Ben Ten Izakaya

Obama Champon

This relaxed local izakaya is recommended for the local Obama champon and sara udon. You may have tried Ringer Hut Nagasaki champon, but you have to try the real thing. We got the "men's champon" - which comes with eggs and a big shrimp but it otherwise the same. It was filled with a ton of ingredients that had been fried in advance, including the bright pink kamaboko. We also got a sara udon (photo) with the thick noodles, not the thin crispy ones that are usually used. The noodles are about the same as the ones used in champon, but they're fried, so it's similar to yaki soba. The toppings used for both dishes are basically the same, fried before adding to the dishes. One thing that stood out to me is that the small shrimp were not shelled, which I haven't tried before. The shells are edible, but after a few I didn't feel like eating them. This izakaya allows smoking, but while we were there almost no one was smoking, thankfully. If it was a non-smoking bar it would be perfect. They also serve sashimi and lots of other dishes - it's worth a try if you're in town. (It's not a tourist place so it's better if you're comfortable using Japanese.)