New soba place just opened up from Hirohisa Hayashi, of Hirohisa fame. New concept is a la carte soba. The pitch, from resy:
In March, 2026, Hirohisa entered a preparation period for its relocation and transition to a new concept, “Soba Ulala”, continuing under the same management team.
At the heart of Soba Ulala is our house-made soba, prepared fresh each day with the same care and attention that defined Hirohisa’s kitchen. What many guests loved as part of the omakase experience now takes center stage.
Our menu offers à la carte style, but our philosophy remains unchanged from Hirohisa. Thoughtful ingredients, refined technique, and attentive, personal service in a serene setting away from the bustle of the city.
No idea on the serving size or anything of the uni but tbh idk if I want uni soba? I mean I get it but also it doesn’t really stimulate my reptile brain.
Hopefully for that price you are getting the high end seasonal Hokkaido uni but again, idk, SB is probably fine in this dish for me
My absolute favorite soba of all time was the uni ikura soba at Soba Koh. It was a thing of beauty and a joy forever (and it cost $23, and yes, that was a while ago).
so Ulala is apparently the same name as like Senkin Kakumei’s “Urara,” which they happen to serve.
i appreciate a restaurant that specializes in soba (and also offers a quality ichiju sansai). all the more so when considering NYC dining culture and economics vs. how a soba restaurant might operate in Japan.
even price aside, I think that generally bafun uni could be a good match with soba for its mild earthiness, depending on how much buckwheat is in the soba. for a similar reason, in sushi i prefer bafun uni in gunkanmaki as opposed to as nigiri for the nori’s complementary earthiness (and historically, uni was introduced to sushi as gunkanmaki).
but there are various types of good uni, so it depends on their sourcing and what works with their soba and their style. and the economics of course, as uni can get wildly expensive. a $98 soba dish might be a hard sell but maybe not even a huge money maker for them. probably not what i’d order from them, given the price and how i view a soba meal, but i appreciate the boldness in general to highlight soba.