A hole in the wall in SoHo, Cocoron is tiny and cramped but this soba cafe is so good it's a humbling experience. This place serves soba in three ways - warm dip, cold dip, or in warm soup. They have plenty of vegan options, most items are made from scratch, and even able to customise 100% gluten-free buckwheat noodles on request with two days notice. Chef Mica will personally hand make the GF noodles and it is the personal touch that make this place endearing.
Over two visits, my favorite was the Nameko Oroshi warm dip soba with forest nameko mushrooms, grated daikon, nori and yuzu kosho in kombu shiitake dashi. Plenty of umami and warming for a cold winter's day. You dip the soba noodles into the simmering hot broth as you go along. At the end of the meal, the staff will offer plain soba broth to dilute the concentrated broth.
In summer months, I can only imagine how refreshing the cold dip sobas will be!
Nameko Oroshi Dip Soba (Gluten-Free)
