Aburasoba @ Otoko no LL, Daimyo, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka

 

Is this the manliest noodles that I have eaten? Well, I am not sure. One thing for sure is that when I was there all the customers were men and the only woman was the one cooking it! 

Looks pretty massive here, will the real one compare?

Otoko no LL (pronounced as erru-erru) is a aburasoba joint that just opened between the Tenjin and Akasaka area of the city. And they only sell one thing, which is aburasoba, a type of soupless noodles. The kanji does directly translated to oily noodles, which is not far off from the Cantonese soupless wanton noodles. It is actually one of my favourite ways of eating noodles especially when the weather is starting to be warmer, hot soup may not be a good idea. 

Illustration definitely did not vary!

I got myself their base bowl which stood for 950 yen which provides for 500 gm of home made noodles. That does sound like a good deal, considering the volume. And then the final product arrived. Honestly although it had a beastly stature, I was a bit unimpressed. The bean sprouts were actually served raw which was a bit odd for me. And although I like textural differences, the clash between this and the noodles were a bit too jarring. If the noodles were thinner it may be better

Witness the thickness!

Speaking of the noodles, they were thick and chewy. Unfortunately that was not a compliment. The strands I feel were a bit too tough and again, a thinner strand may be better. This could have worked in a soup based dish as the soaking in liquid could soften the package, making it an easier slurping experience. 

This was actually good. 

I did like the fact that the egg is fried instead of boiled, and the runny yolk worked like a flavour lava binding things together. The other toppings were fine, especially the chopped charshu, that was some good braised pork. The sauce for the noodles were also actually pretty good. And when you ad on some hot minced garlic, you got a very punchy experience. 

Front of the house

Truth be told, I was conflicted with this. Some parts were good, some parts were not so desirable. but one thing for sure is I came out totally stuffed. I cannot imagine how a 700 gm bowl would look like, which you can order too. And it seems like my opinion is not a random anomaly. There are many reviews of the place on Google that either sign amazing praises or just disappointment. As for me, I think its worth while trying it to see if you like it. Honestly I would go elsewhere. But if i need a big filler up that is below 1000 yen, I know where to go. If you are interested, the address is as follows:

  〒810-0041 Fukuoka, Chuo Ward, Daimyo, 2 Chome−4−38 Floor 1