Dashin Soan (Soba), Shimokitazawa

the charming entrance

Finally some time to add a new entry!

This new post in a while features Dashin-Soan, an establishment serving a typically Japanese item: the cold "Soba" (noodles made of buckwheat flour) . But not your average soba you'll find for ¥300 at cheap eateries in stations or chains... The "superior" quality one.

the "waiting" space with the garden in the back

To be honest, I don't care that much about sobas as I am much more of an Udon guy (thicker noodles made of regular wheat flour), but I definitely like this place. I haven't been there a lot as it is a little out of the way (a good 15mn walk from the station), but the traditional decor and garden around the restaurant creates a soothing Japanesque ambiance and the noodles have been excellent every time we've visited the place. Not to mention the Shinganji temple right across the street with its giant gingko tree and a locally very popular shrine, the Kitazawa Hachimangu a block away, so the post-lunch/dinner promenade is worth it.

Dashin Soan is very popular, so you might have to wait a little bit before being seated, but the wait is on a bench outside by the garden, so it's not stressful at all.

everything is nice and classy

We waited about 10mn before being welcomed in the elegant restaurant: everything from the furniture to the dishes is chosen with taste.

In order to fully enjoy the noodles' flavor, my wife and I both ordered their recommended Akisoba (Autumn Soba) noodles, freshly boiled then washed and chilled in cold water, and eaten dipped in a cold dark brown Tsuyu broth (a mix of dashi, mirin and shoyu).

Akisoba designates the Sobas made of buckwheat planted between early June and mid-September and harvested between late August and late December.

Dashin Soan's noodles are totally homemade, from shelling and grounding the wheat, to making the dough and thinly slicing it into fresh noodles.

the supersized noodles

The noodles come in a large plate with two holes in the middle (that you don't see on the picture) that act as drainers for the excess water. Freshly grounded Wasabi and thinly-cut Negi (Spring onion) are served on the side for your liking. Japanese usually add both in the broth.

The grey noodles are square, about 2mm in width and a hint brown because of the tiny bits of grounded buckwheat shell mixed in the flour. The Koshi (firmness) is quite strong and the bite al dente. We ordered the supersize, which did not seem to be a lot at first but it's actually filling: you'll see... just don't slurp and swallow. Chew and savor those, and you'll find yourself really full. Plus, that will let you fully enjoy the taste of the buckwheat, slightly reminiscent of the wonderful aroma of a rustic Pain De Campagne country bread.

the freshly boiled and then cold water chilled noodles

At ¥1,300, it is not a very cheap lunch, but everything from the decor to the noodles is upscale, and you should thoroughly enjoy the experience.

Last but not the least, if you want to eat the noodles the real Japanese way, you should order one or two little entrees to munch on with some nice sake and finish your nice meal with a plate of noodles.

Dashin Soan is closed on Tuesdays, open the rest of the weekdays from 11:30am to 15:00pm and 17:30pm to 21:30pm; from 11:30am to 21:30pm on weekends and notional holidays

03-5431-0141

3-7-14 Daizawa, Setagaya-Ku

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Hoteiya (Soba), Taishido

I wasn't sure whether I should feature "Hoteiya" as it's one of my best well-kept secret and it's a little out of the way from Shimokitazawa, but what's the use of keeping a blog for visitors if not to divulge the best stuff?

Hoteiya is a family-run Sobaya (Soba noodles restaurant) located in the residential Taishido area, between Shimokitazawa and cool Sangenjaya, though way closer to the latter. The restaurant is the oldest Sobaya in business in the huge Setagaya ward (as big as Manhattan NY), and has been open since 1925. This local's favorite is kept vibrant and lively by an incredibly friendly old couple, their three daughters and an always smily charming grand-daughter.
It is a little difficult to find, but if you're willing to enjoy potentially getting lost before reaching the place (or even not get there....), soak up in an authentic local atmosphere, eat good food at VERY reasonable price, try real Japanese hospitality and get comfortably numb with the very rare and excellent Sobayu-Wari (distilled barley alcohol mixed with boiled water diluted buckwheat flour), then go for it!

