Its modestly polished Japanese exterior awkwardly stands out in the monotonous neighborhood, instantly giving you the belief that this place is going to be one decent Japanese eatery. Stepping inside, it gets even more modest, with the small restaurant simply lined up with dark brown tables and chairs. But if there is one thing that catches visitors' attention, it’s the wide open window into the kitchen showcasing how the udon noodles being made, chopped and dipped into boiling water. This place is Gyodaiya, a Japanese restaurant specializing in udon noodles in Hapjeong. In the menu, a section indicates where the ingredients come from and how the noodles are made with the traditional Sanuki method of stepping and slapping the dough by hand and aging it for 24 hours. The result is thick, chewy, glistening white noodles to slurp on.
The menu mainly consists of a variety of udon dishes, including both warm and cold bukkake udon. Both bukkake types are served broth-less, allowing you to pour in as much soy-based sauce as you'd want, along with chopped scallions, grated daikon radish and as a finishing touch, tempura flakes. The hot bukkake udon comes with an egg that you must immediately crack and add into the steaming hot noodles to add a rich and creamier texture to the dish. The egg in the cold bukkake udon is exchanged for a slice of lemon, which adds a light refreshing touch to the taste. Both dishes are extremely filling and maybe a little overwhelmingly rich, especially with the oily tempura pieces that come with a set.