Chanced upon Udon Taira in the city of Fukuoka where we saw a long snaking queue even before the store opened its doors. As the golden rule goes: the longer the line, the better the food! Atypical of Singaporeans who are enthusiastic to join queues even though we have no idea what we are queuing for, we join them anyway for fear of missing out on something amazing. And we were indeed lucky to find this hidden gem - a udon restaurant that prides itself on making noodles by hand.
Even though the queue was long, it moved pretty fast and the whole process was quick and fuss-free. Queue, take a seat, give your orders (they don't have a physical menu), watch the udon masters at work, have your piping bowl of udon served within a few minutes, take a few pics and slurp down the delicious udon noodles. This is not a place for you to linger, as you have to devour your noodles and leave fast for the next batch of customers to enter.
It was great fun sitting at the bar seats where you can watch the udon masters at work. Udon Taira seemed to be a family-owned business. It was fascinating seeing the long sheets of noodles being stretched and kneaded in the machines, cut and tossed into the boiling water and being rinsed after they have been cooked. It was all very clockwork-like and we watched in amazement at the masters' precision poured into making the bowl of noodles.
The noodles came served in a hot dashi broth with basic toppings like wakame and tempura batter bits and spring onions. We ordered the Niku Udon (beef) and Udon with Burdock Tempura. The clear dashi broth was sweet and comforting and the udon noodles had a thinner and translucent texture compared to the usual thicker ones.
Well-known for their delicious homemade noodles made fresh in house daily, Udon Taira is great value for money. Not only will the relatively inexpensive price point make you smile, you can watch the masters in action, working the dough into beautifully chewy noodles.
Do drop by Udon Taira early before they open their shutters, and try to get into their first seating. The dedication put into making the noodles is surely worth your time joining the queue.
Udon Taira
Opening Hours: Mon to Fri: 11.30am-4pm, Sat: 11.30am-3pm, Sun Closed
Address: 5 Chome-10-7 Sumiyoshi, Hakata Ward, Fukuoka, 812-0018, Japan
Fukuoka, Japan
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