I couldn't get into the soba restaurant I was aiming for because it was full, so I visited this place nearby that I was interested in for the first time. The counter was occupied by regular customers, so I sat at a small table for two in the corner. I wanted to eat something with meat, so I ordered the meat soba for 850 yen. It took quite a while for the dish to arrive, about 12-13 minutes. It came with pork belly and green onions simmered in soba broth on top. It also came with a side of tempura and simmered beans, and they even served warm soba with soba broth, which was nice. The soba had a decent aroma but was thin and soft, making it easy to break. I think it would be better served cold. The only downside was the soba broth, which lacked any dashi flavor and tasted like soy sauce diluted in water, making it unappetizing to drink. If I were to revisit to confirm whether the dipping sauce for cold soba is different, I might choose a different restaurant instead. Thank you for the meal.

Today's lunch was at a soba restaurant in Horokanai-cho. I ordered the tempura soba for 900 yen. The restaurant has both counter and table seating, and I was seated at a table with two other customers. The tempura soba was a great deal at 900 yen. The tempura included shrimp, eggplant, green pepper, shiitake mushroom, and pumpkin. It tasted like homemade tempura. The soba noodles were delicious, with a smooth and chewy texture. The meal also came with a small bowl of rice.

On 21/07/16, I had "Tanuki soba large serving 750 yen + 150 yen" for lunch during a business trip in the city. I was alone again today while working outside. The outdoor temperature has been over 30 degrees Celsius for days. I needed to cool down with my lunch, or I would melt! I thought it would be difficult to find parking at this restaurant, but to my surprise, there was a spacious parking lot next to it. I ordered the cold tanuki soba, where you add condiments to the dipping sauce. The soba noodles, made with Hokkaido wheat, were thin. The dipping sauce was rich and flavorful. I ordered extra sauce in a small cup because it was a large serving, but I wished they gave a bit more. The main condiments were fried tempura bits and grated radish with tiny fish. They paired perfectly with the dipping sauce! I ended up not using the green onions and wasabi. The half-crushed rice was a perfect amount for a chopstick rest. The milky soba water was also delicious. The best part of today was discovering the parking lot, which means I can visit this place again without worries.

I visited this restaurant after about 5-6 years. There is a spacious parking lot behind the store. It's a popular place and tends to get crowded during lunchtime! You can enjoy hand-made soba made with Horokanai soba flour. The "Tempura Soba" costs 900 yen, which seems quite reasonable overall, but isn't the Tempura Soba a bit pricey at 900 yen? Each soba dish comes with a side of "small rice," usually "Gohan Zukushi," but on this day, we got mixed rice, which was a lucky surprise. I remember on a previous visit they served mountain vegetable tempura and simmered dishes, which I had to work hard to finish... haha. The curry soba was also delicious. This time, I tried the "Chef's Special" which was sesame sauce, for the first time. First, they served tempura, mixed rice, pickles, etc., followed by the soba. The tempura included one shrimp, one shiso leaf, half a shiitake mushroom, two slices of pumpkin, two slices of green pepper, and two slices of eggplant... a generous portion. You could choose between tempura dipping sauce or salt, so I went with the tempura sauce. The tempura was crispy and delicious. The soba had a gentle texture and flavor, not too assertive, more on the mild side. It was simple and natural, quite tasty. At this price point, with this quality of soba, I have no complaints. The owners, a kind couple, have a great service spirit and provide delicious soba with care. The mixed rice was also delicious. Thank you for the meal!

I finally got to visit one of the restaurants I wanted to go to. There is a large parking lot behind the shop. I tried the Curry Soba (cold) and the Natto Trio from this month's special menu, both priced at 800 yen each. The Curry Soba (cold) is like dipping cold soba noodles into warm curry soup. The curry has a strong spice flavor and pairs well with the broth. The soba noodles are made from Hokkaido-grown buckwheat flour in a ratio of 8.5:1.5. When eaten plain, you can taste the exquisite aroma of the soba, showcasing the owner's dedication. The kind motherly figure even lent me a cute towel to prevent curry from getting on my clothes.

I had been curious about this place for a while and finally visited. The interior was smaller than I expected. There were two booth seats and about four counter seats. I ordered the Mori Soba with sesame-dressed spring onion and a strong broth. The aroma of the soba was really nice.

