Tokyo’s most famous soba restaurant. Kanda Matsuya is one of Tokyo’s finest of hand-cut (te–uchi) soba noodles. Founded in 1884 Kanda Matsuya is a long-standing Japanese restaurant known to all soba noodle lover.

It is said that more than 3,700 soba buckwheat noddles restaurant were in Tokyo During the Edo period. Given that the population of Tokyo was around one million at that time. We can easily assume that soba was a very popular food. Japanese soba noodles are made from buckwheat flour or a combination of buckwheat and wheat flours. The thickness of the noodles is similar to spaghetti. Served both hot or cold depending of the dish.

KANDA MATSUYA

Tokyo’s most famous soba restaurant. Founded in 1884 Kanda Matsuya is a long-standing most historical Japanese restaurant known to all soba noodle lover. The atmosphere of Kanda Matsuya is special. An old wood house in the middle of new buildings which gives you the experience of time travel.

Inside is as traditional as the outside with the essence of Tokyo. Sharing tables and a vibrant atmosphere filled by people enjoying sake with their soba & tempura. You can see the chef making soba noodles from cutting the soba dough by hand.

On new years eve, for the tradition of eating soba noddles called Toshikochi soba or year crossing noddles. Kanda Matsuya serves as many as 8000 plates of soba noodles in a single day.

MY CULINARY EXPERIENCE AT KANDA MATSUYA

A very friendly service, giving us good recommendations on popular items. The waitress was also kind enough to walk us through the menu and answer any questions we had.

Wanting to enjoy the noodles in its finest form. I choose the Morisoba cold soba with a soy dipping sauce (¥650). Presented on a Zaru, which means “a strainer” in Japanese. They were rich in flavour springy with the sauce being just salty enough to flavour without overwhelming the nutty noodles. However, in my opinion, you need to order the noodles Omori (extra large) as I was still hungry. For those of you who prefer to keep it simple, I definitely recommend it.

Since it was my first trip to Japan and was hungry to try more dishes. I decided to try one of their speciality Komonaban for the price of 1650 yen. Duck one of my favourite, so I had to choose that dish. Well balanced broth, perfect for a cold winter’s day. The noodles are firm with a bit of bounce which is the way I like them. The dish was subtle, simple flavours which combine for exceptional depth and complexity.

MATCHA EVERYWHERE

Matcha lattes, matcha ice cream and matcha desserts can be found all over Japan. Their vibrant green hue are being documented all over Instagram. Traditionally, matcha is being used in the Japanese tea ceremony. However, the origins of preparation and consumption of powdered tea go back to Chinese Zen Buddhists. A form of green tea leaves made into a powder that is far stronger than regular tea. It has a variety of health benefits, like helping to prevent heart disease, cancer, and many others.

Matcha looks like a fresh green coloured cocoa powder and has a slightly bitter-but-sweet earthy taste. But when made as a dessert it is delicious, pairing well with chocolate, berries and dairy.

As the day continued, I discovered a casual authentic casual Japanese shop. They serve Jiyoza dumplings filled with ground pork and vegetables. I didn’t like the dumpling they had a moderate texture and flavour. But guesses what I tried for the first time…..