Pikaichi Hakata Area

For 33 years now, Cho-san and his hard working crew have been serving what is for many customers, and obviously this reviewer's opinion, the perfect sara udon! For the uninitiated, sara udon, (Nagasaki-style), consists of vegetables, seafood, and pork in a sauce, poured over a bed of thick Chinese noodles. The wheat noodles used here are specially prepared by Cho-san who gives them a light frying before cooking them in seafood and vegetable broth. As a result, the noodles are not crunchy, but have a pleasantly firm texture and have absorbed the soup's flavor. The same noodles are used in the champon (noodles in soup), minus the frying. If you wish to add a little zing to either your plate or bowl, mix in some of Pikaichi's spicy handmade takana (pickled mustard greens). There's a big bowl on every table, and you're welcome to eat as much as you like. These noodles are so popular that two sizes of take-out packages are on sale. Pikaichi has a long list of other fast-order items including ramen and fried rice, but trust us, you'll first want to order either the sara udon or champon - and then you'll know why Pikaichi is, well, pika ichi desu!

Last updated March 2008