Hatsu Udon
There are three questions I get asked most frequently about my blog endeavours:
1) Is eating at/writing about restaurants your full-time job? The answer to this is no, it’s purely a hobby of mine. Which is often innocently followed up by:
2) So what are you trying to achieve with it? I don’t have any specific goals. I love to eat, read, and write - this blog is a form of me pursuing my passions, with no interest in monetary gain. My enjoyment comes from writing about independent businesses, allowing blog readers, friends, or acquaintances to find their new favourite spots - which in-turn allows the business to gain something.
Context set, it feels like a great segway to this piece on Hatsu Udon, a Japanese udon restaurant perched on the corner of Penarth Road in Grangetown since mid-2024.
Ah, hold on - you may be wondering what the third most asked question is:
3) Have you been to Six By Nico? I have absolutely no intention of eating here.
Hatsu Udon is exactly the kind of place I love to write about. They’ve been on my hit list ever since they opened, with local writers including The Plate Licked Clean, Gourmet Gorro, and Soliciting Flavours all writing their own positive pieces on them. They got bumped to the very top of that list recently, whilst discussing Cardiff restaurants in the office at work with some teammates - see, I do have a ‘real’ job - an unknown colleague overheard our conversation, then popped her head over the desk to recommend Hatsu Udon. After engaging in a conversation, turns out she was already a blog follower too - shoutout to Kendra!
Their space is open, light, and extremely welcoming. Staff make a conscious effort to greet every person that walks through the door. There are options to be seated at a bar overlooking the kitchen, or at tables edged around the room. Japanese prints adorn the walls. Menus are laminated and clean. Staff lockers are neatly stacked and labelled. This feels like a smooth and efficient operation.
These udon noodles are made in-house using traditional Japanese methods. I’m willing to take a stab at cold udon being an alien concept within Western culture and I must admit to feeling a touch apprehensive upon ordering them - but to play things safe we also ask for chicken Karaage (£7.50) and pork gyozas (£7).
Our safe bets romp home. Those pork gyozas arrive with a lacy skirt - akin to frost on an iced window - achieved by steam frying water and flour, which glues the dumplings together. There is a satisfying crisp snap as they are pried apart, though their shape is retained despite being packed full.
The Karaage are sizeable hunks of deep fried, juicy chicken thighs, a set of chopsticks unable to bear their weight. These can go toe-to-toe with Matsudai Ramen’s famed Karaage starter - albeit Matsudai boast that Japanese curry mayo.
Nikutama udon (£15.50) is the cold udon previously described, which a member of staff exclaims is “her favourite” when I order. A tangle of those chewy homemade thick cut udon noodles, strips of lukewarm stewed beef and onions, delicate tempura flakes that crunch like autumn leaves, an onsen egg, poached at a low temperature, surrounded by a cool broth. It’s a beautiful looking bowl which hits all the right spots and has opened up my Western mind to cold udon dishes.
We order a couple of desserts, which aren’t anything to get excited about. Mango cheesecake mochi (£3.50) and chocolate Dorayaki pancake (£3.20) I suspect are pre-packaged. Although a sweet and dainty way to round off our meal.
This spontaneous Sunday lunch visit underlines why I love living in a culturally diverse city. Nothing makes me happier than sitting in a wonderful restaurant like this, then coming home and feeling excited to write about it. Hatsu Udon is highly recommended.