Located in a quiet backstreet of Harajuku, Tamawarai is a one-Michelin-starred soba restaurant that looks like a discreet modern Japanese home from the outside. Low-lit, with just 14 seats, Tamawarai draws a crowd for its chewy, fragrant noodles, which are made to a unique 85:15 ratio (85% buckwheat, 15% wheat flour). The owner-chef has a field in Tochigi prefecture where he grows and cultivates soba himself. The soba is harvested by hand and sundried in the traditional, labour-intensive way. The noodles are worth all that effort – fragrant and chewy from the coarsely ground flour.
Try the set of soba noodles, served hot or cold, with tempura and seafood; the tempura is crisp and light, with not a drop of oil in excess. The soba with tofu is our favourite: a bowl of chilled soba noodles topped with a cloud of creamy, airy house-made tofu and a mound of bonito flakes. Served alongside the bowl is a small flask of rich soy-based sauce to pour over the noodles. The yakimiso, a portion of chunky miso paste mixed with carrot and spring onions and grilled until the top caramelises, is the ideal starter or side. Plus, it pairs perfectly with the craft sake on offer.