"Namiki Yabusoba" in Asakusa was founded in 1913 by Katsuzo Hotta, the third son of Shitibei Hotta, the founder of the famous soba restaurant "Kanda Yabusoba."
Kanda Yabusoba has its origin in "Dangozaka Yabusoba," a branch of famous soba restaurant Tsutaya, located in Kanda Renjyakucho(Currently Kanda Awajicho). Kanda Yabusoba was a franchise restaurant of "Dangozaka Yabusoba." However, since the third storekeeper of Dangozaka Yabusoba failed his business and Kanda Yabusoba eventually took over the "Yabusoba brand."
Shichibei, the founder of Kanda Yabusoba, lost his first son earlier. So he inherited Kanda Yabusoba to his second son. His third son, Katsuzo, had already started his soba restaurant in Kyobashi. Shichibei inherited a famous soba restaurant, Yabukin, in Kyobashi and gave the restaurant to Katsuzo. Since the restaurant in Kyobashi was built on leased land, Katsuzo moved his restaurant to Asakusa Namikicho in 1913, which is the current Namiki Yabusoba.
The long-established Namiki Yabusoba is famous for its quite rich soba soup typical of downtown Asakusa in the Kanto region. At first, the taste is too strong, and you may be surprised, but it is delicious enough to be addicted. The manufacturing method is the secret of the delicious soup attracting soba fans for a long time.
"Soba's Kaeshi" is said to determine the deliciousness of soba. Kaeshi is the seasoning used in soba soup. Sugar, miso, and ake are added to soy sauce. Namiki Yabusoba lets it rest for three weeks to mellow the soy sauce and give it a mature flavor.
"Broth" is one of the basics of cooking. Rich and deep flavor cannot be achieved with chemical seasonings. Namiki Yabusoba uses thick bonito flakes for making broth and boils them for 90 minutes to give the broth a good taste.
Then "Kaeshi" are added to the broth, and after the taste is adjusted, soba soup is rested in a clay hot water container. By maturing it for 24 hours, strong umami taste comparable to the aroma of soba is made.
The restaurant makes full use of this unique soba soup in various menus. The most popular one is Kamo Nanban soba noodle(noodles with duck meat and Welsh onions). Duck meat adds even more rich and delicious taste to the soba soup.
The chewy buckwheat noodles have an excellent flavor and a pleasant texture. The taste is comparable to the thick soup and captivates soba lovers. The fat of duck meat melts in the soup and is very delicious.
You can directly enjoy the taste of soba with "Zaru soba." Zarusoba is soba noodles that are served on a woven bamboo tray, called a zaru. "Tempura soba" is a little luxurious, and "Okame soba" is fun since the design and ingredients change depending on the restaurant. If you want to enjoy the taste of soup and soba noodles, zaru soba is the best choice.
