Large izakaya specializing in soba. Not recommended, at least at dinner time. The staff seemed overworked and the food only ok. The atmosphere was so lively it was a little hard to have a conversation. Reservations recommended. Despite some open tables it took five minutes of standing at the entry for a staff member to ask how many were in our party and then asked us to wait while they cleaned up a table for us. After checking the menu it was surprisingly hard to order. The first 5 times I hailed a waiter they didn't stop. After finally getting one we ordered drinks and had to stop the waiter from leaving before we started adding some food. I don't plan to go back. They seem to have plenty of customers already! 🤔

For lunch I had the "Shinjuku Pork Katsu Curry and Soba" (1,200 yen). The menu said C&C Shinjuku Curry, so whether it's an affiliate or a collaboration? I'm not sure (sorry, I didn't look it up), but I love curry, so I went with this for now. I wasn't expecting much spiciness to begin with, but I think it'd go better with the pork katsu if it were a bit spicier. I couldn't tell whether the pork katsu was restructured meat, but it was tender and easy to eat. The soba was normally tasty, but my overall impression was nothing special either way, like an average izakaya lunch set. Maybe because it's a bit pricey for lunch around here, there were empty seats even at lunchtime and I could get in right away, which I appreciated.

《笹陣 お茶の水店》 I stopped by after enjoying the Edo-Tokyo Museum and had seiro soba. The soba was smooth and went down easily, and with green onion and wasabi you can enjoy it refreshingly to the very end. It also paired well with cold beer, perfect for a break after walking. A casual shop where you can enjoy your meal in peace.

I had the ten-seiro (1,380 yen) for lunch. Nothing special either way, it felt like an ordinary soba shop. The soba went down smoothly and was delicious! The tempura was piping hot, but the batter was a bit heavy. Rather than light and crispy, it's more of a hard crunch. Only the service bothered me. The women staff in particular served with an efficiency-first approach that felt like it put pressure on customers. It strongly felt like they were just getting the job done. I guess that part can't be helped since they're part-timers.

In the basement of サンクレール in front of Ochanomizu Station. Used it for a year-end party. Weekday at 6pm, almost full. We went with the kaiseki course with all-you-can-drink, and the content was different from usual. Instead of tempura, lots of small dishes like edamame, ika-maru, and tamagoyaki. Great for a heavy drinker like me, I got to taste a variety. What I like about this place is that it's a soba shop leaning toward izakaya, with plenty of sake and snacks. Reliably tasty and reasonably priced. Grateful you can use it casually whether alone or in a group. The customers are all middle-aged guys (me included). It's an oasis lol