SobaKoh

I've wanted to try Sobakoh for some time now but it was never convenient to go. Plus, without a menupages entry, it was hard to gage if it was worth the trip. There's very little information about this restaurant so I almost feel like I'm doing a public service by writing about this place. It's a small place located on 5th Ave between 1st and 2nd Ave. They only seat 24 people so make sure you call for reservations. When I called earlier in the week for a party of 2, the only time they could give me was 6pm. The decor is wood based. A chef rolls out soba noodles in a glass room by the door.
My main reason for going to the restaurant was to try the sea urchin soba noodles. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the dish included salmon roe as well! I frequent Sobaya once a week for their Salmon Roe (Ikura) Soba. It's something that appeals to my taste buds. Brian ordered a noodle soup soba featuring fried tofu cakes. For appetizers, we ordered salt n pepper duck and scallop spring rolls with miso dressing. The spring rolls weren't anything special. I didn't even know there were scallops inside. Don't get me wrong, there were big chunks of scallop but it didn't have a seafood taste. I thought it could have been mountain yams. It wasn't the best way to feature scallops. The duck was amazing though. It was done rare and had this wonderful flavor. I was really surprised by how good it was! Normally duck is a little oily too but their duck was lean, rare, with a subtle peppery taste.
I enjoyed my soba dish. The sea urchin was fresh and a little firm so it didn't have the disgusting snot like texture that people are afraid of. Surprisingly, the dish wasn't that salty considering the abundance of sea urchin, roe and sauce. The noodles were strangely smooth. I personally liked the grainy noodles found at Homura Ahn, Sobaya or Soba Nippon but that's certainly a acquired taste. If you're not a soba fan, you'd probably like the noodles here better. Brian liked his dish and raved about his fried tofu cakes.
Dessert was a blast. I got the black sesame pudding and Brian got ice cream with red beans. I've had my share of black sesame pudding and I would say this place has the best I've ever tasted. They did not skimp with the sesame! It was so rich and smooth and flavorful! The consistency was more of a mousse. Even though I came for the soba, I think the best dishes of the night were the duck and the pudding. I'd definitely go back to try more dishes.

It was a little pricey for noodles. My soba dish was $18. Total for 2 was $70, which included 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, 2 desserts, tax and 20% tip.