★Hokkaido certified store support coupon available● The pork bowl sauce is on the salty side with a strong flavor. If you like rich flavors, you might enjoy it.● Mini soba (chicken) You can choose from zaru, chicken, or curry soba. I chose the chicken option. I remember thinking "the soup is delicious" when I had their tantanmen before, and this chicken soba was equally delicious! The broth, toppings, and richness were balanced just right for my taste, and I found it tastier than the popular Kawakita and Wakatake stores. The noodles also felt firm even though it was warm soba. The interior of the store is relatively spacious. The service on this day was provided by an elderly lady, maybe the owner's mother? She was over 80 years old, but she served us diligently. This branch of Higashiya has become more like a casual dining hall, but the quality of the food was surprisingly high.

I went to a soba restaurant that I always noticed on the way to the hospital where cars were often parked. I was surprised to find out that the soba here was white, not the green chlorella noodles that I had imagined. What amazed me even more was the variety of menu items at this soba restaurant. They had not only hot and cold soba, but also rice bowl dishes like ginger pork set meal and tonkatsu set meal. I ordered the pork bowl soba set. Normally, set meals at other places come with either zaru soba, kake soba, or tanuki soba, but here you could choose between zaru soba, kashiwa soba, or curry soba. The food arrived in less than 10 minutes. It was served in a square bowl (is this the regular size?) with a mini portion of soba. My companion ordered the same set with zaru soba, and they preferred the hot soba over the zaru soba. The chicken in the kashiwa soba was tender and delicious, unlike the tough chicken at other places. I would definitely like to go back again. Maybe next time I'll try the soba set meal... or just soba with a mini rice bowl...

In September 2021, on a weekday with no bento, I came to this restaurant but they didn't have tonkatsu curry on the menu. They had curry rice though, so I ended up getting curry soba instead. It was actually quite delicious with plenty of chicken in it. It was a bit cold that day, so the warm soba really hit the spot. I had been to this restaurant a few years ago when it was crowded and didn't have a good impression, but if it's not busy, it might be a good option. Thank you for the meal.

It's almost time for me to conquer the East House. I was feeling happy, but then an unexpected ink incident occurred... Luckily, I was saved by Princess Jiji. Grateful. The interior of the restaurant was clean, with good ventilation and effective air conditioning to combat the heat. Many elderly people from the neighborhood also frequent the place, creating a calm atmosphere where customers and staff engage in small talk. It felt like a place loved by the locals. This time, I ordered the Muryoju, Kashinuki Nuki Nuki no Kiwami Soba, and Tori Zaru Zaru Soba. The Muryoju came with quail eggs and a dipping sauce. Hmm, something was missing. Maybe some greenery? I felt a bit unsatisfied with the taste. The Kashinuki had shiitake mushrooms, which I'm honestly not a fan of. Princess Jiji had the Nuki Nuki no Kiwami Soba. Perfect for a hot day! The refreshing taste of cucumber and the slimy texture increased the satisfaction. The combination of the "Nodokuri" tororo kelp and okra was also good! I do wonder if they could have come up with a better name than "Nodokuri," though... (laughs) My son, surprisingly, took a risk and ordered the Tori Zaru. On a hot day, he chose Tori Zaru. When the steaming bowl arrived with shiitake mushrooms, I had to do a double-take. It's all about the experience, son. (laughs) My daughter had the Zaru Soba. She wasn't very hungry because she had been eating ice cream and various other snacks at the pool before coming. Shocking. When we tried to return the menu, the previous customer's plate of leeks arrived. Is this the real secret menu...? More importantly, I've been experiencing severe forgetfulness lately. Not good at all... (laughs)

Having lunch with my mother. Even though it's almost 4 pm, is this considered lunch or pre-dinner? It's hard to find a soba restaurant open at this time. The first and second places we tried were both "preparing". Oh, there's another soba place nearby! There's a signboard, so it must be open. There was only one customer ahead of us. We sat at a table. They have a variety of set meals. My mother had the shrimp tempura soba for 810 yen, and I had the pork bowl set for 1,150 yen. The soba set includes a choice of zaru, kashiwa, or curry nan. I decided to go with the curry nan. The portions of the pork bowl and curry nan were quite small. I started with the curry nan. The broth was flavorful, with a hint of spice. The noodles had a decent firmness. There were plenty of tender chicken pieces in the broth. It was delicious. The pork bowl had a nice smoky flavor from being grilled over charcoal, and the meat was tender with a rich sauce. Overall, the food was tasty, even though I haven't heard much about this place before.

Lunch on December 16th, 2020 (Wednesday): I ordered the "Shrimp Tempura Soba (970 yen)". The soba noodles seemed to be made of a mix of 20% wheat flour and 80% buckwheat flour. They had a good chewiness and a nice texture. The broth was slightly sweet, but it had a good umami flavor. The egg topping was just right, and when you eat the egg-soaked soba together, the combined flavors are amazing. The shrimp tempura was not too big, with a nice crispy texture. Overall, it was quite delicious. It was a classic and delicious tempura soba from Tooya. In the end, I finished every last drop of the broth.

