One of the top three buckwheat soba restaurants, “Namiki Yabusoba”

After the renovation, it has kept the traditional atmosphere and established taste. It’s the charm of a long-standing restaurant.

I feel kind of chic myself, having soba at a famous traditional restaurant.

When you enter, there is a tatami space on the left and tables on the right. It seems to be filled with locals. There weren’t any tourists when I went.

There isn’t really a menu card, so look at the displays on the walls.
There isn’t even anything on the table!
No seasonings… I guess you’re supposed to eat it just as it is served!

Edo-mae style spicy sauce

I first ordered “zarusoba”, soba served on a bamboo basket with a separate dipping sauce. It was brought to me just a few minutes later.

Hmm, the portion looks pretty small. But alright. It is THE “Namiki Yabusoba” after all!

I decided to try the soba just by itself.
I thought it would be chilled, but it’s actually still a bit warm from the boiling water.
The smooth noodles are thin and give me an excellent feeling as they go through my throat. It has a good firmness and a subtle flavor.
The sauce is a bit spicy, Tokyo Edo-mae style. You can tell it’s a strong sauce just from the appearance.

Next, I try the noodles with a little bit of the sauce.

“Delicious!”
That was my genuine reaction. It’s not something I can explain with logic!

Soy sauce flavor, would be a more accurate term to describe the sauce than spicy. I can’t stop eating the soba!

Lots of sobayu in the pot

The pleasant staff brought me a pot filled with sobayu, water the soba was boiled in.
It has a milky white color and is not overly thick.

I drank it together with the dipping sauce. It has a nice soba flavor. Vey tasty!
I ended up having quite a bit of the sobayu water.

I paid the bill and left, highly impressed.

There is something special about Namiki Yabusoba. The atmosphere is particular. It is unlike the average soba restaurant.
I’m glad to have had a chance to eat at the established restaurant, where the staff change but the tradition carries on.

writer：Yoko