Hardly anyone in Korea has heard of Kounosu. It’s a city in Saitama, and oddly enough it holds quite a few “best in Japan” records. I guess they put together a pretty clever strategy to drum up some buzz for a region with a shrinking population. Barikiya is one of those places: I’d heard they serve the widest udon noodles in Japan.
The entrance
It’s got this simple, unpretentious feel.
Yakumi (condiments)
Udon
Wide indeed. I wondered how it would taste…
Lifting up a noodle.
Decent chew to it.
Dipping broth with duck
You dip the noodles in this, and it tastes pretty good. There’s a nice chew and they go down smoothly. It’s an unusual noodle, and whether it’s worth going out of your way for is a bit of a toss-up, but as a local specialty it’s excellent.
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