… a 130 year old institution goes up in a sea of flames

The other night, I heard that (horrors!) Kanda Yabu Soba  was ravaged and completely destroyed by a big fire. I was there last Feb and was looking forward to going back again this may, with the rest of the gang.

What a waste. This hugely popular soba shop had been around since 1880 and had taken the time to perfect its cuisine. In fact, the 1923 era wooden building (known as Sukiya-Zukuri 数寄屋造り)   it resided in had been conferred ‘historical building’ status; stepping into it was like taking a step back in time. 

Alas! it’s not meant to be. But I will wait patiently for its resurrection. For now, I can only dream about it. 

Fire! Fire!

Here are some screen shots from NHK on 19 Feb. Apparently the fire started around 720pm and then spread to 4 other buildings nearby.

Aerial view

Another one from the top

Fire fiercely ravages

Firemen struggled to put out fire

Here are our memories of the shop. We got lost while trying to find it. Finally, we got help from a convenience store staff and lots of arrow signs with やぶそば written on it. And the food didn’t disappoint. Everything we had was nice!

Yabu Soba circa Feb 2012

Inside Yabu

Almost full and its not even near dinner time

Smoked duck in sake – super delicious!

Nameko Soba

Mussels steamed in sake broth