Solaris Dutamas’ new Gan-Nen-Do is KL’s first restaurant to specialise in juwari soba, aromatically made with 100% pure buckwheat flour, not mixed whatsoever with wheat flour.
This Japanese-headed venue relies on Hokkaido-sourced buckwheat flour for its noodles, kneaded, rolled out and boiled in fresh portions, smooth and supple with a mildly earthy nuttiness, served chilled with a rich dipping sauce or hot in soup.
Mori Soba is the ideal introduction - cold noodles that convey the pristine flavour of buckwheat, paired with a dip blended with bonito, mackerel flakes and two soy sauces, enlivened with spring onions and wasabi. True to tradition, a steamy pouring of soba-cooked water is served near the end to create a soulful soup with the dip.
Complement the soba with a pork-free selection of firm-battered seafood and vegetable tempura, clean-tasting with no excess oil; grated yam or radish; and crispy or spicy chicken.
For Kake Soba, hot bets include a robust bowl of soba with thick-sliced duck breast and leeks, brimming in broth with a concentrated depth of sweet umami.
Gannendo also has a cultural corner to showcase Japan's artistic bounty - its current exhibit comprises a retail section of Japanese-produced upcycled acrylic beads and chopstick rests.
