon, Japan

Are there any restaurants in Osaka that the owner would recommend as must-visit locations? The udon noodles at Sennen Udon in Kujo are the best. They’re so amazing. Both the noodles and the broth are delicious. I’m so happy. I’m from Shikoku, so I love udon. So, I can’t resist it. It’s so delicious. Until recently, I’d come here before opening and stretch everything out, but… I thought it tasted better if I did it just before, so I use kelp, dried sardines, and shiitake mushrooms in water. Those three ingredients. This is Hokkaido U , and the salt in this poster is actually the salt. Oh, this is it. Wow. It’s salt developed specifically for udon. It has a slightly chewy texture, I guess. That’s why it’s such a delicious salt. Oh, it sounds delicious. It seems to have quite a lot of moisture. Like the edges of the grooves. It’s the amount of water you add when you mix it with the flour . That’s what makes it so great. The temperature is also different, so it’s really different. So, if the temperature is high, I reduce the amount of water a little, so that’s about it. And then there’s the water temperature. In the summer, I add a bit of ice and use cold water. If I use regular water, the temperature is a little too high and it doesn’t clump like this, so it becomes more watery, the gluten becomes too active, and the dough becomes too watery and too runny. So, is it really the most natural way to use that ? Yes. Before opening, I tried a lot of different flours myself. I found one that I thought was the most delicious , and then, based on my own feeling, I sold each one and picked the one that produced the best flour, or udon, and then I decided to stick with those two, and then I adjusted the ratio a little at a time , to get the chewy texture and firmness that I like, or rather, I think preferences vary quite a bit, so I think. Some people like long udon , and I like firm, chewy udon, so I use flour that’s as close to my ideal as possible . Did you try quite a few different types? Yes. Quite a lot. I didn’t have any training. I’m self-taught. I did a lot of research on my own, so I think there are still many areas where I need to learn more than a regular udon restaurant. I did it while thinking about it in my own way. Well, I’m doing it here, but I think I’m at about 3, erm, 3.5mm right now. There are only two of these for aging , but actually, I do it in the aging room at 30°C, but it’s a little hot these days in the summer, so I sometimes put it outside. The dough doesn’t fit in here either, so there’s no place to move it. So I put it here, but it gets full. Is that also the aging room? No, this is a wine cellar. We no longer have space to put the aging room, so we put it in a wine cellar that can maintain a constant temperature. I’m escaping here for the time being. I joined Torikizoku with the intention of opening an izakaya, but then COVID happened. But still, I wanted to be independent, and after thinking about it, I realized that opening an izakaya is kind of restrictive. First of all, you have to be able to drink alcohol, and you have to be over 20 years old. Udon is something that people of all ages can eat, so the restrictions imposed by COVID were a big deal. And there are almost no people who don’t like udon, right? I’ve never heard of anyone like that. I’ve always loved udon , and after all that, I decided to open an udon restaurant. So, how long did it take from deciding to open an udon restaurant to opening it? I studied on my own for about two years. I was a manager at Torikizoku, and while I was a manager. Oh, while I was a manager? Oh, yes. It’s very tough. But even though I went home, Torikizoku is a reputable company, so I got plenty of days off and almost no overtime. Yeah. I had some time after I got back, so I noticed that you used a fair amount of dried sardines and kelp. Is this amount normal? I think it is. Basically, restaurants that don’t use artificial seasonings also use them, so I was self-taught, and I went to Yamato Seisakusho in Kagawa for a week, I think. Yes. Yeah. I learned about dashi proportions there , and I was able to freely decide the proportions of konbu and iriko based on what I learned there . There were percentages, but I made them based on how much I needed to fill up the total, so I think it’s probably basically the same. That proportion thing. So I was able to experiment at the time. I increased