Soba noodles restaurant Tranomon Ōsaka-ya Sunaba bears traditional brand name “Sunaba”. Sunaba is one of the three big brand names of soba noodles restaurants in Tokyo.
Toranomon Ōsaka-ya Sunaba has a long history
Sunaba soba noodles restaurant began its business in Edo Period (1606-1867). Tranomon Ōsaka-ya Sunaba was established by Noren-wake from Kojimachi Sunaba (currently Minamisenjyu Sunaba) in 1875. And current wooden house restaurant was built in 1923.
Wooden house of Toranomon Sunaba
Tranomon Ōsaka-ya Sunaba is 3 minutes’ walk from Exit 1 of Toranomon subway station (Ginza line of Tokyo Metro). Other nearby subway staions are Kasumigaseki (5 minutes’ walk) and Uchisaiwaicho (6 minutes’ walk). If you want, you can walk from Shimbashi station of JR.
Its address is 1-10-6 Toranomon Minato-ku, Tokyo
Tranomon Ōsaka-ya Sunaba uses soba flour produced in Hokkaidō. Thus this restaurant doesn’t mill soba seeds in there. However it serves hand made soba (Teuchi soba).
Fundamental information on Tranomon Ōsaka-ya Sunaba
The restaurant opens at 11:00 am and closes at 20:00 (on Mon., Tues.), at 21:00 (on Wed., Thur., Fri.), at 15:00 (on Sat.). It closes on Sun. holidays and third Sat.
As Tranomon is business district and there are a lot of business persons around the restaurant, there is lunchtime rush at the restaurant. So, it is advisable to avoid to visit at least from 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm.
On principle the restaurant seems to avoid sharing a table. If all tables are occupied, you have to wait until a table becomes available. Even if you are alone, the restaurant lets you use one table.
No employee seems to speak English and there is no English menu. So, this restaurant may be a little difficult to use for visitors from abroad. Payment is cash only.
Repertoire at Tranomon Ōsaka-ya Sunaba
Toranomon Ōsaka-ya Sunaba serves standard soba noodles dishes.
Mori-soba
Below is the picture of Mori-soba with soba-yu. Mori-soba is cold noodles.
Mori-soba with soba-yu
Soba-yu is hot water that was used for boiling soba noodles. As some components of soba noodles dissolve in hot water during boiling process, soba-yu is nutrient. On upper part of the picture, Soba-yu is in the container that resembles teapot. On lower left side, you could see a small dish with condiment (green onions and wasabi (Japanese horseradish)). And on lower right side, you would find a bottle of dipping sauce. When we eat soba noodle, we pour dipping sauce into the cup.
After eating soba noodles, we pour soba-yu into the cup with dipping sauce, and drink the mixed soup.
Mori-soba at the restaurant cost 720 yen. Mori-soba tasted not bad. But I think the taste was not far better than that of ordinary neighborhood soba needles restaurants.
Tempura-soba
Tempura-soba is hot noodles. Noodles in hot soup are topped with tempura. Below is picture of Tempura-soba.
Tempura-soba at Toranomon Sunaba
On above picture, tempura is prawn. Tempura-soba cost 1,570 yen. Soba noodles were soft and tasted not so bad.
But prawn tempura was awful! The batter of tempura was sticky. The prawn didn’t taste at all. I felt as if someone repeatedly thawed and froze the pawn. Even at ordinary neighborhood soba noodles restaurants such a terrible Tempura-soba is rarely served.
To summarize this post, I don’t think Toranomon Ōsaka-ya Sunaba has value to take the trouble to visit.
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