A little while ago (like maybe a week), I was bored and suddenly craved for soba. I don’t know why either, but I just suddenly wanted soba. So I googled it using the keywords “Soba in Seattle”. And that is when I found it. In the midst of the noodle restaurants with in the greater Seattle area is: Kamonegi. Kamonegi provides authentic soba noodles. This is because the owner, from what I am told, is one of the three people in America who is certified to make it and she is the only one with a restaurant (the other two teaches how to make it). Apparently, there are only 3 certified because it is so dang hard to make proper soba noodles
This place is located in near the Fremont area, on 39th street and is a VERY tiny place. Reservation (for 2 people) is recommended. Anything higher than that may need to wait a couple weeks out. I, for one, was very lucky when I just walked in. They sat me at the (tiny) bar where they prep drinks. So no view of the kitchen, but still able to have a decent conversation with my server.
On the menu, they had appetizers, tempura, and soba. I don’t know why, I had a trouble choosing what I wanted, maybe because they all looked so good. I ended up going with the King Mushroom tempura, chawamushi, monkfish liver, uni and their Zura, which I can only assume is the most traditional you can get for soba. And before you ask, no I was not with anyone else and yes I realize that is a lot of food
The tempura, I noticed when it was served, didn’t have a lot of sauce. This was because they wanted the tempura to remain crispy, so they mainly put the tempura sauce at the bottom. This practice was effective, as the crispiness was maintained and the flavor was still sufficient.
The chawamushi, in my personal opinion, has a really odd taste, although I don’t know how to describe it (maybe herb-like). The texture was good, exactly what a steam egg should be like. Not really my favorite dish of the night.
Next is the uni, which is apparently caught fresh here in Washington state! The uni was fresh and had a sweet taste to it. The uni was served with lemons and cucumber slices to help enhance its flavor. This dish was a chef special, so I don’t know if it will be present on your visit.
Another dish that was on the chef’s special is the monkfish liver, or ankimo. Each slice of the liver rested on a slice of orange and was surrounded by blueberries. The fruit help give the liver a light taste to it, not making it overpowering in anyway.
Now for the main event, the soba. Served on a plate cold with dipping sauce in a small (cup-shaped) bowl with some scallions and wasabi. Naturally, I tossed the scallions and wasabi in the sauce (because where else would you logically put it) then dipped the noodles in and took a bite. I will say this, I have never had such firm noodles in my life. The sauce was a like a mix between soy sauce and ponzu: both sour and savory. The sauce definitely gave the noodles, which I imagine is usually tasteless, a nice flavor that wasn’t too heavy like other dipping noodles one might get at ramen shops. It is about halfway through the noodles will you begin tasting the wasabi, as it was still mixing. The wasabi gives it an extra spicy kick. All in all, the noodles are meant to be a light meal, so you wouldn’t feel to overwhelmed. And afterwards, as an added bonus, they would give you a small teapot filled with the soba water (the water the soba was cooked in) and have you pour it into the sauce cup to act as a soup.
Afterwards was dessert. They had some good choices, like a Japanese souffle cake. But the one that took my interest and curiosity was their duck fat mochi cake. Yes, you read that correctly, a DUCK FAT cake, basically foie gras. Okay, to be fair, the foie gras was actually the ice cream they served with the cake, not the actual cake itself (I know it still sounds strange). Against my better judgement, I ordered the cake.
The cake itself was good. It was quite springy with a bit of light sweetness. The ice cream, it kind of actually tasted like foie gras, if foie gras was cold and sweetened. And the worst part is, I actually liked it, ignoring the strange dizziness I got when I ate the ice cream (it has a very overpowering taste). I really don’t know how to describe it in words.
Through a random google search on a whim, I managed to find a really nice restaurant serving something that you can’t really find anywhere else in the states. This small restaurant is capable of leaving one with a lasting impression. The food is excellent, the servers are nice, informative and capable of giving you a casual conversation. This is a place I would love to take my friends and family in the future.
Seattle's/Taiwan's food lover 