Ramen, ramen, ramen. Everybody loves ramen these days, including us. However, it’s important not to forget about soba. While in Tokyo Japan, we had some excellent soba at Matsugen in the Ebisu neighborhood.
We arrived at the comfortable, upscale restaurant at an odd time, so we were the only diners. In other words, it was the perfect time to eat noodles in Tokyo.
→ Click here to discover 40 of the best noodle dishes in the world.
Lunch at Matsugen
Beer
After we were seated, we ordered draft Sapporo Kuro Rabel beers and perused the comprehensive menu that went well beyond soba. Prices were reasonable.
We both opted for the Matsugen Soba since it sounded interesting in a “best of” kind of way, which turned out to be a good choice for sampling this Japanese food staple.
Soba
We were served the hand-made soba noodles in beautiful pottery bowls along with savory sauce on the side. As expected, each noodle was uniformly constructed. Firm yet delicate, the noodles were made by hand as they have been for over 150 years.
The nuttiness of the buckwheat noodles stood up to the flavorful Japanese toppings that included yam, shisonori, scallion, egg, sesame, okura, wasabi, cucumber, yoga, bonito and Jew’s mallow. That’s a lot of goodness for 1,160 yen or approximately $12.
We dug in and decided that ramen is definitely not the only noodle soup game in town.
→ Click here to discover more of the best soups in the world.
As we enjoyed the meal, other diners trickled in, and the buzz picked up. We made our way to the bottom of the bowls and thought we were done, but then the waiter brought us broth to pour in our bowls so that we could enjoy the remaining flavors in a different way. So delicious.
We later learned that we could have ordered more noodles for the broth. At least we’ll know for next time.
After ending the meal with some soba tea (Mindi) and French white wine (Daryl), we left the stylish restaurant with full bellies and a new respect for soba.
Matsugen is located at Japan, 〒106-0045 Tokyo, Minato City, Azabujuban, 3 Chome−11−12 仙台坂オークヒルズ 1F.
Plan Your Tokyo Trip
Important Update
Some restaurants have revised their hours and menus due to COVID-19. Others may close, either temporarily or permanently, without notice. Be sure to check restaurant websites for updated information.
Hungry for Ramen in Tokyo?
Check out our article about Tokyo’s Ramen Street.
About the Authors
Daryl & Mindi Hirsch
Saveur Magazine’s BEST TRAVEL BLOG award winners Daryl and Mindi Hirsch share their culinary travel experiences and recipes on the 2foodtrippers website and YouTube. The married Food and Travel content creators live in Lisbon, Portugal.
frannytravels
Tuesday 7th of May 2013
So yummy! Thanks for sharing :D