ROPPONGI: Komoro Soba for some huge Shrimp Tendon on Sale!

Its very rare that I hit up a soba noodle place instead of ramen before heading home but occasionally I should stick to some seafood vs carbs.  3 Pieces for 490yen... thats all me!

But wait! 680yen super high ranked jumbo shrimp for 490yen!  And 4 giant pieces instead of 3! 

It didn't come with any sides like Miso soup but oh well... there is a ceramic bowl with free umeboshi's that were rather hard.

Overall it hit the spot and easy in easy out.  If you are craving Tempura on a budget then check it out... but you will have to walk past a few ramen shops to get there... good luck!

Shop: Komoro Soba Roppongi Branch

Franchise Website: http://www.k-mitsuwa.co.jp/komorodiv/index.html

Foodie Website: http://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1307/A130701/13140828/

Branches in Tokyo: http://tabelog.com/grouplst/G00204/

Address J: 東京都港区六本木4-10-8

Address E: Tokyo, Minato-ku, Roppongi 4-10-8
MAP:

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EBISU: Fuji Soba for a quick 270yen bowl to calm the hunger

Few friends were hungry after a party at Cafe Celi so we took a quick detour to Fuji Soba (franchise)... its easy on the wallet and far fewer calories than Ramen or Gyudon.  Most of the dishes are displayed outside.

We all went for the 270yen Kake... Just say Udon or Soba as you pass the ticket to the chef.

Lots of toppings for your noodles.

Little red shrimps.

Add wasabi to noodles that you dip in the sauce and the red 7 seasoning pepper to hot noodle bowls.

Added some red pepper to mine... 

Interior is very basic but you honestly won't spend more than 10 minutes here ordering and finishing your meal... its a very very fast food type setup.

Overall quick and easy with little damage to the wallet or waistline. These soba shops are all over Tokyo so if you are craving a late night meal after drinks it will hit the spot and for sure you'll be among salarymen on budgets (wives control the wallet) and taxi drivers who pop in for a quick meal.

Shop: Fuji Soba Ebisu Branch

Shop Website: http://fujisoba.co.jp/

Foodie Website: http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1303/A130302/13113238/

Address J: 東京都渋谷区恵比寿1-5-2 第2こうげつビル

Address E:  Tokyo, Shibuya-ku, Ebisu 1-5-2

MAP:

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JR OOTSUKA: Iwafune Soba (buckwheat noodle) served with Aloha... Can't go wrong at Chef Masa's

There's lots of love for Hawaii in Tokyo... and you'll never really know until that random conversation about where have you been begins.

Masa's family has owned this restaurant for over 40+ years and he took over in 2003 with a full renovation of the traditional Soba shop.  It now has a beautiful cozy atmosphere with Jazz in the background.

I sat down with my good friend Scott and we didn't order anything... he's been a regular since 2004 and Masa knows all his favorites.  So this sesame seasoned greens was our starter...

Think this is baked tofu with miso paste inside... 

Another must... Ebi-Age?  Not sure what the name was but always good.

Of course a staple at any Sushi or Motsu-nabe restaurant... hot egg made in a rectangle pan.

Masa is very selective with his Nihonshu and Shochu... 

So we just went for the Osusume... a very subtle sweet Imo-Jochu... had 2 cups, very good.

Time to close out the meal with my favorite (think its called) Tori-Nanban... Slices of grilled duck on hot soba.  Warms you right up in this cold Tokyo winter... very good.

Scott went for the regular soba... now if you as any Japanese how to best eat soba they will go for it like this. Dip it into a cup of soba soup (think its shoyu based)... the only true way to understand and appreciate both flavor and texture of this.   Masa's hand made soba style dates back to the Edo period of using 8 parts soba and 2 parts wheat.  If you see this at train stations or standing soba shops for cheap its because to cut costs they have 3 parts soba and 7 parts wheat.   Price of Soba powder is seven times that of wheat...

Counter seating... we were sitting behind these chairs where there are 2 small tables each able to fit 4-5 people.

Closed with some Hot Japanese Tea... Testing out my new acquisition, a Pentax F1.8 manual lens on the Pentax K-M (K2000)... the 55mm makes it quite a tight shot in a close restaurant atmosphere.

Hawaiian CD and picture of Diamond Head in the restroom.  This guy loves Hawaii and visits whenever he can.

And so we closed out the store and headed off to Masa's high school classmates shop BAR MOO in the same neighborhood.  With a solid Tabelog ranking of 3.81 points there really is no reason not to give it a try!

Mother waving goodbye... Oh, place is just 1 stop from Ikebukuro Station.

Shop: Kyo Chisou Iwafune

Shop Website: http://sobaiwafune.web.infoseek.co.jp/

Foodie Website: http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1323/A132302/13017041/

Address J: 東京都豊島区南大塚3-53-9 毛塚ビル1F

Address E:  Tokyo, Toshijma-ku, Minami Ootsuka 3-53-9

MAP:

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EBISU: Ita-Soba Kaori-Ya... Very popular spot for traditional Japanese Soba Noodles. Almost like Tsukemen or Chilled Dipping Ramen Noodles.

Mari and Tina checked this place out the previous week and said it was soooo good.  Kaori-Ya is open until 4:30am so might be a good end of the night spot. 

Traditional sliding door greets you.

Chopsticks sit on a little peanut... its not reused so u can eat it.

Small crunchy fried things are free... nibble until the noodles show up.

You can either select the hot noodles (like Ramen) or cold noodles that are dipped in the Soba soup.  We both went for the Duck Soup but there are many choices on the menu.

If you like it a little spicy just add this "seven seasonings".

After you finished all your noodles don't drink up the Soup right away!  Ask for "Soba You."  Its the hot water they used to boil the noodles...  just pour some into your leftover soup and drink.  I never knew about this until Mari introduced me to it.  Warms you up and mellows out the shoyu based soup.

There are a few tables and 2 very long tables that seat 10.  You will probably be sharing the larger table but its part of the experience.  They might ask if you want to sit in the "Ai Seki" which means sharing a table with somebody else... very common in smaller popular restaurants.

Restaurant: Ita-Soba Kaori-Ya.

Location: EBISU (Near Domino's Pizza, AU Shop, Kinko's)

Foodie Website: http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1303/A130302/13001653/

Gnavi Website: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/a020701/

Address J: 東京都渋谷区恵比寿4-3-10 中出センチュリーパーク1F

Address E: Tokyo, Shibuya-ku, Ebisu 4-3-10

MAP: https://goo.gl/maps/ZnP7QiNTe7VTwd5D7

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