HELLO! TOKYO TOURS | OUR REVIEW OF SOBAHOUSE KONJIKI HOTOTOGISU

Tokyo is home to the most Michelin stars in the world. It’s basically a large stewing pot of some of the most delicious restaurants on the planet. Cheap or expensive, Tokyo has it all. So, I went ahead and tried a 1-starred ramen Michelin restaurant.

On a quiet Monday afternoon, I went to check out Sobahouse Konjiki Hototogisu in Shinjuku. This is a restaurant that I had been wanting to visit for a long time and I was not disappointed.

With wait times often topping two hours, and opening hours restricted to Mondays to Fridays I hadn’t managed to find time until….. Covid!

From arriving to getting my food I waited about 40 minutes. There were 7 people in front of me in the queue. 3 outside and 4 inside.

The restaurant seats 10 people. 6 seats at the counter plus two small tables that can accommodate 2 people each.

There was a nice atmosphere with soft jazz music playing. It was very quiet in the restaurant nobody was talking everybody was focused on their food.

I ordered the ‘recommended bowl’ Shio Soba at 950 yen. Bargain for a one Michelin star meal!

Details of the ingredients in the picture.

In addition to the ingredients mentioned I also discovered chopped basil in my dish (the green in the photo) and what I think was sun-dried tomato. Pork sweet and tender. The soup had quite a strong but delicate fishy flavor. I could taste the truffle oil. It was full-flavored but not overpowering.

Overall I would say it was a light dish with an interesting fusion and balance of flavors.

I can definitely understand why it's received so many awards. Compared to other ramen I've eaten this was a very cleverly balanced bowl.

It was a very relaxing experience which is quite often the opposite in Japan. When going out to eat, a lot of restaurants are loud with people shouting “welcome” and “goodbye” or orders being called or customers chatting. This restaurant was practically silent! Just the gentle sound of soft jazz drifting through the aroma.

- Laura, Hello! Tokyo Tours Founder

We can’t wait until Japan reopens again so that we can have delicious bowls of ramen like this. However, we offer pandemic-friendly experiences such as our Holiday by Post Program. Every month we will send you a postcard and a thoughtfully chosen local gift with a video blog telling you more about your gift and the place that we bought it. For more info check here or subscribe down below!