Last night, I drank too much after a long time and my stomach was feeling a bit surprised... I feel like I shouldn't eat anything, but strangely I still feel hungry. So, for lunch today, I decided to drive instead of riding my bike because I felt a bit tired. I chose to eat at this restaurant. When I arrived at the restaurant around 11:30, there were no other customers. It seemed like a middle-aged couple was running the place. I ordered the parent and child rice bowl set for 970 yen. The food was ready in less than 10 minutes. The portion size looked good at first, but the soba noodles were served in a shallow dish, so it seemed like there wasn't much. The soba noodles were freshly cooked and had a nice texture and a good chewiness. The broth was rich and the soba soup was also flavorful. The parent and child rice bowl had a decent amount of rice and chicken, but the egg portion seemed a bit small and there were bald spots in it. The taste was good, with a nice dashi flavor. The soba soup was especially delicious, with a rich and satisfying taste. After finishing the meal and enjoying the soba soup, I surprisingly felt full. As more customers arrived, I left the restaurant.

I decided to quickly have lunch on a Sunday afternoon and visited the restaurant just before 12 o'clock, even though it was almost full, I was seated at the counter. I ordered the large portion of soba noodles and also added a bonito rice ball. After waiting for about 10 minutes, the food arrived. The soba noodles had a nostalgic taste, and the soba dipping sauce was familiar and delicious. After finishing the soba noodles, I added soba water to the dipping sauce and enjoyed the combination with the bonito rice ball. It was excellent.

I visited a long-established soba restaurant that has been in business for over 50 years in a residential street in Shinjuku in October 2022. The restaurant has a parking lot next to it and offers counter and table seating inside. I ordered my current favorite dish, "nabe-yaki soba." It took less than 10 minutes for it to be served. When the staff opened the lid, the soba was simmering hot! It was very appealing in this cold season. The soba noodles were thin and white, cooked just right. The broth was medium-bodied, which I liked. The ingredients were simple for a nabe-yaki dish, with chicken thigh meat, soft-boiled egg, kamaboko, green onions, wakame seaweed, and tempura crumbs. The portion of soba was just right, and I enjoyed it until the last bite. It was a nabe-yaki soba that suited my taste.

Today's lunch was at Maru-san, a soba restaurant in Arakawa. Located in front of a residential area and a school, this old-fashioned soba shop exudes a nostalgic atmosphere. I arrived about 10 minutes early and the owner kindly opened the shop early to seat me. The interior had 3 counter seats, 2 four-person tables, and 1 six-person table, all spaced out nicely. I ordered the vegetable tempura soba (with sakura shrimp) in a large size. As I looked around the shop after ordering, I noticed a suspicious sign above the counter that read "Noodle Eater Series," with handwritten options for extra-large portions and special soba for two. Although the word "for two" didn't seem very impactful, the fact that they recommended ordering for two made me wonder if the regular portion was already quite large. I started to feel a bit anxious about my decision to go for the large size. Anyway, since I had already ordered, all I could do was wait for my meal. About 10 minutes after ordering, my meal was served. Wait, is this warm soba? I touched the bowl and it was cold. Ah, I see, it's one of those situations! The vegetable tempura was cut into chunks and placed on top. However, there was an abundance of carrots, which happen to be my least favorite vegetable. The tempura mainly consisted of burdock root and carrots. The soba noodles were thicker than more delicate ones like Somen, but not as thick as Inaka Soba. The noodles lacked the fragrant aroma of typical soba and had a texture similar to chilled wheat noodles (which I am not a fan of). The dipping sauce was a bit watery and didn't complement the noodles well. Overall, it was a soba experience that didn't excite me.

