With the recent opening of Hokkaido Ramen Santouka (山頭火, see the May 10, 2012, edition of the Taipei Times) and Ippudo TW (一風堂, see the May 17, 2012, edition), Taipei can officially be said to be in the grip of a ramen noodle craze. Both stores specialize in the serving of this Japanese-style noodle, and they have jointly raised the bar considerably for any establishment purporting to purvey Japanese style ramen. This fact underlines the suspicion long held that quality noodles are best obtained from shops specializing in the making and serving of a specific type of noodle.
The situation with ramen applies to other types of noodles as well. The best of various styles of northern Chinese-cut noodles (刀削麵), pulled noodles (拉麵), and southern-style egg noodles (雞蛋麵) are generally obtained from shops that make their own. If you are looking for a dish in which the noodle can stand up as the main event, mass-produced noodles just do not cut it.
With this in mind, I was particularly eager to check out Dosan Kanroku (土三寒六), a shop specializing in the Japanese udon noodle, and one that has been nominated by the Kagawa prefectural government as an “embassy for Japanese udon” (烏龍麵大使館), the official home of udon.
Photo: Ian Bartholomew, Taipei Times
My prior experience with udon in Taiwan had been of a flaccid noodle that failed to provide much interest in either taste or texture. They are a ubiquitous hot pot favorite, but one that I generally avoid as providing nothing more than a carbohydrate filler. As a result, my first experience of the cold udon noodles with salmon sashimi (NT$270 to NT$330) at Dosan Kanroku was a revelation. The noodles were fat and firm, with a robust texture that contrasted with their subtle flavor. You did not just slurp them in, but chewed them, coming to grips with their complex mix of qualities. Quite simply, these are exciting noodles. They’re made fresh daily, and can also be purchased for preparation at home (NT$180 a packet).
The bowl of udon with salmon sashimi was very simple, garnished with four thin slices of raw salmon that looked at first glance a trifle inadequate, but which proved sufficient flavor highlights to the noodles and the broth. I had requested the addition of a mountain yam (山藥) puree, a recommended optional extra (NT$50), and this provided an additional level of complexity.
The dish was a relatively new addition to the menu, and ideal for the current hot weather.
Photo: Ian Bartholomew, Taipei Times
The connoisseur’s udon (NT$260 to NT$290), a staple of the menu, which staff said was a favorite with Japanese guests, is also served cold, and includes a topping of tempura, including shrimp, mushroom, pumpkin, as well as tofu (there are seasonal variations to this combination). The mixture of slightly sweet tofu with the salty broth was a flavor combination that I associate very much with Japanese cuisine and one that is not altogether to my taste. It was telling that despite the lack of any instinctive fondness for this dish, the care in its preparation and the balancing of flavors was evident throughout, and it could be enjoyed for its pure craftsmanship.
Both the salmon and the connoisseur’s udon bowls were manifestly designed as “healthy cuisine.” They were low on oil and low on meat, and while this aspect of low-fat, low-calorie dining is something that Dosan Kanroku is keen to promote, there are plenty of hearty dishes that can fulfill the cravings of unrepentant carnivores. A fine example of this is the kingdom udon (NT$250 to NT$280), which is much the same udon bowl, served hot with a topping of roast fatty pork and deep fried chicken pieces.
The thin slices of roast pork were of superior quality, but not awe-inspiring, but the presence of large chucks of tender fried chicken, all crispy outside and falling apart within, were a benison to a hungry meat eater. Against the hot broth and the strong flavors of the meat the udon noodles manage to hold their own, but naturally do not have quite the pride of place they command in the cold dishes.
It should be noted that the broth in all these dishes has been carefully-crafted and is also one of the highlights of Dosan Kanroku’s udon dishes. The menu itself ranges widely, including various spicy or miso-enhanced options for those who prefer stronger flavors. A selection of rice dishes, including eel and salmon sashimi don (NT$350 and NT$230 respectively) are available, as are a variety of side dishes including nigiri sushi and tempura.
The atmosphere is casual and unfussy, and service by a team of young servers is quick, efficient and friendly, though occasionally a bit sloppy. The food itself, over a number of visits, was always impeccably presented. Udon noodles in Taipei clearly have a home; the only problem is that after visiting Dosan Kanroku, you will have very little tolerance for what passes for udon at many Japanese restaurants in Taipei.
The unexpected collapse of the recall campaigns is being viewed through many lenses, most of them skewed and self-absorbed. The international media unsurprisingly focuses on what they perceive as the message that Taiwanese voters were sending in the failure of the mass recall, especially to China, the US and to friendly Western nations. This made some sense prior to early last month. One of the main arguments used by recall campaigners for recalling Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers was that they were too pro-China, and by extension not to be trusted with defending the nation. Also by extension, that argument could be
Aug. 4 to Aug. 10 When Coca-Cola finally pushed its way into Taiwan’s market in 1968, it allegedly vowed to wipe out its major domestic rival Hey Song within five years. But Hey Song, which began as a manual operation in a family cow shed in 1925, had proven its resilience, surviving numerous setbacks — including the loss of autonomy and nearly all its assets due to the Japanese colonial government’s wartime economic policy. By the 1960s, Hey Song had risen to the top of Taiwan’s beverage industry. This success was driven not only by president Chang Wen-chi’s
Last week, on the heels of the recall election that turned out so badly for Taiwan, came the news that US President Donald Trump had blocked the transit of President William Lai (賴清德) through the US on his way to Latin America. A few days later the international media reported that in June a scheduled visit by Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) for high level meetings was canceled by the US after China’s President Xi Jinping (習近平) asked Trump to curb US engagement with Taiwan during a June phone call. The cancellation of Lai’s transit was a gaudy
The centuries-old fiery Chinese spirit baijiu (白酒), long associated with business dinners, is being reshaped to appeal to younger generations as its makers adapt to changing times. Mostly distilled from sorghum, the clear but pungent liquor contains as much as 60 percent alcohol. It’s the usual choice for toasts of gan bei (乾杯), the Chinese expression for bottoms up, and raucous drinking games. “If you like to drink spirits and you’ve never had baijiu, it’s kind of like eating noodles but you’ve never had spaghetti,” said Jim Boyce, a Canadian writer and wine expert who founded World Baijiu Day a decade