It was a cold, rainy, grey afternoon in Tokyo. My feet was close to going on strike from long walks exploring the neighbourhood surrounding Tokyo Station. Lunch was a not-so-distant memory, but a yearning for a sit-down and some snacks meant only one thing – buckwheat noodles or soba 蕎麦.
Soba is a classic Japanese noodle made from buckwheat flour. It’s thin and take on a pale colour with a tinge of green and can be served in a warm broth, served cold with a dipping sauce or stir-fried as yakisoba. For a light meal, cold soba is a great choice. It’s healthy, flavoursome and the idea of slurping the noodles covered in a light sauce loudly is too appealing.
Walking along Character Street in Tokyo Station, I discovered a noodle house called Oragasoba おらが蕎麦 and decided to give it a try.
I ordered the most basic cold soba dish called zaru Soba ざるそば. The noodles are topped with strips of sea weed or nori のり and served on a tray made of bamboo and shaped like a round sieve. The Japanese term zaru refers to the name of the tray. A dipping sauce made of Japanese soy, mirin and dashi stock in a lacquer-ware bowl were topped with wasabi and sliced spring onions.
The way to enjoy zaru soba is to pick up a few strands of noodles with a pair of chopsticks and dip them in the sauce. Then slurp loudly, and let the sweetness and savouriness of the noodles unravel in your mouth. Make sure you mix the wasabi and spring onions with the sauce beforehand.
The noodles costs 440 yen, which was about $5 so I felt compelled to order some more food. It was late in the afternoon and I didn’t really want to leave no room for dinner, so I opted for two side dishes, which were also served cold.
Edamame or soy bean in pods were common and a good option for a light, refreshing snack that goes well with beer.
But I was quite excited with a cold tofu side dish known as Hiyayakko 冷奴. It’s cold silken tofu topped with chopped spring onion and sesame seed. It was delicious with a good balance of savoury and sweet. The chilled silken tofu was provided another level of freshness and because tofu usually tasted very subtle, the strong spring onion and sesame topping complimented the tofu well.
Oragasoba had other items on the menu including fried food on skewers. They had seats in front of a bar and also rows of booths creating a slice of privacy. The decor is traditional Japanese using lots of wood, lanterns and warm lighting. The atmosphere was relaxing and comfortable.
They even have coat hangers for the business crowd!
Soba is definitely a healthy alternative in Japanese cuisine. You can find everywhere in Japan as it’s a staple that’s not only tasty but versatile.
Location
Oragasoba is situated in the underground shopping mall in Tokyo Station.
Address
2-1 Yaesu, Chuo, Tokyo Prefecture.
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