A popular soba restaurant that has been rooted in the community for a long time, like a new shamisen. When it's opening time, the few parking spots next to the restaurant quickly fill up. The restaurant is also popular among taxi drivers, and you can feel the owner's desire to serve generous portions and satisfy customers. The extra-large portion, which is twice the regular size, has been a popular menu item for a long time. The regular soba dish costs 530 yen and comes with a generous serving of noodles that are long, firm, and puffy, typical of a casual soba restaurant. It's a bit of a challenge to pick up the noodles with chopsticks and transfer them to your mouth or slurp them up in one go. Watching the owner focus on making the soba at the stove is impressive. The noodles are washed well in cold water and have a light drain. The broth has a sweet dashi flavor, and dipping the noodles in it and slurping them up is a delightful experience. Personally, I was craving ramen, but the soba here was also satisfying. I remember that a popular soba restaurant in Hidaka used to serve ramen and katsu curry as well. It seems that this restaurant has built a stable customer base with its soba dishes, which is why they may have removed other items from the menu. Soba restaurants serving ramen have a deep history, in my opinion. Thank you for the meal.

I tried a new soba restaurant in the suburbs, but it didn't really impress me, so I entered a different restaurant that seemed to fill me up well. The interior of the restaurant was a typical casual soba shop style. The menu had basic options with donburi dishes and curry as well. It was quite busy with regular customers on the day I visited, and many people ordered set meals with donburi dishes. The "mori" soba was a typical white soba with slightly thicker noodles, smooth and chewy, with a slightly sweet and light broth that was just right when dipping the soba in. The portion size was decent, not too big or too small. The condiments were average, and the soba-yu (soba dipping sauce) was clear and served hot. Personally, I wasn't very interested in the soba, but it was cooked properly. This restaurant seems to be good for those looking to have a meal with rice dishes. Also, as of December 21, 2019, the "ramen" that many reviews mention seems to have been removed from the menu.

It was closed!

Katsudon: A delicious dish with breaded pork cutlet and egg over rice.

On a certain weekday during the Golden Week holiday, I stumbled upon a soba restaurant that exuded a sense of history from its appearance. The restaurant had a small parking lot for about 3 cars next to it, and the interior had a traditional soba restaurant atmosphere, with local customers coming in steadily. The background music was a daytime TV show playing on the television. One menu item caught my eye immediately - the "Noodle Eater Series" with a two-person serving of a "special large" portion. However, since I had a personal belief that curry at soba restaurants is delicious, I decided to try the "Katsu Curry (830 yen)" recommended by a friendly waitress. The curry arrived in a rugby ball-shaped dish, and I was excited to dig in. With the first bite, I was pleasantly surprised by the taste. It had a home-cooked feel with a moderate amount of oil, and the saltiness was well-balanced. The curry was not served with the typical soba restaurant condiments, and the ingredients included diced pork and finely chopped carrots. Before I knew it, I was enjoying the curry as if it were a drink. The pork cutlet was not very thick but was a generous size of about 20cm long, with a good amount of fat adding to the flavor. I savored the curry with the pork cutlet, and the rice was cooked slightly soft. I ended the meal with a serving of red pickles. Overall, it was a perfect curry for someone craving a home-cooked meal. Thank you for the delicious meal.

I read a blog about a certain restaurant and decided to visit it. The restaurant is called Marua, located on the busy Sanban Street in Shinkotoni. I parked my car next to the store and entered through the curtain. The atmosphere was nice. I sat at a table with sunlight streaming in, and ordered the Shoyu Ramen (580 yen) for myself and the Oyako Soba (610 yen) for my companion. While waiting, I read the newspaper and noticed the famous tempura bits on the table. After about 10 minutes, my Shoyu Ramen arrived. The aroma of sesame oil wafted from the bowl. The soup was a mix of chicken broth and kombu, with a hint of seasoning. I couldn't quite pinpoint the exact flavors, but I didn't mind the sesame oil shoyu soup. The noodles were thin, yellow, and homemade, cooked just right. The toppings included chashu, menma, negi, tamagoyaki, wakame, and kamaboko. The chashu was tender and flavorful. I added some tempura bits to make it a Tanuki Soba. The combination was delicious, and I finished every drop of the soup. It was a unique take on soba broth turned into ramen. I look forward to trying the Miso Ramen next time. Thank you for the meal!

