Tokyo has no shortage of excellent traditional soba noodle restaurants. But for a creative and contemporary – yet entirely authentic – take on soba, visit Ryan in Shibuya. Part of the Tyson’s restaurant group, known for stylish eateries like Crista, Cicada and T.Y. Harbor, Ryan has a similarly classy interior. Long, dark timber benches run along the sides of an open kitchen in this secluded Shibuya backstreet spot. Plus, you can watch soba noodles being handmade fresh daily from the glass-fronted room behind the kitchen.
The soba menu ranges from plain chilled soba served with a rich dashi-based dipping sauce to more complex offerings like hot soba with anago (sea eel) and vegetable tempura. We love the chilled soba with creamy sesame and walnut dipping sauce, which enhances the delicious earthy, nutty quality of soba. In spring, this combination comes with snapper sashimi. In addition to conventional noodle offerings, there’s creative concoctions like soba with crab, salted fish roe and nori crumble; or soba topped with fresh shirasu (whitebait), sea urchin and salmon roe.
But it’s not just the soba that’s excellent at Ryan – be sure to try some of the innovative, beautifully presented selection of appetisers and sides, covering all bases of raw, pickled, deep-fried, grilled and braised. These change seasonally, but you can expect dishes like mountain herb and cheese-laced potato salad, strawberries and dried persimmon topped with tofu and mascarpone sauce, and deep-fried octopus seasoned with ume and shiso.
If you need a little guidance, there are course options available for both lunch (¥4,500 to ¥6,500, 5 courses plus tea) and dinner (¥9,000 and ¥12,000, 10 courses). The drinks menu is exquisite and regularly changes, with seasonal and natural sake, Japanese wines, craft beer, and even cocktails. Come here when you want to impress (and be impressed).