【Limited Edition】Chilled Noodles with Blue Soybean Soy Milk, Wasabi, and Sudachi from Yugawara Juuni-an - JPY 2,500【Overall Review】This was my first visit in 12 years to this well-known restaurant! The term "incredibly delicious" feels inadequate to describe this amazing creative chilled noodle dish! 【Rating】90 points (Overall 40, Broth 10, Noodles 10, Toppings 10, Uniqueness 10, Service 10) ------------- Details -------------- A ramen outing with my noodle-loving friends. It’s been about 12 years since I last visited Iida Shoten. Although it’s reservation-only, it seems difficult to secure a spot, so I asked a regular to help me with the booking. However, there’s no secret route; I believe they follow a pre-reservation system called "OMAKASE" that opens for a week’s worth of reservations every Tuesday at noon. Upon arriving at Yugawara Station, the atmosphere feels like a hot spring town! After a 10-minute walk, I arrived to find about 15 reservation guests ahead of me. First, I purchased my meal ticket from the digital vending machine. At JPY 2,500 for ramen, this is the most expensive ramen I’ve ever had. Since I was here, I decided to order the "limited chilled noodles" and the "shoyu ramen." While the salt ramen is recommended for a standalone dish, the shoyu is suggested if you’re having it alongside the chilled noodles. As I waited, the owner came over, and I handed her my meal ticket. Soon, I was guided inside the restaurant. On the table, I found a tray, chopsticks, a spoon, Javanese tea, and a cloth napkin. The cold napkin felt refreshing! In a large glass, I was served a generous amount of Javanese tea. Each sip reset my palate, enhancing the flavor of the ramen. The staff refilled my glass multiple times as they noticed it getting low. The entire restaurant was sparkling clean and had a great sense of hospitality! Inside, the team consisted of the owner, the hostess, and three male staff members. The male staff were also dressed in clean white kimonos, adding to the overall cleanliness. After about 10 minutes, my ramen arrived. What a beautiful presentation! Let’s start with the noodles. They were flat, straight noodles with a high water content. Even when cold, they had just the right amount of chewiness, with a perfect texture and exquisite flavor. The noodles were paired with the refreshing acidity of sudachi, the invigorating aroma of wasabi, and the rich creaminess of high-quality soy milk, creating a wonderfully balanced dish. Yugawara Juuni-an is known for its tofu, which has even won awards from the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The delightful aroma of wasabi and its umami flavor lingered beautifully, likely from authentic wasabi. The sudachi was refreshingly vibrant. The umami was abundant, making it impossible to stop eating! The toppings included shrimp fritters, blue soybean tofu, simmered eggplant, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, edamame, okra, mitsuba, green onions, and seaweed. The shrimp fritters had a flavor reminiscent of shrimp mayonnaise… There was a generous amount, and it would pair well with rice! The blue soybean tofu was smooth and had a delightful texture. The simmered eggplant released a delicious cold broth, and I thought, "Wow!" The zucchini even had a natural sweetness. Squeezing some sudachi made it even more refreshing! Even after finishing the noodles, the remaining broth and vegetables were incredibly tasty! Before I knew it, I had finished everything. At JPY 2,500, it seemed like an extravagant price, but considering each element, it was justifiable. It was delicious! Truly wonderful! At the right moment, my second bowl arrived.