そば Chǔ Chūn Lái てっぺん

On a spring drive in northern Tamba, I aimed for this highly acclaimed restaurant serving 100% buckwheat soba in Shin-Onsen Town. Turning off at the Murayama-Ku Wada intersection on Route 9 (which overlaps with Route 482), I climbed the hill to Harugaito Pass. It is now a quiet area, but before the tunnel was opened, this was part of Route 9. Parking my car at the back of the restaurant and entering through the entrance, I saw a soba noodle making workshop on the left side, and a spacious tatami room and table seats on the right. I ordered a large soba set, an ebi tempura set, and soba inari. The soba noodles were firm and had a strong texture, very delicious. The tempura consisted of 5 items written on a whiteboard, including snow peas, butterbur sprouts, mixed tempura, and radish. The rice had soba grains mixed in, creating a harmonious blend of soba and rice flavors. The soba inari was refreshing and tasty. The hospitality of the staff was excellent, and the atmosphere of the restaurant was calming and relaxing. After the meal, I continued my drive towards Shin-Onsen Town, still savoring the aftertaste of the soba.

It was a great deal and delicious. We had to wait for about 40-50 minutes before placing our order, probably due to Golden Week. We were planning to dine with our family of four, but decided to take our two children to a nearby pizza place instead, as there were small kids involved. Normally, they only accept reservations, but they made an exception this time which allowed us to have a leisurely meal. We ordered the large portion soba set for 1420 yen (without rice) due to the limited menu during Golden Week. It took about 15 minutes for our order to arrive and we finally started our meal. The set included soba, 5 kinds of tempura, small side dishes, and boiled vegetables. The tempura featured seasonal mountain vegetables, which was quite rare and special. The soba was chewy and smooth, with a great texture, and the tempura was crispy and delicious when dipped in matcha salt. We finished our meal with soba broth. We would like to visit again when we are in the area for camping, but there were two things that were a bit disappointing. One was the presence of ashtrays in the waiting area, which resulted in passive smoking. The other was the lack of menu options for small children (e.g. rice balls). While we may not visit often, it would be nice if these points could be considered.

The juwari soba was delicious! It had a good texture and didn't break easily. Whether you eat it with salt or with the broth, it's great. The taste is exceptional in a place with clean water.

コシの強いプリプリのそばが美味しい お蕎麦の入ったいなりが珍しくて注文。 食べにくいけど、これまた美味しいかった〜！ テーブル席が3つ、お座敷席が6つくらいあったかな？ 座敷があるから、家族連れ、子ども連れの方が多かった。 人気店で入店に順番待ちはありましたが、自然の中でボーッと待ってるのも、良かったかな。

土曜日の１１：００に訪問時空いてましたが その後 続々とお客さんが。昼時は混むでしょうね。蕎麦は十割蕎麦、箸で持ってもちぎれない腰の強さ。先ずは抹茶塩、ワサビで、美味しい。出汁も私好み、山菜の天ぷらもサクサクでした。最後にデザートを食べたかったのですが、お腹がいっぱいで。次回は朝食抜きで伺います。