Noodling Instead of Doodling

The view from the bar.

Cocoron, a Japanese soba restaurant, is one of my favorite places that serves up delicious food and won’t kill your bank account. It’s a hole in the wall place on Delancey St., between Allen and Eldridge St. There’s always a line of people waiting to get seats at the bar, where you can see the process of making soba food. The kitchen staff is constantly yelling out orders and busy at work. It’s fun to watch while waiting for your food.

Recently, my sister and I went there and ordered the homemade tofu as our appetizer. The tofu arrives on a small wooden plate with tiny condiments such as shredded nori (seaweed), mashed ginger, and bonito flakes (dried fish). The texture of the tofu was silky and smooth. Suffice to say the tofu was absolutely amazing.

For my main dish I ordered the Sensai soba cold. You can get the Sensai soba hot, but I prefer it cold. The Sensai soba is quite possibly Cocoron’s best dish. There’s a mix of vegetables that range from mushrooms, shredded daikon, and bamboo shoots. They also serve a small side of scallions and wasabi to add to the dish at your discretion. When you’re nearly done with your dish they’ll give you a red little pot filled with broth to pour into your nearly empty bowl. So you can enjoy a nice little soup after your dinner! 

If you don’t enjoy your dinner/lunch at Cocoron I don’t know if we can be friends.

Red pot filled w/ extra broth.

The homemade tofu appetizer.

The Sensai Soba served cold.