the amount of konbu, increased the amount of iriko, used temporary konbu , and combined the ratios that I thought tasted best. Have you made any small adjustments or changes since you opened? As for dashi, the proportions of konbu, dried sardines, and bonito flakes haven’t changed at all since you opened. When making the dashi stock, you add sugar, mirin, soy sauce, and salt, and I think I made some slight adjustments to that. I started out making it quite light, so I made the flavor a little more palatable. I asked you about this earlier when we were making the noodles, but I think temperature control is important when making dashi. Is there a particular step you’re most careful about? Well, I mean, temperature control. You know, if you don’t heat the kelp to 80°C, as I mentioned earlier, it will end up with an unpleasant flavor, so we always use a timer here. So, by the time the timer tells me that it will reach about 80°C, I adjust accordingly. It’s like a sauce for marinating chicken. It’s a marinade sauce. Were you already planning to use this when you added chikuwa tempura to the menu? Sea bream chikuwa was pretty popular, wasn’t it? Sea bream chikuwa was often used at udon restaurants, and a supplier introduced it to me, saying, “We also have this one.” And when I tried it, it was delicious, as expected. It had a springy texture that was different from sea bream chikuwa. It was firm and chewy , so I decided on it right away. Apparently, seasoning chicken breast with about 3% salt makes it tender. I’m conscious of that and try not to make it too tough. The seasoning is probably the same as regular soy sauce, sake, ginger, salt, and sugar, so I try to make it a tempura that’s delicious even when eaten on its own . Which is more popular, chicken tempura or chikuwa tempura? Well, chikuwa is more popular. However, there’s that famous chicken tempura udon, which is the most popular udon dish, so chikuwa is more popular as a standalone dish, but chicken tempura udon is also popular. This is for returning the dashi stock to the white dashi. Is it common to use red or white wine for the returning dashi? No, I don’t think it’s common. I learned how to make it from Yamato Seimenjo. I think they usually add sugar and salt, but the ingredients are really simple . Yes, that’s right. So, I’d actually like to know how other udon shops make it too. It’s white dashi, red wine, mirin, white wine, and sake. Cooking sake. And it doesn’t contain any salt. Yes . That’s it, really. I use the same soy sauce, Ikeda Soy Sauce, for the udon marinade, and I boil it a little with kelp , or rather, I turn off the heat before it gets to just under 80°C , and let it sit. Then I combine the red wine, white wine, cooking sake, and mirin. And that’s what I just showed you. That soy sauce udon. Please tell us how you came across Yamato Seisakusho. What was the trigger? It all started with the noodle machine. I was self-taught, so I made udon at home, but I realized that when it comes to hand-making, you really need to train. You can’t compete with people who have trained. I’d heard that there was a noodle machine that even a self-taught guy like me could use to make good udon, so I went to Yamato Seisakusho, which apparently also runs a ramen school . A friend of mine, I forget if he was a junior or an acquaintance, but he went to Yamato Seisakusho’s ramen school and went on to set up his own business. It turned out to be a pretty good idea. I heard he was successful, so I thought I’d make an udon version of it. Torikizoku originally had a sign that said “Unubore Chu” (We’re Conceited), and it was written entirely by the president. President Okura. Is he the chairman now? I kind of wanted to copy him and ask Chairman Okura, but I thought it might be a bit presumptuous. Well, I had some respect for him, so I asked the managing director, and he gladly agreed. So we’re using it. Oh, is that so? It seems he’s now left Torikizoku and runs the restaurant himself. Welcome. Is this just one person? Please. Welcome. Welcome. Previously, I would cut and stretch everything before opening, but I realized it tastes better if I did it just before, so now I have to keep an eye on the customers. At lunchtime, we keep them waiting, so I keep an eye on them, but at night, I make the noodles only after asking them how many they need. So, even though they’ll inevitably have to wait a while, I still want them to enjoy something delicious. 