Food and Travel: Soba Ichi Oakland

Hello there, outwars here. My sister wanted me to try one of their favorite Japanese restaurants. It is not that close to their house, and it is usually packed, so we need to get there early, preferably when they open. Today I will be sharing my experience eating at Soba Ichi.

Soba Ichi is a Japanese restaurant located in 2311A MAGNOLIA ST. WEST OAKLAND. It is an indoor and outdoor restaurant, but it is only walk in. Even when I was still in the Philippines, my sister was already hyping this restaurant up to me and was really excited for me to try it once I visited. We both love anime, and she frequently compares it to the Soba episode of Shokugeki no Soma, which is very high praise. The day I finally get to try it has finally arrived, and I am so excited.

We were early but there was already a lot of cars parked near the restaurant. I got out of the car first to line up while my sister looked for parking. There was already a line of more than 10 people. When my sister joined me, she was surprised there wasn't that much people yet. She told me that the line usually reaches outside, and almost wraps around the corner.

While waiting in line, I looked around the outdoor dining. I really like the aesthetic. While the area outside the restaurant didn't look that nice, the outdoor dining is a stark contrast to that. There were a lot of wooden tables outside, and there were a good amount of greenery all around us. It was pretty cold the day we went, so some of the heaters were also turned on.

Facing the restaurant, we can actually get a glimpse of the kitchen and the chefs working on the food. As we got closer and closer to the restaurant, I realized that we were actually going towards a window. It seems we need to order and pay first, and then we can decide to sit inside or outside, and then wait for the food.

Finally, it was our turn to order. Since we wanted to try both the hot and cold soba, we ordered two hot broth Kamo Nanban, and 1 cold Seiro. My sister does not eat that much so she'll just eat a few of the cold soba and the rest is for me. We also ordered a Kosuke's Special for dessert.

Since most of the tables indoor were already taken, we decided to just eat outside. The soba are made after it is ordered, so it will take a while before it gets served. While waiting, I decided to check out what the inside looked like.

There were a lot of tables, and there were some Japanese looking walls/partition to give some privacy between diners. There was also a bar area inside where you can order drinks. At a small area inside, there is a room where there are some wooden tools inside. I'm assuming this is where they make the soba. It would have been really cool to see it being made. Since we arrived early, they probably already have a lot made, so it might be later on in the evening when they might make more.

After a while, the food finally arrived. The hot broth Kamo Nanban looked like ramen. Taking a sip of the soup, it tasted very unique. I don't usually eat duck so it took me by surprise, but it is very good. The noodles were perfect. It is firm, but not stiff, it has the right amount of texture, and I can definitely taste the freshness and flavor of the noodles.

The cold soba looked much simpler, but it is the taste that matters. While the hot broth was really good, the cold soba was even better. The broth and the duck added extra flavors, but the cold soba with the dipping sauce really highlights the flavor of the noodles. I have had a fair amount of cold soba in the Philippines, but nothing comes close to how good this is.

The dessert was a nice end to the dinner. It wasn't too sweet, and the different texture between the slices, the cream/mouse in the middle, and the crust at the bottom worked really well together.

Since my brother in law had to work and couldn't join us, we decided to get him cold soba for take out. We ordered the Ten Seiro, which is similar to what we had, but with additional Tempura. This actually looked very close to the one in the anime episode. We just placed it in the containers, and we decided to go.

Overall I will have to say that Soba Ichi lived up to the hype. The noodles were so good, and the flavor was phenomenal. I haven't had any soba noodles come even close to how good this was. The hot broth and duck was a unique experience, but it was the cold soba that was the star of the night for me. It was very simple, but the flavors were so good that it didn't need to be complex. If you are ever in the area, I would definitely recommend eating here and tasting their cold soba.

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