Since a few days ago, it seems that the season has suddenly changed. Now, I can feel the coldness of winter all at once.
The clothing of the people walking in the streets also changed dramatically, and I, wearing a white shirt, stand out from the rest.
Don’t bother with such things one by one. Let’s just go get lunch.
Nevertheless, the end of my shift for this day was after 12 PM, a time when some careful planning is needed when choosing a restaurant.
However, I have already made a reservation for the restaurant through the food review platform. The name of the restaurant I reserved is "Donbiki".
It's a restaurant with quite an interesting name, isn't it?
The location is in the Nakamachi area, with easy access from Tsurumai Station by foot or via the Tsurumai Line of the subway.
Considering the booking time, we decided to use the Tsurumi Line for just one station.
If I'm feeling well, I was planning to walk from Tsurumai Station. But walking with an empty stomach is a bit tough.
We arrived at the Ubishi Maeshin Station, went up to the ground level, and continued southward along Otsumi-dori, where the restaurant is located.
And at 1:15 PM, as scheduled for the reservation time, I arrived at “Donbiki”. I'm quite impressed with how this schedule was arranged.
I slip through the warm curtain, open the empty sliding door, and inform the staff, "I'm here to make a reservation through Yumello."
Staff member: "Welcome, please choose your favorite seat."
The restaurant was empty, so customers had complete freedom to choose their seats.
In the reservation screen, I specified the seats I wanted. But now, depending on the situation, I'm quite accustomed to making flexible arrangements.
Therefore, we sat down at a two-person table in the back of the restaurant.
Well, let's take a look at the menu.
Using the accumulated V points to obtain "free food," the candidates who were considered were...
※ Chicken Combo Meal
※Chicken Udon
※カラアゲ定食
※おにぎり定食
There are four of them.
Both items are priced at 950 yen each.
Since it's a free meal, the V points are also... the same, right?
Among them, I chose “Chicken Udon”.
Of course, I will choose a meal with rice. But if possible, I would prefer to have the rice ordered in a larger portion.
I plan to charge an additional 50 yen for the large portion of rice.
We input the order details into the menu displayed through the QR code, and then send them to the kitchen.
The interior of the restaurant features counter seats, table seats, and a private room for seated dining. It seems that it can accommodate a large number of people.
On the walls, there were posters related to Kishu Kamifune. It seems that this "Donbiki" is a place that strongly supports Kishu Kamifune.
The drink menu featured a limited selection of local sake from Kishu Kamifune. Also, next to the cashier’s counter, Kishu Kamifune's hand towels were available for sale.
Basically, chicken-yaki itself is a dish that is commonly found in the Mino region of Gifu Prefecture, especially in Nakano and Higashi-no regions.
Without knowing the actual situation, I will write something roughly. It seems that there are many restaurants serving chicken-yaki in the cities of Mikuma-Kamomori, Seki, Mikuma, Shirakawa-cho, and Keiko.
The kitchen is operated by just one staff member. Nevertheless, there are no other customers present, and the cooking process is going quite smoothly.
約8分後に、「鶏ちゃんうどん」が運ばれてきました。
Now, let's proceed and take our first meal.
First, let's start with the customary warm-up session using red broth.
If I stir the red broth with chopsticks, a lot of wakame will come out from the bottom.
Other ingredients are simply katsuobushi, making it a clean and simple red broth dish.
The soy sauce is very effective; the red broth that soaks into the body after work feels truly refreshing. This moment is what makes me feel most at ease.
Next, let's try the Chicken Udon.
It's what we call "grilled udon". It's served on hot iron plates.
(A fried udon must be done right.)
And the katsuo flakes sway gently, while the steam rises steadily upward.
The taste of this dish is a gentle flavor based on miso.
It doesn’t have an unusually strong flavor either. It seems to be a sauce that enhances the natural sweetness of the ingredients.
The cabbages, cut into large pieces, are extremely satisfying to eat. The chicken has a tender texture, with the rich flavor of the meat fully expressed.
The udon itself isn’t something particularly noteworthy; it’s just, well, one ordinary udon.
It has a moist and chewy texture. Since it was originally frozen udon, I guess that’s why it has such a chewy texture. In the namekoyama Station area, it resembles the texture of kishimen.
The "big-sized rice" option is a serving that gives a sense of abundance, as if it's presented in a way that makes you feel full.
However, as I continued to eat the chicken udon together with other dishes, my stomach gradually became fuller.
キレイサッパリを完食し、炭水化物の祭りは無事終了しました。
Payment is only the difference of 50 yen compared to V points.
I was able to get a lunch without causing any damage to my finances before paying the salary.
Other menu items also caught my interest, so I hope to come back again to use up my V Points.
Maybe we can have a drinking party with A-kun here too… that sounds fun.
Thank you for the hospitality. It was great.
