The wow factor of this restaurant in Tokyo begins before you even arrive at the door. As one approaches the black, contoured ribs of Yutoku Soba look like a solid surface from an acute angle, the gaps opening up to let out light and let in the diners as they get closer to the front facing view.

Soba, as you’ll know, is a type of noodle, and ISSHO Architects had a pretty thin space in which to create the dining area; the restaurant is in the Meguro area of the city where space is at an even higher premium than elsewhere in the metropolis. Inside the rib noodles continue on the ceiling, this time in space-making white, while the walls are clad in a puzzle pattern of pale wooden panels that match the square shape of the furniture. Yutoku Soba won’t be holding any cat-swinging contests, but it could certainly win a few design ones.