This is Tsurutontan, the udon shop in Shinjuku that I’ve posted about before. The food is good, it’s open late into the night, and being in Shinjuku it’s easy to get to. Naturally, the more convenient a place is, the more often you end up going. Knowing plenty of places like this makes life in Tokyo a lot easier.
A draft beer
The drinks are a bit pricey. Knock back a few and you’ll get a bill bigger than you expected. Well… that’s kind of the concept of this place… If you care about value for money, the best move here is to eat a bowl of udon and leave.
Kamatama udon
I ordered something other than the standard kitsune udon, and wow, this was good. It’s different from the Sanuki style, so the noodles aren’t springy and firm, but they’re easy to chew and go really well with the egg and the dashi. I also ordered gyusuji (simmered beef tendon) as a snack with drinks; it was a little sweet but well cooked. This place does what it’s good at really well, but everything else is just ordinary. Dishes that are supposed to bring out the flavor of the ingredients are especially weak. Keep that in mind when you order.
Tanin-don
A rice bowl that is basically gyudon topped with egg. It wasn’t bad, but it reminded me that at an udon specialist you should eat udon.
Oyakodon
Truly good chicken dishes have no gamey taste at all, but this place isn’t at that level. The egg was fresh, though.
The udon that comes with the rice dishes
It really lacks impact. I don’t recommend ordering a rice dish counting on this udon. Just order the udon…
Kitsune udon
It’s the cheapest thing on the menu here, but it might well be the tastiest udon for the price. Personally I like the udon with meat in it too. This is how they pull in customers. You could call it a fastball-down-the-middle approach. I really like this place. If only it were a little less noisy and less crowded, that is ^_^