Sakamoto Soba-ten

The first dish to catch the eye on the menu is Sakamoto donburi, named after the restaurant. A generous assortment of toppings—including cutlet soaked in sauce and a large shrimp tempura—crowns the rice, making for a satisfying combination reminiscent of tempura, cutlet and chicken-and-egg rice bowls all at once. If you want an even more substantial meal, the Sakamoto donburi set comes with chilled tofu, pickles and soba.

Sakamoto Soba-ten stands opposite the entrance to Tokyo Metropolitan Matsuzawa Hospital in Hachimanyama, Setagaya. Its wide-ranging menu makes it a reliable everyday option, with plenty beyond the usual soba-shop fare. Alongside staples such as cold soba, tempura soba and curry nanban—a noodle dish in a savoury curry broth—there is Chinese-style moyashi ramen in a refreshing salt broth, as well as katsu curry, ham and egg set meals and horse mackerel fry set meals. It has the breadth of a neighbourhood diner.

It’s also an easy place to drop in for a drink as well as a meal. Order a bottle of beer and a serving of motsu stew, generously filled with tender, slowly simmered offal, then finish with noodles or a rice dish of your choice. This is the relaxed pleasure of a neighbourhood soba shop. There is also a sunken kotatsu-style tatami area, and the lively yet comfortable atmosphere makes it easy to put together a meal to suit your mood, at lunchtime or in the evening.