I visited for lunch. The friendly and talkative owner welcomed me! The restaurant has counter seats and table seats. It's not a very big place, but since it was early for lunch, there were no other customers yet. The later customers started coming in gradually. (It seems to get crowded during lunch hours.) Besides the regular menu, there were three types of "Monthly Special Soba" available. I was very intrigued by the Curry Soba, but since it was my first time at this restaurant, I decided to go with the "Grated Radish Soba" (950 yen including tax) from the regular menu. It was a hot day, so I was expecting a cold dish with grated radish, but it turns out that this restaurant's version of grated radish soba includes grated egg and grated spicy cod roe on top of cold soba! It was ready in about 10 minutes! It came with rice and tempura of mountain vegetables (fiddlehead ferns and beach peas) on that day. (Based on other reviews, it seems that pickles are often served, but it's the season for mountain vegetables after all...) The thin hand-cut soba made from "Horokanai" soba flour was used, "Is it 80/20? But it feels like there's a strong soba flour taste?" I asked the owner. "It's more like using a higher ratio of soba flour than 80/20. It's what we call 'Soto-ni'," he said. It's using a 100% soba flour with 20% binder, called "Soto-ni"! The broth has a flavor of kombu and bonito. The seasoning is quite strong! The "two types of grated toppings" on the soba, the spicy cod roe and egg, tasted just as I expected. Since both the cod roe and grated radish are spicy, it's refreshing! Surprisingly, the grated egg was quite delicious! They only use the yolk, and the balance between the spiciness of the grated radish and the sweetness of the yolk is very good! The amount of rice is relatively small, just right for eating in between bites of soba! The "Monthly Special Soba" also seems to have many interesting options, making it a place where you can try unique soba dishes!!

Visit date: April 8th (Monday) Today, I had work in the Toyooka area. I was also in Toyooka last week, but today's job was at a different site. As usual, I checked the documents, and now it's lunchtime (^^)v Lately, I've been eating a lot of soba. Today, I was in the mood for soba again ( ｀ー´)ノ I quickly checked Tabelog and found "Sobaya-san." I had been wanting to go here, but it was my first visit. I arrived a little after 12 o'clock. There was one group of customers ahead of me. I was seated at a table, but there was a slight draft coming in, so it was a bit cold (^^;) I placed my order! Since it was my first time at this restaurant, I ordered the Mori Soba (soba noodles without toppings) in a large portion. I noticed on the menu that it comes with a small serving of rice. It arrived in about 10 minutes, and the soba looked very appetizing. I took a bite... It had a nice flavor of soba, and it was quite delicious (^^)/ Some reviews mentioned that the dipping sauce was spicy, but I personally liked it. The rice was labeled as a small serving, but it was about 2-3 mouthfuls, which was just right for me. I was surprised that I could enjoy hand-made soba at this price. Another delicious lunch today. Thank you for the meal.

In August 2018, I visited a soba restaurant instead of a ramen shop due to the hot weather. The heat only lasted for about two days, and it became quite cool. However, for some reason, I craved cold soba over hot ramen. I finally visited this place that I had been wanting to go to for a while. The exterior of the restaurant has a traditional Japanese style, but the interior looks like a cafe. The counter indicates that the place used to be a cafe, with two regular customers chatting with the owner. I ordered the "mori" soba for 650 yen, made with soba flour from Hokkaido. The handmade noodles are generally made with a mixture of 80% buckwheat and 20% wheat flour. The medium-thin noodles have a good texture, and the garnishes include small pieces of green onions and real wasabi. The dipping sauce is on the strong side, with a significant amount of concentrated broth. It may be a bit too intense for some, but I personally enjoy spicy flavors. The complimentary small bowl of rice with miso soup and pickles was surprisingly delicious. The combination of soba and rice was quite satisfying. As I was leaving, the owner's wife arrived, and their hospitality was truly exceptional. The soba and the warm welcome make this place a great find. I look forward to trying the owner's special soba next time.

