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Daruma-ya, Tribeca

Daruma-ya, Tribeca

About a month ago, Angela and I visited Daruma-ya in Tribeca for our monthly dinner date. It’s a bit of a walk from the subway, which was fine in the early fall, but I wouldn’t want to do that walk now that winter is kicking in. We made a 7:45pm reservation, but it didn’t seem to be necessary. It did, however, score us a good spot in the back room. Daruma-ya is surprisingly upscale and romantic, especially for a soba restaurant.

Whenever we have soba or ramen, we always order Agedashi tofu ($10). Daruma-ya serves their deep fried tofu with Nameko mushroom. You can’t see the mushrooms in this photo, but they were the most adorable little things! The tofu was nicely done.

Agedashi Tofu, Daruma-yaThe Nasu Ageni ($7) was quite a treat. In the dim lighting, you might almost mistake the Japanese eggplant for fish of some kind. Tasty — I couldn’t stop nibbling on this.

Japanese Eggplant, Daruma-ya

The Yasai Tempura ($10) had a light, crispy batter on the fresh veggies. This is the way tempura should be done, but not every restaurant manages to keep the batter so airy.

Daruma-ya, Tribeca

I usually order hot soba, but since the cold soba is handmade, I had to try it. I ordered the Nameko Oroshi cold soba. More of those adorable little Nameko mushrooms! It’s fun to dip your soba in the sauce, and I always love the kick from the wasabi. When we were done with the noodles, our waitress brought out hot broth to add to the dipping sauce, so we could enjoy it as a broth. A warm and comforting finale to the meal.

Nameko Oroshi Soba, Daruma-ya

I remember reading very mixed reviews on Yelp when Daruma-ya first opened earlier this year, but it seems like they’ve worked out all the kinks. Our experience was great, and I’d love to come back sometime and introduce John to the deliciousness that is soba!

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No Comments

  • Reply
    annie
    at

    ah i absolutely love soba!! seems like a lovely dinner date :)

    • Reply
      wazwu
      at

      Hmm, yes! Soba is quite delicious, isn’t it?

  • Reply
    Mitzie Mee
    at

    Cold zaru-soba is my favorite! I sometimes cook it myself, but it’s difficult to get the noodles perfect. Mine usually ends up a bit too sticky.

    • Reply
      wazwu
      at

      A few years ago, I gave up on cooking soba myself because it kept coming out a bit sticky. I really should give it another shot. Do you have any tips? :)

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