Lunch at Sanraku: A Bowl of Comforting Tori Soba

This week’s lunch meeting brought us to *Sanraku*—a local favorite I’d somehow never ordered the famed “Tori Soba” at. That needed to change.

It was a weekday, and the place was bustling—possibly with folks from the Chamber of Commerce, given the suits and chatter. But the turnover here is lightning-fast. We got seated almost immediately, and yet the tables just kept filling. A high-volume lunch machine, this one. I wonder how many seatings they clock per day…

First came the seasoning tray—clearly, this soba meant business. A small dish of black pepper arrived with the gentle warning: “You’ll want this.”

Then came the star of the show: the Tori Soba. Chicken soba, so pure in its presentation it looked like a spa day in a bowl.

I took their advice and sprinkled pepper directly onto the tender chicken. It elevated the flavor brilliantly. The clear broth, accented with the scent of yuzu, reminded me of a delicate winter hotpot—refined and restorative.

For dessert, I couldn’t resist revisiting an old favorite: the salt daifuku-style ice cream. Sweet, creamy, and just the right hint of salt to keep it grounded.

And a delightful detail—each spoon arrives wrapped in origami-patterned paper, unique for every guest. Tiny touches like this speak volumes.

—THE END—

“There is no such thing as an ordinary day.” —Jean-Paul Sartre