Ikenoya

One way to enjoy Ikenoya is with a set pairing curry rice and a choice of soba, udon or ramen. One visitor ordered Set A, which combines curry in the style of a soba shop with noodles, and appreciated being able to choose the noodles. The menu also lists curry bowls and katsu curry rice, offering other options if you want curry to take centre stage.

If you opt for soba with your set, a diner’s account of a meal combining soba with oyakodon—chicken and egg over rice—may be useful. They describe the soba dipping broth as restrained in sweetness, with the dashi’s flavour coming through; a little tenkasu, or fried batter bits, added a toasty note. They alternated between the soba and the oyakodon, whose egg was soft and silky, and enjoyed the remaining broth like a soup.

For a single dish, choices include zaru soba, tempura soba and kitsune udon, with both chilled and hot noodles available. The menu makes it easy to decide whether to have soba on its own or pair noodles with a rice bowl or curry, depending on your appetite. The Chinese-style noodles at this soba shop are also worth considering: one diner who tried the chashu ramen noted thick but tender slices of pork, a soy-based broth, slightly thick, wavy noodles and a generous portion. Ramen and gomoku chuka soba are also on the menu, for days when you feel like something other than soba.

Ikenoya is listed as serving lunch and as suitable for solo diners. Whether you choose soba, a set combining noodles with curry or a rice bowl, or Chinese-style noodles, the range of options offers a useful starting point for deciding what to have.