Daikon Salad
by Celia Sin-Tien Cheng
May 18, 2006
SOBAKOH
309 E 5th St
(1st & 2nd Aves)
New York, NY 10003
212-254-2244
It’s been over a year since I last talked about Sobakoh. When I wrote the last review, the restaurant had just opened and was still trying to find its rhythm. A year and many visits later, I am glad to announce that Sobakoh is one of my favorite neighborhood restaurants. I love the atmosphere, the friendly and professional service and, most of all, the amount of attention this place gives to its food. Though I tend to end up spending $60-$70 per meal, which is more than I might expect to pay at a neighborhood soba joint, I am actually not complaining. It’s worth it. I would be paying about the same price at Honmura An, which is also lovely, but Sobakoh is a lot less pretentious. Of course that’s part of the difference between the East Village and SoHo.
Right now is soft shell crab season and so you’ll see it on every menu. At Sobakoh, the soft shell crab tempura is a year-round staple but, because the crabs are in season right now, it’s extra delicious! I still find the flavor to be rather subtle, but when it comes out of the kitchen freshly deep-fried, every bite is a treat. The trick of course is to try to finish before it gets cold because it loses both flavor and texture. While hot, the crabmeat is still juicy and the kani miso (crab roe) is runny — yuuuuuuuummmmmmmmy! Not to mention that Sobakoh makes tempura well, not overly doughy with the batter just thick enough to produce the right amount of crisp.
I’ve also tried the eggplant and ground duck meat soba (kind of like a ragu but in broth), the kamo tsuke soba (your basic kamo seiro in which you dip the cold soba into hot broth with slices of duck) and the uni and ikura soba (cold soba with sea urchin and salmon roe, which comes with a cold tsuyu — soba dipping sauce — to pour over it). All three have their own merits and can satisfy different cravings. I was specifically craving sea urchin but didn’t feel like having sushi, and so the uni and ikura soba was perfect, since a good amount of fresh uni was paired with the cold soba.
But what I really want to talk about is the daikon salad, which is what I really crave at Sobakoh, despite being a soba fanatic. When I say that Sobakoh pays attention to its food, I mean that it not only uses fresh ingredients but cares about the details too. Even the careful slicing of scallions and shallots shows that Sobakoh really wants you to experience a beautiful and zen meal, down to the smallest details. The daikon radish is thinly sliced, served with yuzu wasabi dressing and topped with bonito flakes and some greens for garnish. It’s a light starter but very addictive. I just kept picking at it until I finally noticed that there were no more slices of daikon left. :(
With a good sake selection, high quality food and soba, friendly service, relaxing jazz and an easy-going clientele (predominantly Japanese), Sobakoh has become my ideal little neighborhood joint, inconspicuously located on 5th Street.
Also in East Village, Japanese, Noodles, Salad, Soba
