Japanese craftsmanship in Taichung: A new budget-friendly udon spot with stretchy tamagoyaki

Text & Photos /Ah Mon

A while back, while shopping at Xiangshang Market, I noticed this seemed to be a newly opened Godaigawa Udon. After looking it up online, I found out it’s run by Taiwanese who learned the craft in Japan. The prices are very reasonable, so I wanted to give it a try. So when a friend suggested dining out later, I decided to come here. The shop is closed at noon and only opens in the evening, starting at 5 PM. So if you want to eat here, come in the evening. It’s near Xiangshang Market, so parking can be a bit tricky—motorbikes can park right outside, but you’ll need to find another spot for cars.

The small blackboard at the entrance lists the menu, but there are no prices. It might be better if they included them.

There’s a row of small wooden chairs outside the shop, giving off a very Japanese vibe XD, just like udon shops in Japan. But since it was hot in summer, we decided to sit inside with the air conditioning, haha.

Indoor dining area. Once inside, I felt the space was quite spacious and bright, with plenty of tables and chairs. Since it had just opened, the place was empty—like we had the whole place to ourselves. But as we started eating, more customers came in, so business seems pretty good.

The walls have text and cute illustrations explaining the shop’s history. The three major schools of Japanese udon are Sanuki, Inaniwa, and Mizusawa. Godaigawa’s handmade udon belongs to the Mizusawa school. As far as I remember, there are almost no Mizusawa udon shops in Taiwan—Godaigawa might be the first. Most in Taiwan are from the Sanuki school. That the owner went to Japan to learn Mizusawa udon makes me think they really love udon XD, since ramen is more popular here.

Soup Udon. The menu has limited options, mainly udon dishes, divided into two categories: with soup or without. This page shows the ones with soup. Honestly, I was a bit surprised by the broth options—so many unique flavors 0.0!! I thought it would just be basic broth with different ingredients, but there are so many varieties. Each udon dish has handwritten descriptions that are quite detailed, which feels very thoughtful. The curry udon is only available on weekends, not on weekdays, which is super disappointing. I really wanted to try that one, V___V.

Cold udon and side dishes. If you don’t want soup udon, the shop also offers cold udon options. The sesame udon, for example, comes without broth. There are also various Japanese side dishes to choose from. The chawanmushi (steamed egg custard) is also weekend-only—wish I’d come on a Sunday, I really wanted to try it... If you’re worried about not getting full, you can add extra noodles, either half or a full portion, just like in udon shops in Japan.

New dishes. Besides the regular menu, there are new dishes listed on separate small notes. Since they’re new, I decided to try the tofu.

You pay first after ordering and get a receipt to place on the table.

The water seemed to still be heating up, so I didn’t see the owner start cooking the udon yet. The food is made to order, so the udon arrives at its best.

Chopstick rest. There’s even an owl-shaped one—how adorable is this chopstick rest!! It really adds to the udon experience. The chopsticks aren’t disposable either, which is more eco-friendly.

Hot tea. The shop offers free tea, which seems to be hot barley tea. It’s quite good—I ended up drinking several cups without realizing.

Soon after chatting with my friend, two small side dishes were served. I think all dine-in customers get these. The seaweed sprouts had a slight vinegar flavor, making them refreshing and appetizing. The other one was some kind of root vegetable, similar to radish, pickled to perfection—crunchy and tasty. Both sides were delicious, but they don’t offer refills.

The chef started cooking the noodles—I was surprised how young he looked @ _ @ !

Japanese Tofu $35. It was pretty ordinary—just very smooth and tender tofu.

Superior Broth Udon $149. The service was quite fast here—you won’t wait too long. The superior broth udon is the basic version, made with katsuobushi (bonito flakes) and vegetables for the broth. The clear, golden broth was a delight to the eyes, paired with a variety of tasty toppings that made the bowl look very appealing. Though it’s a “budget udon” under $100, the toppings included char siu (barbecued pork), ajitsuke tamago (marinated egg), fish cake, black fungus, bean sprouts, and shrimp balls—more than I’ve seen in udon in Japan. For under $150, it might cost $200–300 NT in Japan. The owner is really generous. The broth was delicious with a subtle sweetness from the vegetables. This broth was amazing—I drank almost all of it despite the heat. Such good broth shouldn’t go to waste.

Ajitsuke Tamago (Marinated Egg). The menu didn’t show add-on options, so maybe it’s not available separately. It seems every bowl comes with half an egg. The yolk was soft and gooey, the white tender—it was really well-made, not inferior to what I’ve had in Japan. After eating it, I wanted another one = =.

Char siu pork. This char siu pork comes in extra-large slices, and there are even two big slices in one bowl — you can really feel the owner’s generosity. The cut seems to be pork collar, a part with less fat, making it tender and easy to chew. Paired with the sweet and savory broth, the flavor is even better.

Udon noodles. Today’s highlight was these udon noodles. The waiter said they are handmade on-site using the Mizusawa style of preparation. The width seems thinner than that of Sanuki udon, and they’re not as round either. The texture is smoother and easier to chew, yet still has a bit of bounce to it. So this is what Mizusawa udon feels like — somewhere between Sanuki udon and Inaniwa udon. If you usually eat Sanuki udon, you might find Mizusawa udon a bit less chewy. But if you prefer really smooth noodles, then Mizusawa udon would be perfect for you.

Spicy Udon — $159. This one was ordered by my friend. The menu says the broth is made with a mix of different types of chili peppers, giving it a spicy and aromatic taste. The toppings are also quite generous, including sliced meat, pickled vegetables, meatballs, and a marbled egg. When this bowl arrived, it was bright red all over, giving off the aroma of chili peppers, which made my friend super happy. The broth was actually pretty spicy in my opinion, but not the kind that burns your throat. Instead, it made the udon taste even more flavorful.

The sliced meat in the spicy udon isn’t char siu — it looks more like pork collar slices or bacon. There were quite a few pieces, and they had absorbed the umami and spiciness of the broth, so they were really flavorful and delicious. I think they were even tastier than my char siu pork, XD.

The toppings in the spicy udon really differ quite a bit from those in the regular soup udon. For example, the spicy udon comes with bouncy shrimp, which was actually a nice surprise, XD.

The silky and smooth hand-made udon noodles just make you want to keep eating more. Later on, I thought that having spicy udon on a hot day might actually be better — the slight spiciness can stimulate your appetite, enhance your taste buds, and even help your body sweat a bit more.

Tamagoyaki — $50. Since there was no chawanmushi, I had to settle for tamagoyaki, Q_Q. This tamagoyaki is made to order, so it’s still a bit hot when it arrives. This tamagoyaki is a bit different from the usual kind — it’s topped with cheese and mayonnaise, so it’s stretchy when you eat it, yay yay yay, and has a slightly salty cheesy flavor. The texture is also very smooth and tender. I really like this style of preparation.

When we left, the lanterns outside the shop were lit up, and it seemed like more customers were coming in. Overall, the udon here is quite good — the broth is tasty, the toppings are generous, there are many varieties of broth, the prices are affordable, and the side dishes are great too. It’s a restaurant I’d love to visit again. I recommend this place, Godai Kawate Udon, to everyone. The above is just my personal opinion, for reference only.

Godai Kawate Hand-Made Udon
Phone: 0981-716175 (17:00-21:30)
Address: 221-1 Kamisakaue, Nishi Ward, Taichung City
Price: $149 and up
Date of Visit: September 2016

"Ah-mon Traveling Around Taiwan~Food, travel, photography, outdoor shoots
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