Drive east on 9th Street in Asahikawa, past the JR overpass, and you'll find a small soba restaurant tucked away quietly on the main street. This place doesn't care about decorations, ambiance, luxury, or foot traffic - it's just a local soba shop on the outskirts of town. But for some reason, it caught my attention. During lunchtime, I remembered and decided to park my car and check it out. Is it open? The lights are on, but I'm not sure. Well, the curtain is hanging, so it should be okay, right? I walked into the restaurant and saw a decent number of customers enjoying soba sets at the tables on the right. Since I was alone, I sat at the counter and checked the menu. Hmm, in Asahikawa, soba and rice bowl sets are the norm, but the set at this soba shop didn't seem familiar. So, I opted for a regular serving of soba. The lady behind the counter seemed busy preparing trays, while the owner in the kitchen was in charge of making the soba and fried items. As I read the newspaper, I could hear the sound of washing soba noodles coming from the kitchen. When the lady finally prepared my tray, I politely declined the rice and pickles. Let's reduce food waste, right? The soba noodles arrived, and they looked delicious. Oh, there's a sign on the wall saying "new soba." Could this be...? Oh, it is! The soba here tastes similar to the one I had in Kamifurano recently. It has that distinct flavor profile that matches the style of Niseko and Hiragishi soba. The slightly spicy soba broth complemented the noodles perfectly. The soba noodles were impeccably washed and had a satisfying texture. Slurp, slurp, slurp. Delicious! I finished it in no time and relaxed with a warm soba broth. When my cup was almost empty, the owner appeared and poured me more soba broth. "You really like soba, don't you?" he said with a smile. I replied, "Yes, I do. I'm quite good at enjoying delicious food." We exchanged a knowing smile, acknowledging the mutual trust between a customer who appreciates good food and a chef who takes pride in his craft. After settling the bill with the lady, I left the restaurant feeling content. The menu and ambiance may not have been exceptional, but the earnestness of the owner in serving his soba made the experience worthwhile. I'll definitely be back. Goodbye for now!

The small old-fashioned cafe-style interior with a counter seemed to have a few regular customers. I was the only one, but they kindly offered me a spacious table seat. I chose the "zaru" soba with seaweed sprinkled on top, and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was finely cut, which I prefer. The soba had a firm texture and a rich flavor, and the complimentary miso pickles were also delicious. I appreciated the small serving of rice that came with the meal, satisfying my craving for a few bites of rice without needing a full bowl. Overall, it was a delightful dining experience.

I went to the soba restaurant that Menkui Maabo-sama gave a high rating to the next day after reading the review. How about that? How good is the responsiveness??? It's like a Porsche.... I'm not a street vendor selling cotton candy all over Hokkaido like Maabo-chan, so I have to go all the way to Asahikawa, but I came the next day.... I'm very curious.... At the same time, I have great respect for Maabo-sama (Tongue) (I'm sorry to those who sell cotton candy or are street vendors (sweat)) "Soyu" - Isn't the name of the restaurant good?! It's a place where Maabo-sama, with his red nose and visible blood vessels, frequents!! (Don't trust me!) When I arrived at 12:30, there were two regulars at the counter and two others who came later making noise here and there! They were having a lively and enjoyable time! Since I am with my eldest daughter, who is just as noisy, I have no right to complain.... When we left, I said, "Sorry for being noisy!" but they didn't seem to mind at all. "It's totally fine, please come again!" they said.... The regulars came to our table and tried to attach something to the menu and it didn't work out. They talked with my daughter about how it was no good.... In the end, the small LED lamp they were trying to attach was given to my daughter.... As usual, I ordered "mori" and my daughter ordered "tanuki without negi". The lady confirmed, "Without negi, right?" and told the husband, who also clearly said, "Without negi," but it came with negi. Clearly, they got caught up in conversation with the regulars and forgot, right? And when they came back, they asked, "Oh! Did the smell of negi come off? Is it okay if I just took off the negi?" My daughter said, "It's okay!" so I felt relieved. In the end, the "tanuki" that came back had yuzu on top? It was clearly to mask the smell of negi.... Later, my daughter said, "I don't dislike yuzu, but it just tastes like yuzu soba!" That's all she said (sweat). I enjoyed the delicious soba. If they had shochu to drink with it, it would have been perfect, but.... The restaurant was so unsettled that they didn't even serve "soba-yu".... This restaurant is definitely a place Maabo-chan would like! Both that restaurant and this one have something in common. Maabo-chan not only cares about the taste of soba, but also about the atmosphere of the restaurant.... The feeling of the owner and the landlady, everything.... They provide various services and even talk to you. It was a truly enjoyable restaurant.

