This post was written in 2007. Shop details and prices may have changed since then.
There was a place I really wanted to try whenever I got to Asakusa, famous for Senso-ji: Namiki Yabu Soba, which has made quite a name for itself in Tokyo for its soba. I’d been in the neighborhood once before for a loach dinner, but only checked where it was and went home. There are quite a few places in Tokyo carrying the Yabu Soba name, but I’d heard this one is among the best of them.
The front entrance.
It’s a cozy little place.
The sign.
It says Namiki Yabu Soba.
Water and a newspaper
They bring these out as soon as you sit down.
I ordered the tempura zaru soba.
Just as good as its reputation. If Sanuki udon noodles are rough and taste of the countryside, its rice paddies and the sea, these are the refined, modern taste of the city. And of course the tempura shows real frying skill. The only catch is that it’s pretty hard on the wallet.
Here’s the sobayu.
It’s the water the soba was boiled in. In Korea too, naengmyeon places serve you buckwheat cooking water. Even the pot looks like it’s seen years of service.
You pour it in like this and drink it.
Maybe I poured in a bit too much, but it’s delicious.
Still impressed by Namiki Yabu Soba, I looked next door and there was a Kitakata ramen shop. It really wasn’t the time for a back-to-back meal (I had to head straight to dinner after this), but I couldn’t resist my curiosity and went in.
The sign
Kitakata ramen shops have such a distinctive font that you spot them anywhere.
Kitakata ramen
The broth is soy sauce-based and light, and it goes well with the thick, curly noodles. The chashu is small enough to chew easily but still nice and thick. It’s not very oily either, so it doesn’t sit heavy. Overall it lacked impact, but it tasted pretty good. Still, eating ramen right after soba is not something I’d recommend.