Was suffering today from one of these icky hangovers that can only be cured by good food. Thank God my NY guests and bestest friends in the world Sonu and Johan plus Sonu's bro Ram were willing to oblige my cravings. I took a shot in the dark and brought them to Soba Totto, which is just a few blocks away from the UN. Thank god the gamble paid off with gustatory rewards!
Soba Totto is owned by Ryuichi Munekata, the same guy who gave Manhattan Yakitori Totto, Aburiya Kinnosuke and Yakitori Tory’s (The signage outside, in fact, says Yakitori Totto for some reason, so don't let that confuse you). The star at Soba Totto is of course, the soba--buckwheat noodles made fresh everyday and cooked to al dente perfection. The interiors are very sleek but also intimate. We were lucky to be given a small private room for four.
I chose the cold noodles after reading numerous reviews recommending them. Since I did want something warm to fill my still-marinated-in-vodka stomach, I ordered cold soba noodles accompanied by a cup of piping hot dipping broth, which was swimming with yummy duck slivers, green onions, herbs and mushroom. It was perfect. The cold soba was perfectly chewy and so refreshing, while the broth was full of flavor. At the end of my meal, I was given a cup of the water that the buckwheat noodles had been cooked in. It is sipped like a tea and is thought to be very good for one's health. I just took it to ease some of the vodka off my stomach lining!
Sonu ordered hot tempura soba, which had a heap of tempura shrimp, eel and squash on the side and a generous serving of hot soba. By the time she had demolished the tempura, she was pretty full and could barely touch her soba (Ram gladly took care of that).
Johan and Ram decided to forego the soba, choosing a Yakitori Bowl and Chicken Teriyaki instead. No complaints, just enthusiastic chowing. Sonu picked a limeade type of drink which came in a funky bottle. You had to push this pin into the cap, then it opened with a pop and a marble fell into the drink. We asked if the marble did anything other than make the drink fizzy for 5 seconds, but it doesn't really serve a purpose. Just more Japanese kawai at work here.
It was pretty good stuff for a reasonable price. It's not a restaurant I would eat at all the time, but it's a good place to go to if you want something a tad more special for lunch. All the meals are priced between $12 to $20, and you have the option to get a full meal including appetizers and a pickle (What this special pickle tastes like, I'd like to find out. Why a pickle?). I would definitely come back and try more items on the menu.
Where: Soba Totto at 211 East 43rd Street, Midtown. Tel. (212) 557-8200
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