- 12/25 Revisit - After finishing the morning greetings in the Shibetsu area, we visited the restaurant with a companion who loves curry at exactly 12 o'clock. Surprisingly, there were no other customers. We greeted the owner, "We're back again~♪," and sat at the counter seats. Of course, we ordered curry soba. It arrived in about 15 minutes. The toppings were only green onions and pork belly. I immediately tried the curry broth, which was slightly thick and piping hot. The soba, soaked in the hot broth, naturally lacked firmness. In my opinion, it was decent for a soba restaurant's curry soba. My companion wiped off the sweat and finished the broth and small rice completely. Oh! I also poured curry broth over the rice and enjoyed it. After finishing the meal and wiping off the sweat, the owner saw us and said, "It's hot, right! Do you want to use a fan?" and handed us a fan. Despite being a stubborn old man running a soba restaurant, he is a kind man. - 12/18 First Visit - For lunch on the last day of greetings in Asahikawa, I went to this soba restaurant that had caught my attention before. I arrived at the restaurant around 11:30, but there were cars parked. I saw cars parked in the back alley next to the restaurant, so I went in and parked my car there. There were two groups of customers at the table seats near the entrance, so I sat at the counter seats in the back. The mother warmly welcomed me with a smile. I asked her if it was okay to take a photo of the menu, and she asked her husband for permission. The husband asked, "What are you doing?" I honestly answered that I make guidebooks as a hobby and write reviews on Tabelog. He said, "Okay, just don't write anything bad (laughs)." He is an honest man. While waiting for the food, two regular customers entered separately. They ordered curry soba, which was not on the menu. The husband cooked, and the wife served, and the dish arrived in about 15 minutes. It was a cold soba with mentaiko and scrambled eggs on top, a unique style that I had never seen before. I started by eating the soba, which was hand-made and had a good chewy texture with a pleasant sweetness. The soba broth was not overpowering, which suited this soba well. Before pouring the soba broth over everything, I moved about a third of the mentaiko onto the rice (laughs). Then I poured the soba broth over everything. It wasn't bad, but it was a new taste for me (laughs). The soba was so delicious that I couldn't stop eating! The portion of soba was quite generous, and I finished everything. While rubbing my stomach, I told the mother, "My stomach hurts...I have a small appetite, but the food was so delicious that I finished it all." She replied, "That's great...thank you." I then asked, "By the way, there's no curry soba on the menu..." "We introduced the 'chef's special soba' once, and it received good reviews, so we kept it on the menu," she explained. I said, "I'll be back again, and next time, I'll try the curry soba!" and settled the bill before leaving. Seriously, I will definitely revisit this place.

"Handmade soba with soba liquor" is another article about soba. It seems that this place used to be in Suehiro before (past article) but has now moved. The previous shop had a cafe or snack-like atmosphere and was not very relaxing, but this time it's a little better than before. (Although it's not a very relaxing layout either) The parking lot is located behind the shop, you have to pass through the side. I ordered the mori soba, even though it comes with nori on top, I wonder what the difference is with zaru soba? I'm curious if they make a separate dipping sauce for zaru soba. It comes with rice, and on this day it was black bean rice. The portion size was just right. The soba was also made just right, both in terms of kneading and boiling. I really like this type of soba. The container for the soba broth is a bit unique. It gives off a feeling of wanting to drink sake in it."

I always passed by this place by car, but I was curious so I decided to go in. It's a small izakaya-style restaurant with a counter and a couple of table seats. There were about two regular customers there. It seems that a small serving of rice comes with the soba. I ordered the cold sesame soba and it came with white sesame dipping sauce, soy-based sauce, salad, rice, zaru soba, and a complimentary sanzoku pickles on a tray. The noodles were soft and thin, and the white sesame sauce had a rich and delicious flavor. The friendly waitress suggested adding the soy-based sauce to change the taste. The sanzoku pickles were said to be delicious with the soba or rice. I wish there was more rice to enjoy with the pickles. Lastly, I had the soba broth which had a dashi flavor. The dressing for the salad was homemade using domestic citrus fruits, and it was refreshing. The service was pleasant, and I was satisfied with the variety of flavors I could enjoy in one meal at this soba restaurant.

Originally located in Suehiro, but I found out later that they had moved to 10-Jo Street. I couldn't find it in Suehiro, so I wandered around. It's no wonder I couldn't find it since they had moved. It's where the "Oideyo Kinoko Ryori" restaurant used to be. The front of the store is narrow, so I had a hard time finding a place to park. But this time, I managed to find out that the parking lot is actually behind the store, which is quite spacious. I ordered the zaru soba and tororo soba. It's interesting that the zaru and mori soba are priced the same. I didn't choose the large serving because I read on some blogs that it also comes with a small side dish and rice, so I thought the regular size would be just right. There was also a menu item called "Tamago Oroshi Soba," which is the most expensive one. I was curious about it, and it turned out to be grated daikon with egg and mentaiko mixed in. The soba noodles were thinly cut and the dipping sauce had a strong fish flavor, which enhanced the taste of the soba. The rice with umeboshi and shiso, as well as the celery dish, served as a nice palate cleanser. It was a pleasant dining experience. It was my first time there, and the owner was friendly and even mentioned that he might offer limited-time special menus if he feels inspired. I'm interested in trying out different menu items in the future.