KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 8 — My stomach may be craving for a trip to Japan but sadly my wallet cannot accommodate, especially with our ringgit which looks like it went on a crash diet.

Thankfully, there's Sobakichi to keep the mouth happy while the feet remain firmly on Malaysian soil.

This Japanese soba brand is brought in by the good folks from Miyatake Sanuki Udon, who have been serving steaming bowls of freshly made Kagawa style udon, amazing tempura and probably the biggest, juiciest karaage in town.

What makes them stand out among the sea of Japanese eateries, is an approach to elevate the quality of beloved dishes like soba noodles and tonkatsu.

Hence, you get handmade soba noodles made daily from freshly made buckwheat flour.

You will spy the stone mill at one side of the restaurant, where they grind the buckwheat groats sourced from Hokkaido.

On one side of the wall at the restaurant, you will notice a poster of a Japanese chef cutting soba noodles. That is the legendary Kunihiro Takahashi, also revered in Japan as "The God of Soba Noodles". Currently he operates his own place called Daruma in Hiroshima Prefecture where many visit to taste his soba.

On the poster, he is named as Tokyo Sobakichi's mentor for the soba noodles.

Taste the Zaru Soba (RM26.30) — cold and naked — dunked in a gentle tsuyu with negi and wasabi.

It's unbelievably nutty. Even the texture is perfect, with an al dente bite.

I also liked the fact they follow tradition here — giving you a pot of soba-yu (water the soba is cooked in which will have all the nutrients — to add to the tsuyu to create a refreshing tea to end the meal.

The recipe for their hachi-wara soba is fashioned from 80 per cent buckwheat flour and 20 per cent wheat flour.

While the buckwheat aroma is less than that of soba fashioned entirely from buckwheat, it's definitely much better than what we usually get in other places.

With the combination of wheat flour, it makes the soba easier to swallow and chew, making it more appealing to all types of diners.

That extra effort to freshly produce the buckwheat flour daily to eke out these soba noodles is really worth it.

And I reckon, they have tipped the odds in their favour for the crown of best handmade soba in town.

The menu celebrates soba in many forms. You can have it dipped in hot soup. You can have it with duck and leek, or spicy pork.

Even the accompaniments can be tweaked. How about a fried chrysanthemum kakiage or shrimp tempura?

Or have it cooked in a hot broth, like the Oyster Egg Soba (RM38). The plump oysters give the slightly thick broth a burst of juicy brininess as it's enveloped in the fluffy omelette blanket.

There's even a curry version with leek.

Whatever you select, remember to slurp down your noodles in the soup, as quickly as you can. Otherwise, it'll bloat in the hot broth, compromising the texture.

And there's the unusual bukkake style. Here, the soba is chilled and topped with various ingredients like natto or even tempura prawn. Rather than do a dip action, you just need to pour the chilled sauce over the noodles. Toss and enjoy it cold.

One may think it's just soba noodles here but let me share a secret. There's also awesome tonkatsu.

The extra mile is the panko breadcrumbs fashioned from freshly baked bread sourced from the bakery Levain. With this method, you get larger sized panko, compared to say commercial brands. This yields a much crunchier bite that is unbelievably light too.

That superb texture of the fresh panko is evident in the Pork Menchi Katsu (RM15). You get a juicy, soft minced meat cutlet surrounded by crunchy bigger sized panko that gives a more satisfying texture. Sublime!

Dive into the small hill of shredded cabbage served on the side, as that cleanses the palate so you can eat more.

If you prefer something more substantial, there's also a tonkatsu, where you can select either pork loin or pork fillet. If you cannot decide, they even offer a set with both pork loin and cutlet for you.

I opted for the Loin Katsu Bowl (RM33), my comfort food. Here it's all about layers, starting from the juicy, tender pork loin with the egg at the bottom, followed by tender, sweet onions and a sauce with plump rice grains. Such happiness, when eating this. It comes with pickles to cleanse the palate. There's also a sweet, wholesome miso soup laden with onions, carrots and bits of pork.

For the best of both worlds, you can have soba noodles and a small bowl of tonkatsu (a choice of pork loin or fillet) with rice. The soba noodles can also be paired with shrimp tendon.

One more item to add to your must-eat list is the unassuming Soft Boiled Egg Potato Salad (RM16).

The chilled potato salad is unbelievably creamy and soft. What makes it not any ordinary potato salad is the mix of savoury ham and the crunch from cucumber and carrot.

Unfortunately the egg yolk wasn't oozing but in a way, I was thankful as it didn't steal the spotlight from the main star of the show, which was that crazy good, silky mashed potato.

Other bites tried include the assorted tempura which felt a tad over battered. I reckon maybe some teething issues here since they're new as the tempura wasn't as light and crunchy like the ones served downstairs in the udon place.

The mainstay for most of my Japanese meals is Dashi Tamago (RM19.50) which was good here with fluffy egg relished with grated radish given a dash of soy sauce.

Since I started exploring the menu at Sobakichi, my friends have also discovered the joys of eating here. This is definitely a keeper and there's definitely going to be more visits to enjoy their food.

Sobakichi, LG2-1, Residensi Duta Kiara, 7, Jalan Duta Hartamas, Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur. Open: 11.30am to 3pm, 6pm to 10pm (Wednesday to Friday, Monday), 11.30am to 3pm, 6pm to 10.30pm (Saturday and Sunday). Closed on Tuesday. Tel: 03-64134135 / 019-3779749.

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