7. 7.5 followed by 7. 7.5 followed by 7? Yes. Oh, this is the chicken tempura first. Sorry to have kept you waiting. Here it comes. Yes. Here it is. Along with this. Yes. Half a bowl and one bowl over here. Yes. Thank you. Sorry to have kept you waiting. Sorry to have kept you waiting. Welcome! Please. Sorry to have kept you waiting. Thank you. Honestly, I thought this was the chewiest udon I’ve ever eaten. Is this because you use a pressure cooker to boil the noodles? Yes. The chewy texture is definitely achieved with a pressure cooker. It ‘s truly a special product. Did you know about this technique before? No, no, originally, there were restaurants like Rakuraku and Shinuchi, and— Shinuchi has since retired and closed down—that used pressure cookers. When I opened my own udon restaurant, I went to eat at a lot of different places. I knew about Rakuraku because I’m originally from Hirakata, and I knew their food was incredibly delicious. I knew they used a pressure cooker, and when I went to eat at Shinuchi, I thought it was incredibly delicious. I’ve been to a lot of famous restaurants, and I always thought that restaurants that use pressure cookers are the best. So I decided to use one. Oh, really? And it worked out well, didn’t it? No, no, it’s quite difficult. Not at all. It’s quite difficult, so I kept changing things. And Shinuchi was in Kadoma, and the owner, Yamamoto-san , was very kind to me and taught me a lot, so I gradually made improvements. Oh, really? Yes. It’s finally our third year, and our customers have settled in and are starting to come in large numbers, so I’m going to work a little harder to not let them down, and then I’d like to open a second store, or rather, a new one. In the future. I also go to good places to learn, but I still go out of my way to go. So, if it’s nearby, I’ll go quite often. I often go to good restaurants near my house as a customer, but when it’s farther away, I tend to go less, or the opportunities are limited. So, by opening more stores, it becomes easier for customers to come. Well, we’ll start with Kujo, but next time, we ‘ll open in more easily accessible locations, so that more people will know about Sennen UDON and our customers will be happy. Well, I’m working hard to open a second store. As for udon restaurants, we had Shigeki and Rakuraku, but unfortunately Shinuchi has closed, so we’re going to Yamamoto Menzo. This is in Kyoto. I think these three restaurants are all delicious. What is it about Shigeki that’s so good? Shigeki is really famous for their hiyakake (cold soy sauce). The broth for their hiyakake is really good. Also, they don’t use a pressure cooker, but the noodles are quite fluffy. They’re firm, chewy, but also have a fluffy texture, which I think is amazing. Do you have any recommendations for ramen shops? Well, Menroku and Fumoto. They’re close to me, and I really like them, so I go there often. Fumoto serves Chinese noodles. The regular kind. I think they have a few other varieties, but the Chinese noodles are the best. I like fried rice, so their fried rice is also delicious. Menroku serves duck. They mainly serve duck, and it’s not smelly at all. The duck is incredibly delicious, so I always eat the duck bowl. I often eat the tsukemen at Menroku. The tsukemen is topped with a kind of blackcurrant sauce, so the noodles themselves are delicious, and you can dip them in the blackcurrant sauce. It’s regular tsukemen, so it comes with a dipping sauce, but it’s presented in a rather stylish way, so it’s still delicious. I think it’s a hamburger steak restaurant called Aoyamaken. A hamburger steak restaurant. Aoyamaken? It’s a hamburger steak restaurant near LaLaport in Kadoma City . I think this place hasn’t been open that long yet. That’s what makes it delicious. The hamburger steak is fluffy and quite large, and it’s reasonably priced, and that soft, fluffy hamburger steak was delicious.

噛み切れないほどの弾力。もちもちの麺の秘密とは──

麺は注文が入ってから圧力鍋で茹で上げる。
時間も労力も倍かかる方法を選ぶのは、ただ“美味しいうどん”のためだけ。

その執念に客は並び、平日でも行列が絶えない人気店へ。
一杯に宿る情熱とやさしさを、どうか味わいに来てください。

◆見どころPOINT◆
0:00 オープニング
1:45 出汁について
3:20 製麺において慎重なプロセス
21:12 「うぬぼれ中」じゃなくて「熟成中」
23:02 手間がかかっても作りたてを提供する理由
33:08 実食（とりちく玉天ぶっかけUDON）
34:00 圧力鍋を採用する理由

店名：千年UDON
電話番号：06-7777-5324
住所：大阪府大阪市西区九条1-9-6
営業時間：
月曜
オープン:11:00 クローズ:15:00 (ラストオーダー:14:30)
水〜日曜
オープン:11:00 クローズ:15:00 (ラストオーダー:14:30),
オープン:17:00 クローズ:21:30 (ラストオーダー:21:00)
火曜　定休日