唐津ちゃんぽんって、ご存知ですか？ : Shokujidokoro Horibata

Do you know what Karatsu Champon is? Well, I didn't know it either, and I couldn't find anything on the internet, so there doesn't seem to be any specific definition, but this restaurant, "Horibata," seems to be a representative example, so that's why I asked. It's located in Higashi Karatsu, if you go from the Nishi Kyushu Expressway, you pass the Karatsu Motorboat Racecourse, go south along the Matsuura River, go under the Chikuhi Line overpass, and you'll see the "Niji no Matsubara Driving School" on your right. Turn right to go there, and you'll find it just beyond the bridge over the irrigation canal. So, behind the school, there is a lush Niji no Matsubara. There were only 3-4 parking spaces, but the road in front of it seems to be a steep hill, so there were a lot of cars that looked like they were from a nearby car shop parked on the side, as shown in the photo. I entered the shop 7-8 minutes after it opened, but there were already customers there, an old man and an elderly couple. I pointed to an empty counter seat and asked, "Is it okay to sit here?" The old lady who answered, "Oh, yes. Please come in," was actually a customer. It was a typical public Cafeterias where you don't know who was who, but if you look closely, you'll see that the staff are all wearing matching black original T-shirts. Inside the restaurant, there were 5-6 counter seats, 2 large tables that seat 6 people, and 5-6 tables that seat 4 people on a raised platform. "Wow, there's a lot!" As I said with my eyes wide open as soon as I opened the menu, even though it looked like a public Cafeterias, there were quite a few variations in Champon, and I thought I would get stuck in a quandary if I hesitated, so like a first-time customer, I ordered the default "Horibata Champon 700 yen" with "50 yen for egg." The egg looked delicious in the pictures of other reviewers, and since eggs are essential for Ramen in Saga, I wondered if they would be good for Champon. "This is no good! The portion is too small." While I was waiting, an older man who seemed to be the owner was returning the bowl to the kitchen staff, and for a moment I thought it was mine, and I was about to blurt out, "Oh, that's enough," but he was too quick, so I watched him, and it seemed to be for delivery. It might be different if it was that busy, but basically the owner was just the supervisor, and there were a fair number of people working in the kitchen, including a middle-aged man, a young man, and a female employee who seemed to be mainly in charge of the dining area, probably because it was a fairly large restaurant. "Wow, it looks delicious." And in 5 to 6 minutes, the Champon was served, with a beautiful color like the picture. Topping it with an egg was the right choice, visually speaking. "Oh, it's quite a strong flavor." Surprisingly, it has a strong flavor suitable for workers, it's quite salty, and the pork is somehow thick. The base is pork bones and chicken carcasses, and what's unusual is that it seems to have pepper by default, it's quite filling, and the vegetables are piled on top. The stir-fry is a little rare, and you have to chew it more than I thought, so I wondered if the silver generation customers mentioned above would be okay, but they were surprisingly happy to eat it. There are quite a few noodles, probably because there are quite a lot of vegetables, and they have a yellow egg noodle-like texture, and although they are soft, they are quite thick and chewy. The flavor oozes out not only from the vegetables but also from the fish paste, which becomes a subtle sweetness and leaves an unforgettable aftertaste. However, there are no obvious advantages that make this Karatsu Champon, and to put it bluntly, it cannot be denied that it feels like any other Champon. Also, the noodles were too thick, making it difficult to slurp, so maybe that was a minus point? They soaked up quite a lot of the soup, and the taste of the noodles themselves was good. Maybe they're more for eating than slurping? That said, as they are the epitome of Karatsu Champon, there's no doubt that it is delicious. Apparently Champon restaurant has been in business for about 50 years, so you can really feel that it is the taste of a long-established restaurant that has been loved for such a long time. Perhaps with other menu items, I would have been able to enjoy the Karatsu flavor even more. ● Personal Tabelog rating: 3.5