Tokyo Abura Soba

A very different, but very enjoyable, Soba experience. There are several Abura Soba shops around Tokyo and they all follow the same general pattern. You enter the shop and there will be a ticket vending machine where you insert your money and make your choice. However, since this shop basically only sells one kind of Soba your choice is limited to small, medium or large. Funnily enough, all three sizes are the same price. (You can also choose to add various toppings like egg, seaweed or garlic at modest extra cost, but they are not necessary). For the uninitiated, or the non-Japanese speaker, just go in and hit the middle button on the top. Everything else is automatic. You then take a seat at the narrow bar (or wait your turn) and in a few minutes your soba is served. The soba is a thick, slightly heavy noodle that is much more like ramen. It is lightly cooked to a firm 'al dente' texture and placed in a bowl with nothing else other than a dollop of their secret oil and a few toppings (sliced pork, seaweed and a few bamboo shoots). That's it. No traditional soba soup or dipping sauce. You then add, at your discretion, finely chopped onion (tama negi) and then drench your soba with a mild chili oil (ra yu) and a rice vinegar (o su). I use liberal quantities of each and find this to be one of the most satisfying, if simple, lunches in Tokyo. Highly recommended.