Even living in Kagawa, the Udon Prefecture, it's not easy to visit Suzaki Shokuryohin Ten. My friend R wanted to go during our upcoming trip home. I still remember the amazing noodles from when I visited on a weekday morning a few years ago—just thinking about them makes my mouth water! On the day of our visit, we aimed to leave home an hour before opening. Upon arrival, Mario, the friendly staff member, guided us to the parking area. We received a numbered ticket and waited in a cool, air-conditioned room until just before opening. It was a scorching day, over 30 degrees Celsius, so this was a blessing! (*´-`) As opening time approached, we lined up according to our ticket numbers. We were number 30. Instead of lining up directly in front of the store, we ended up on the roadside next to it. While waiting, the staff came to take our orders. Initially, I thought about ordering one warm udon and one cold udon, but since there would be a difference in preparation time, I decided to order two warm small udon bowls—one with a raw egg (Kamatama) and the other with a soft-boiled egg (Onsen Tamago). R also ordered two small bowls (since ordering one large would reduce the egg ratio), and my companion ordered one small bowl. As soon as the opening time arrived, the noodles were served as soon as they were cooked. Finally, those exquisite noodles were right in front of us! I was so excited. At the entrance, we split into two lines for cold and warm udon. While waiting in the warm udon line, the staff brought out five small bowls on a tray, saying, "Here are your warm small bowls." Hmm? The color of the noodles looks different... I noticed they lacked that translucent quality I remembered. Well, they were freshly cooked, so it should be fine. However, we still had a long wait to get to the egg and toppings station. I wanted to mix the egg in while the noodles were still hot! Even though it was Kamatama, this was a major oversight... (；ﾟДﾟ) In the end, it took about 4-5 minutes to reach the egg station, and then we waited a few more minutes in line to pay. After that, we crossed the street to the dining area, and finally, it was time to eat! I mixed in the egg and said, "Let’s dig in!" As expected, the egg didn’t solidify much, and it felt more like a TKG (Tamago Kake Gohan) udon experience (T_T). The noodles had a nice edge but were a bit firm and lacked smoothness (based on my personal comparison). They felt quite different from the noodles I had before (just my opinion). Previously, when I visited on a weekday, I was able to enjoy the udon straight from the pot and mix in the egg immediately. I also passed through the register quickly back then... Those noodles were so translucent... Still, the texture was impressive. They were delicious udon noodles. Perhaps we had set our expectations too high... (^◇^;) After finishing everything, we returned our dishes next to the register. At this point, there was still a long line in front of and beside the store, just like before. Most of the cars in the parking lot were from outside the prefecture. I’m grateful for that. Visiting such a popular restaurant during a holiday was a bittersweet experience. I hope to find a weekday off to seek out those exquisite noodles again!