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Thursday, December 19, 2024

Daichi No Udon: Hakata's Must-Visit Udon Spot

Daichi No Udon (大地のうどん)

As I mentioned in my previous entry, my husband and I visited Japan in October this year and stayed at a hotel near Fukuoka Airport. We were really keen to try udon noodles because it's believed to have originated in Hakata, Fukuoka. In my previous entry, "Hakata’s Udon Gems: Two Must-Try Udon Restaurants in Hakata, Fukuoka," I wrote about some udon restaurants located in Hakata. That's why when we were around Hakata Station, I knew I had to try Daichi No Udon (大地のうどん), an udon noodle restaurant conveniently located just a three-minute walk from JR Hakata Station.

Daichi No Udon (大地のうどん)

2nd Basement Floor Asahi Building

2-1-1 Hakata Ekimae

Hakata Ward, Fukuoka

Open: 10:30 am to 4 pm and 5 pm to 9 pm

Daichi No Udon

In front of the restaurant, there was a menu with illustrations. This made it easy to choose our dishes before even stepping inside.

Ticket Vending Machine

First, you can purchase food tickets through a vending machine that only accepts cash. If you cannot read Japanese, it might be quite challenging. According to the vending machine, the most popular cold dish is No. 12 Kakiage Bukkake (かきあげぶっかけ), and the most popular hot dish is No. 21 Nikugoboten (肉ごぼう天).

Ticket Vending Machine

These were our food tickets. My husband chose Kakiage Bukkake (かきあげぶっかけ), the most popular one! I opted for the Daichi Set (大地セット). After we took our seats, a waiter collected our tickets and took them to the kitchen.

Food Tickets

Kakiage Bukkake (かきあげぶっかけ) 750 yen

This was Kakiage Bukkake (かきあげぶっかけ). We were amazed by the size of the kakiage! Kakiage is a Japanese dish of battered and deep-fried vegetables and seafood. This one even had a large shrimp! You pour udon soup over the noodles. When I saw my husband’s udon, I wished I had ordered the Kakiage Bukkake too! It tasted incredible! The kakiage was freshly deep-fried and crunchy, and the noodles were nice and chewy. I couldn’t believe it was only 750 yen, which is about $4.93 (1USD = 152JPY)!

Daichi Set (大地セット) 700 yen.

This was the Daichi Set (大地セット) that I ordered for 700 yen, which is about $4.60 (1USD = 152JPY). It includes a bowl of udon noodles and two pieces of inari sushi.

Inari Sushi / Inarizushi (いなり寿司) in Daichi Set (大地セット)

Inari sushi is a popular Japanese dish consisting of sushi rice stuffed inside seasoned, deep-fried tofu pouches. It's a delightful combination of sweet and savory flavors, perfect as a side dish.

Niku Goboten Udon with Wakame Seaweed in Daichi Set (大地セット)

I really wanted to try Niku Goboten (肉ごぼう天), the most popular hot dish. Goboten (ごぼう天) is burdock root tempura. The udon in the Daichi Set was Niku Goboten with wakame seaweed.

Daichi Set (大地セット)

I really enjoyed their thin and translucent noodles! The goboten was perfectly crunchy and crispy. It paired wonderfully with the rich, flavorful broth, making each bite a delight.

We definitely want to return to this restaurant when we visit Hakata again. While we were there, we noticed many people ordering No. 11 Yasaiten Bukkake (野菜天ぶっかけ), and I’ve already decided that I’ll try that one next time.