Though Hoteiya is a Soba restaurant, the sisters will be the first ones to laugh that they've become over the years more of an izakaya (food serving pub) than a noodle eatery. The best thing to do when you get there is definitely sampling some of their extensive non soba/udon food menu before finally attacking the specialties.
That's exactly what we did the other day when we ordered some Itawasa (fresh slices of fish cake Kamaboko eaten with wasabi and shoyu) to accompany our opening beers, before working on the chewy Konyaku (block of boiled konjak) Miso-Dengaku style (seasoned with hot sweet miso sauce). Both dishes are healthy low-calories typical Japanese appetizers and very pleasant to munch on to while your appetite grows, so try them if you can.

Miso Dengaku

We then moved on to the amazing and even healthier Yon-Shoku-Mori (literally Mixed Four Colors) which is a combination of four gooey ingredients, Nato (fermented beans), Tororo (grated Japanese yam potato), Mekabu (Wakame seaweed root) and Okura. You add a little soy sauce, mix the whole thing until it becomes slimy and eat it. Though it's rather poor in taste, but interesting in consistence, it has become one of my favorite dish at Hoteiya because of the rather big portion they give you and its affordable ¥500.

Yon-Shoku Mori

In the meantime, we ordered the incredibly rare (I have NEVER seen this anywhere else) SOBAYU-WARI to follow our empty beers. SOBAYU is the (once again very healthy) water in which the soba noodles have been boiled. Soba shops usually bring you the translucid and whitish liquid at the end of your meal, so you may add it in your Tsuyu dipping broth and drink the delicious solution. That's how Sobayu is used in Japan 99,99% of the time but not in Hoteiya. They go through the process of mixing buckwheat flour with boiled water to make a thick (and obviously much more flavored than the usual Sobayu, which is after all just remaining cooking water) soup that you mix with Mugi-Shochu (distilled barley alcohol which tastes like vodka) to make an interesting drink. It's got that undeniable Sobayu taste but it's a quite lethal one! You'll see a lot of repeaters ordering this for its good taste, its rarity and for the nice buzz that follows....

Soba-Yu Wari

It's unfortunate I have a limit of 5 pictures per thread because we also ordered a "Tako-Butsu" (raw octopus cut in chunks) which comes in rather big proportions. By the way, you will quickly find out that this family always seems to be in a mission of stuffing you until you give up. That's a least how it's been every single time for us, though we are increasingly careful about the amount we order each time. Whether it's due to the fact that they sometimes bring repeaters a little "extra" dish to thank you for patronizing them or because everything is so cheap, I'm not sure yet but we still haven't managed to order less than we should.
So it almost came as no surprise (if not for our belly) when they brought us a free Ume (marinated salty plum) seasoned Tofu salad, after we had already ordered a final Udon dish each.

I chose the "TenZaru Udon" (cold udon with a separate plate of Tempura). After so much to eat and one too many cup of Sobayu-Wari, it's difficult to keep track of what you're gobbling, but if I remember well, the good Tempura consisted of deep-fried Carrot, Shiso leaf, whole Shrimp, Eggplant, Green Pepper, Zenmai fern and Okura. And yes, I haven't forgotten Hoteiya is a noddle restaurant: well, their cold udon (thick wheat flour noodles) had a nice Koshi (firmness) and were the perfect finish to this orgy.

Udon (with Nori seaweed on top)

If you're wondering how much we paid for all that food and drinks, it cost less than ¥5,000 for the two of us. Not bad huh?

Hoteiya is (unfortunately) closed on Tuesdays and open the rest of the week from 11:45am to 15:00pm and from 17:30pm to 20:30pm in the evening
Setagaya-ku, Taishido 2-32-3
03-3413-5701
Click here for a much needed MAP