When you hear the words, curry and udon (thick wheat noodles), you don't expect anything other than a bowl full of udon topped with a red soupy curry. But at Shodai, the concept of a curry udon is turned over its head.
At first glance, the dish looks like a dessert -- the kind topped with a whole lot of whipped cream. There is no clue that this could be a curry or udon. Served in a black bowl, the contrast with the pure white curry udon is striking.
What makes this topping look so creamy? It is apparently a smooth potato mousse and tastes like a potage. If you try just the white cream, you won't get any flavor of curry!
The curry is beneath this perfectly creamy topping. The chef recommends mixing the topping well with the curry for maximum flavor.
The curry and potato soup is mild in terms of spice but the flavor of dashi lifts it. The udon have a nice bite and go perfectly with the soup. There are bits of extremely soft beef in the curry!
Each table also has a set of six types of salt including one from Pakistan and one from France. The others are from Hiroshima, Okinawa, Niigata and Oshima.
This time, we tried the "dashi-maki tamago" as well which was absolutely divine. Add a little bit of soy to the grated raddish and enjoy. You can also grate fresh wasabi here!
Due to its popularity, you would need to reserve or be there 10-15 minutes before opening for a counter seat! From a few of the counter seats, you can see the chefs roll fresh udon. This dish just costs 1,188 yen (incl. tax)!
The restaurant itself is known for its handmade soba (buckwheat noodles) and udon but most people come to try this much-talked about dish. Close to Ebisu station on the Yamanote Line in Tokyo, Shodai should be on every foodie's list. Have we stirred your curiosity to try this one?
Shodai
Address: 1-1-10 Ebisu Minami, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo (5-min walk from Ebisu Station on Yamanote Line)
Hours: 17:00 - 4:00 (Last order: 3 am); on Sundays 17:00 - 1:00 (Last order: midnight)
Open all year round (except during New Years)
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