Amane soba, Kanda (蕎麦 周)


I’m always going on about Kanda like you should know it, but most people don’t have much experience with it. At least most people in my experience. It’s this kind of neighborhood – 6-7 story buildings that are mainly offices for small companies. I like to think that this is the heart of Edo, updated for the 20th century (certainly not the 21st).

It’s also this kind of neighborhood. There are very old shops mixed in with the new and the previously-new. Once in a while you’ll see someone in kimono…and manage to get your camera out and take a no-look shot that turns out like this. BAM!

Mixed feelings about this soba place…I’ve tried to go a number of times in the past despite my general malaise over soba (old men in the audience will mark my love of ramen as youth and immaturity; let ’em) and have been turned away because they had run out…usually by 12:15 or 12:30. What what? I was almost surprised today when there were only two other customers and I got a big -rasshai when the door opened (and a great door it is, and great frontage). Unfortunately, photography is forbidden inside the store. That’s too damn bad, you clowns.

Well, I feel a touch bad about my attitude, because they’re into jizake along with their soba. That ‘Tsurushi’ actually came in today (I see by the blog), and is an interesting choice from Aizu, and I’m sure you recognize Murayu, Ishitsuchi, Yamagatamasmune, Hiroki and others (sorry if I left out your favorite; I’m actually writing this from memory, not looking at the picture that’s now inserted. No edits, you know?). They have wine too, which really ups the classiness quotient, or the intention of such.

And they have soba! I thought I was getting cold fried chicken when I ordered this, but that’s just because I was sloppy and didn’t read ‘atsu-age’ properly. Silly foreigner. Actually I was happy once I realized what I had ordered. And happier once I ate it, because it’s top-quality soba, very fine and firm, and the atsu-age was also excellent (he orders the tofu from a shop, then batters and fries it himself; I know this because it was good enough that I wanted to know where I could buy it, so I asked). The red pepper threads were good for contrast. The tsuyu could be a bit stronger, that’s all.

Night menu has all kinda weird choices, game meats and the like.
03 3256-5566