I walked passed Taku one early evening. The building was a typical stylish old dwelling, like many that are scattered around the city. There were a few people standing outside and I didn't know it was a restaurant. It was the sign on the second floor which says its a printing company that caught my attention.

Then I walked nearer and saw the board by the entrance. It serves gyudon, this is Japanese bowled rice topped with beef. The instructions on the board says

1. Queue up to get a menu - he eat in menu is on the left and the take out one on the right.
2. The menu is your number - each sheet has it own number, you tick your order on the sheet
3. And this is the most important point, if you're number has passed, meaning if you wander off when they call your number, you have to get a new menu.

Wow! Sounds like they can get very busy! Luckily it wasn't that bad when I was here, and since it was nearly dinner time, I figured I'd check it out.

I grabbed a menu sheet, ticked my order, and was given a table outside in the court yard. That was fine as it wasn't too cold and it was a walled courtyard, it wasn't as if I was eating by the road side. This is the front entrance to the inside, it looks just like a normal family home. There were only a few tables inside, imagine a normal living room size. I didn't take any photos as it was full inside.

As I was waiting for the food to arrive, I went to look at the food preparation area. It was located outisde by the side of the house. There were three or four guys working here. And a bowl of beef was simmering away, it smelt real good! This is the first picture above, the quality isn't that good as the steam was coming up from the heat. This bowl of beef is their signature and of courses that's what I ordered.

I stood for a while watching them plate the food. It was done with a lot of precision and care to make sure all the bits and pieces and garnishing looked perfect. And sure enough, here's the food.

Apart from the beef, each bowl came with other different ingredients such as radish, spring onions, and a runny egg. The egg combines the whole meal together taking it to another level. It's absolutly delicious especially with the gravy from the beef.

This place is a bit out of the way for me, and I've walked past a couple of times since. Once it was in the afternoon, and the other time there was quite a lot of people waiting so I didn't want to wait. Sadly I haven't been back yet, but it's definitely on my regular weekly choice. I just need to get the timing right.

Restaurant Information

Taku Gyudon

No. 105, Minsheng North Road, West District, Taichung City, Taiwan 403