Naniwa Okina なにわ 翁

Wanting to go for something light, we decided to hit up Naniwa Okina in Osaka.  This Michelin Bib Gourmand spot is small and cozy featuring handmade soba noodles.  It was a bit of a walk from the Kitahama Station, especially in the scorching heat (in July).  Glad their A/C held up for the time we were there.  People are super nice there and they have an English menu.  They will walk you though everything!

Viv went for the most flavourful of the options in the Zaru Soba with Herring.  There was a strong fishiness to the dipping broth, but it was all good as it was appealing and delicious.  The herring itself was firm but not dry.  Obviously, the noodles were the best part being chewy, a bit gooey, yet not clumpy.  Good resistance on them and rebound.  After dipping them into the hot broth, they loosened up and had a silkier texture.

For my daughter, she went for the Duck Soba, which, like the herring, was full of meaty pieces.  Unfortunately, we found the duck to be a bit chewy and dry despite sitting in the the dipping broth.  However, the broth itself had plenty of depth, much like the herring.  It was full of umami, being also sweet and equally savoury with some duckiness.  I felt this equally flavourful compared to the herring, but just not fishy.

My son ended up with the Beef Soba which was probably the best of the bunch since the meat was plentiful and tender (they use Japanese black beef).  The dipping broth itself was much like the others having depth-of-flavour that was more savoury than sweet, but not salty.  Of course we found the usual umaminess that was partially influenced by the natural beef flavour.  This was the most balanced of the three dipping sauces in my opinion.

For myself, I went for a seasonal item in the Cold Oyster Summer Soba.  Yes, this was completely different than the aforementioned dishes, but it was intentional.  Yah, I really didn't get full considering the portion size but it was really refreshing for a hot day.  Definitely had that briny and sea-tasting oyster thing going on while the jelly offered up some tanginess.  I thought the texture of the cold noodles were superior to the steamed ones.  Nice chew and bounce to them.  At the end of the meal, we were served some soba water (from cooking the noodles) to get one last taste of the fresh soba noodles.  Overall, we enjoyed our meal at Naniwa Okina.  The noodles were great and so was the service.  Prices are definitely on the higher side, so be prepared to pay.

The Good:
- Chewy fresh noodles
- Dipping noodles great for summer
- Staff are helpful

The Bad:
- A little pricey