I came to this restaurant a few times before checking in on Tabelog. I was planning to go for a workout after eating, so I decided to have something light at "Soba-dokoro Marua." It was close to 2 o'clock, the perfect time because this place allows smoking throughout. At this time, there are usually no customers, which is ideal. The exterior exudes a vibe from the mid-Showa period, reminding me of the houses that were common when I was in elementary school. I slid open the creaky door and entered. "Welcome!" greeted me as I stepped in. The interior had booth seating and a counter. I was thinking of getting the mori soba, but since I was hungry, I opted for the kashiwa soba. However, if only I had checked Tabelog beforehand... Macpon and Piitan were having ramen here. I only found out about the ramen on the menu after finishing my soba. I guess I'm stubborn... I had my kashiwa soba served. It was simple, with kashiwa peeking out from the deep green bowl, topped with negi and wakame. I actually like the combination of soba and wakame. The aroma of the seaweed enhances the flavor of the broth. I was pleased to see a ladle provided. I started by sipping the broth. It had a gentle dashi flavor with a hint of sweetness, reminiscent of traditional soba broth. The soba was very soft and easy to eat, slipping down smoothly. The tenderness of the soba paired well with the broth, making it delicious and easy to enjoy. The wakame added a nice touch to the flavor. The kashiwa was in small pieces, nothing particularly outstanding. I finished the broth, noticing a cherry blossom pattern at the bottom. Sometimes, this kind of soba is quite enjoyable. I'll have to come back for the ramen next time. Thank you for the meal.

I went on a journey to a soba restaurant that also serves ramen. They have a menu item called Ramen Sanmi, and a variety of rice dishes as well. Today, I ordered the Shoyu Ramen for 580 yen. It comes with chashu (pork belly), kamaboko (fish cake), shinachiku (bamboo shoots), wakame seaweed, onion, and green onions. The noodles are thin but firm. The soup is a bit different from what I imagined for a soba restaurant's ramen, with a hint of sesame oil flavor. It's delicious in its own way. They also have a menu called Noodle Eater Series, where you can get two servings of Morisoba for 650 yen, which seems like a good deal. I might come back to eat here again.

This is a place in Kita-ku, at Shin-Kotoni 6-jo 11-chome, across from Koyo Elementary School. However, if you're not a local, you might not know where it is, so please check the map on Tabelog as usual. The restaurant doesn't have a sign for ramen, and it's not registered on Tabelog. Park your car in the restaurant's parking lot and head inside. The regulars seem to know their way around like taxi drivers. Sit at the counter and look at the menu in front of you. There is definitely ramen on the menu, but there is no "salt ramen," so I ordered the "shoyu ramen" this time. It arrived in 8-9 minutes because it was crowded. It's hard to describe the ramen - it feels like the ingredients were just thrown into the bowl. First, I tried the soup, which is like a strong soba broth dominated by sesame oil. The noodles are medium thickness with a slight wave and slightly soft. The toppings include chashu, menma, naruto, wakame, onions, and green onions. It's a ramen from a soba shop, but it's completely different from what I expected, and I was pleasantly surprised.

I went to a soba restaurant that also serves ramen out of curiosity. The soy sauce ramen was like putting sesame oil in soba broth, if I were to describe it simply. It was a unique experience because you don't see that kind of ramen often. The atmosphere of the restaurant felt like a traditional soba shop, probably popular among regular customers. As for ramen, I think there will be more affordable ramen shops popping up in the future, even in tough times. I'm glad I got to try it.

This place is a hidden gem. It's not well-known due to its location, but taxi drivers seem to frequent it. It's a soba restaurant that is worth a visit. While there are many fancy and upscale soba restaurants out there, this one feels authentic. The owners, a sincere husband and a cheerful and kind wife, run the place together. I tried the cold soba, and it had a good texture and was delicious. It's a hidden gem in a residential area. It may seem like just soba, but it's worth trying. There are places that put on a show of making soba, but this place feels genuine. If you want to taste authentic soba without the frills, give it a try.