"Tokoya Sanjikken-doori Store" - is this correct? The menu says "Shineicho Tokoya." I'm in Kushiro alone, starting my journey from Kushiro due to personal issues in September. The inventory in Kushiro and Obihiro is running low, which is why I'm not feeling very enthusiastic. But I'm determined to complete my journey to visit all Tokoya stores. I believe there are six stores if all the ones I found still exist. Today, I visited the "Higashimatsuan Store," but couldn't find it. Did it close down? So, I messaged "Tokumei Sarukichi-san" to ask if it had closed. He kindly researched the current status of other Tokoya stores and found out that there are other closed Tokoya stores. I'm truly grateful to Sarukichi for taking the time to help me. I then went to the "Sanjikken-doori Store." It seemed familiar as I had passed by it many times before. There were two groups of customers with five people in total. I sat at the farthest table. The soba was served within three minutes. It had a good texture and wasn't too long. The soba tasted good, and the draining process was well done. The soup was served in a pitcher, which was a nice touch. The flavor of the soup was good, and it didn't taste like typical Tokoya soup. The noodles were thin and not too long. The overall experience was above the usual Tokoya standard. I give it three thumbs up."

Visit date July 13, 2019. The second stop of the day with a friend was at Higashiya in Shinsakae-cho. The restaurant is listed as "Higashiya Sanjikken-dori Branch" on Tabelog, but it seems like the correct name is "Shinsakae-cho Higashiya." This was my third attempt to dine here after being turned away twice before. We arrived a little before noon, with one group already seated. There were four more groups that came in after us. We ordered the following items: - Ebi Tempura Kashiwa Soba (920 yen) - Tsukezaru (900 yen) The dishes were served in about 3 minutes, quite fast. The Ebi Tempura Kashiwa Soba had no firmness or flavor in the soba noodles. The kashiwa (chicken) was tender, but seemed more like young chicken. The tempura was soggy from soaking up the broth. The broth itself was tasty but didn't seem to complement the soba well. As for the Tsukezaru, my friend chose this dish. Here are their thoughts: The soba noodles lacked firmness and flavor, just like I thought. The broth had a strong aroma of grilled green onions. Interestingly, it also had shiitake mushrooms in it. Perhaps because of the mushrooms, the broth was on the sweet side and quite flavorful. The broth was so rich that even when diluted with soba water, it was hard to drink! The soba water was thin. We quickly paid the bill and headed to our next destination. Thank you for the meal.

I was forced to drive around here and there, and I didn't feel like eating. I didn't want to go. In the end, it was decided that we would have noodles for lunch! So we came here. It was lunchtime and all the tables inside were almost full except for one. When I asked if we could sit in the tatami room, they said it was fine. The tatami room was spacious with four tables placed apart, allowing us to relax. My partner ordered the unusual cold dipping soba with tempura, while I ordered the jumbo shrimp tempura curry. It arrived in about 5 minutes. As soon as it was placed on the table, the aroma of the curry spices made my appetite soar. There were plenty of chicken pieces in it. The soba was white morekoshi, not green. Quite rare for Higashiya in Kushiro, I think? The curry coated the soba noodles well. It was delicious. The noodles were not a huge portion, but it was just enough, not leaving me feeling unsatisfied! The chicken was tender and tasty. However, there were two slight disappointments. The shrimp was on the smaller side and the soba noodles were soft, so I had to eat quickly before they got too soggy. My partner seemed satisfied. Thank you for the meal.

Shall I go to Higashiya in Shinsakae-cho? The exterior looks the same! When I was looking for soba nearby, I found this place. The parking lot is spacious, so it seems good. How about the soba? If I were to eat it regularly, I wouldn't have any complaints. The soba flour isn't too noticeable, so it goes down smoothly. The sauce isn't too sweet or too spicy. The tempura and tanuki with oil taste delicious. I ordered kakiage soba and I'm satisfied! The older gentleman, the owner perhaps, is very nice. The person giving change is also pleasant. I will visit again when I'm in the area.

Excellent freshness! Tachi tempura and soba - Mr. Shinsakae Higashie, a fishing expert from Kushiro, caught a huge fish, Madara, and the information caught my attention! When I was shown the photo, I saw a huge Madara fish, which was as thick as a giant snake "Anaconda" living in the Amazon jungle. The owner happily shared about yesterday's catch, saying, "This is an old photo, but I caught one as big as this one. There were enough Tachi fish to fill a washbasin!" With that, I happily accepted the invitation and visited the restaurant with an empty stomach. Shinsakae Higashie is a popular place for soba set meals and rice bowls. During lunchtime, the restaurant is crowded with office workers, creating a cozy atmosphere. Today, I left it to the owner and ordered the soba set meal. The most eye-catching dish was the Tachi tempura! I immediately savored the freshly fried and hot tempura. It was so creamy, almost like eating cream stew! Tachi tempura is the best! Another dish was the cod fry, a winter delicacy. The luxurious lunch also included shrimp fry, pork cutlet, and of course, soba, all for ¥850 per person. If you become friendly with the owner, you might even get to try the secret menu items. Shinsakae Higashie, Hokkaido Kushiro City, Shinsakae-cho 12-0154-22-2272, Business Hours: 10:30-20:00, Closed on Sundays.