Stone mill-ground hand-cut soba restaurant Mueller (Minami-ku, Kyoto City, Kamitoba) Once every two years, I have a business in Yoshijin-in in Kyoto. Due to circumstances, I have to walk a certain distance every single day. I start walking eastward. I cross the Nishi Takase River and enter a residential area, where there is a soba restaurant. There are no other eateries around. It started raining lightly. Without hesitation, I entered the restaurant. I arrived at 11:45 am. The sign said it was open, but there were no other customers. I was seated at a table where I could see the garden. The menu was very simple, with four types of cold soba and three types of hot soba. There were also side dishes and alcohol, but since I had to keep walking, I only ordered the bukkake soba. The rain, which had been light, had now made the ground completely wet. Oh no. I realized I had come without an umbrella today. The bukkake soba arrived. Yes, it's been a while since I had handmade soba. The thin, transparent soba with a rough texture that is characteristic of soba was a joy to see. Topped with tempura crumbs, green onions, and grated radish, I was delighted. I poured the dipping sauce almost all at once. I think the balance of the sauce, which enhances the taste of the soba, is always important. By adding a taste that is neither sweet nor spicy, neither strong nor weak, a unique flavor is brought out that is different from just the soba alone. What's even more delightful is the generous portion. It's not uncommon for soba restaurants to serve a small amount, but here, there was no need for an extra half serving or additional soba. Finally, they said, "We'll bring you soba-yu." I had resigned myself to the fact that soba-yu would not be served on a flat plate, but it was brought out with a small soba cup. With the dipping sauce alone not being enough, I ended up transferring the sauce from the plate to the cup and enjoyed every drop. Again, the perfect balance of the sauce's flavor enhances the richness of the soba dissolved in the hot water. The restaurant was now more than half full, and I knew I shouldn't overstay my welcome. The rain didn't stop, but I managed with my GORE-TEX jacket. And all this for only 890 yen. What a joy. (2021.11.27) Stone mill-ground hand-cut soba restaurant Mueller Kamitoba, Minami-ku, Kyoto City Nabe-gafuchi-cho 8-2 075-682-6362

At closing time on my first visit, the large serving of soba was sold out, so I chose the zaru soba for 880 yen. Unfortunately, they didn't have the juwari soba that day. The restaurant had a beautiful garden and a calm atmosphere inside, which was really nice. While sipping on soba tea and waiting for a few minutes, the zaru soba arrived. It looked delicious from the start! It was definitely hand-cut, with slightly uneven thin slices. I picked it up with chopsticks, dipped it a little, and slurped it up. It was delicious. The aroma of the soba was delightful. It had a slightly rough texture, but because it was freshly cooked, it went down smoothly and had a good mouthfeel. It probably took me less than 3 minutes to finish it. I ordered soba-yu (soba water) as well, which was thick and tasty. The condiments were meant for the soba-yu, so I tasted the wasabi and added it in. It was delicious! I will definitely be revisiting this place to try the large serving and juwari soba. Thank you for the meal!

From Fujimori to Arashiyama, we stopped for lunch on the way. We crossed the Kamogawa River at Taketa Bridge, skillfully crossed Route 1 at a gap in traffic, and had soba at Mueller for the first time in a while. I always order the "zaru (cold noodles) extra large" which has thinly sliced fresh soba that is delicious with a good aroma. The dipping sauce is also just right. There was a couple as the first customers, and on our way out, we passed by another pair of elderly women. It was quiet and we were able to relax.

It's located in a quite remote area, and it's a bit of a walk from the station with a feeling of getting lost. The storefront looks nice, but the buckwheat noodles I wanted (100% buckwheat) are only available on weekends and holidays. I went there wanting to eat 100% buckwheat noodles, but there was no such notice anywhere. They only serve 100% buckwheat noodles on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, so if they don't serve it on weekends and holidays, I won't be able to eat it for the rest of my life. I think I'd rather go to a place where I can always eat 100% buckwheat noodles.

The soba restaurant "Mueller" is only open four days a week, from Thursday to Sunday. It is located in Kamitoba, a bit off the main road near Kyusei Bridge. Despite the somewhat inconvenient location, the restaurant is quite popular. They offer "zaru soba" made with 80% buckwheat flour and "inaka soba" made with 100% buckwheat flour. I ordered one of each. The zaru soba had thin noodles with a good texture and tasted delicious with wasabi. On the other hand, the inaka soba had thick noodles that focused on the aroma of the buckwheat. It was enjoyable to eat with just soba sauce or a pinch of rock salt. However, the inaka soba is only available until it runs out, while the zaru soba is freshly made. The soba broth at the end was also very tasty, with a thick texture that seemed to include coarsely ground buckwheat.

Actually, I don't particularly like soba noodles. This was my first time at a soba restaurant. Honestly, I want to go back again because the soba here was delicious! The staff's service was also wonderful, so I felt at ease and enjoyed the meal even more. I never knew that soba-yu (soba dipping broth) could be so tasty until I tried it here for the first time. Thank you so much! ✨

Exploring Kyoto during the autumn leaves season, part 2♪ This time we were in the Minami Ward area, so we searched for a delicious restaurant and made a reservation to visit. A favorite follower of mine had given it a high rating, so we decided to go there. There was a parking lot just across the street. I quickly found the address through a search, but it was surprising to find it in such a residential area! It was a sunny and pleasant day to visit, which was great. Since I was driving, my companion ordered sake without any worries. We ordered "Sawayamatsumoto" sake and for food, we had a "Mini Mini Hassun" appetizer platter and zaru soba. The Mini Mini Hassun included a variety of small dishes: grated yam with soba noodles, Iburi Gakko (smoked pickles), mountain sea urchin tofu, and two types of paste. Even though I wasn't drinking, I tried a bit of the food, and it was amazingly delicious (*^^*). Then the zaru soba arrived. The noodles were very thin and beautiful, with a strong aroma and flavor of soba. The dipping sauce was a surprisingly dark soy sauce color, which I really liked. It was my first time seeing such a dark soy sauce-like color in soba noodles at a Kyoto soba restaurant. They even brought a separate bowl for the soba broth, showing great attention to detail. This restaurant was truly to my liking♪ I will definitely come back again! Thank you for the wonderful meal.

■Visit Date: March 2, 2019■Items Received・Herring Soba・Ebisu Draft Beer・Mini Mini Hachizun■MEMOI visited on March 2, 2019. After visiting Jonangu Shrine and enjoying the plum blossoms, I went for lunch. I arrived just in time for the opening at 11:30. The restaurant has a chic and calm atmosphere with table and counter seating available. I ordered Ebisu Draft Beer, Mini Mini Hachizun, and Herring Soba. I started with a toast with the beer, enjoyed the delicious hachizun while waiting for the soba. On a sunny Saturday afternoon, the ambiance was truly pleasant. And here comes the Herring Soba. This was actually my first time trying it. The combination of Moretsu Soba and herring was exquisite, and the way it mixed with the broth was outstanding. I was delighted to have such delicious soba. Today, I had warm soba, but I would love to try the cold soba next time. I'm happy to have found this delicious soba restaurant.■Bloghttps://ay-style.net/?p=36570

This was my first visit since the restaurant moved from Ryoma Street in Fushimi. I finally got to try their thin soba noodles that I've been craving. The interior of the restaurant is bright and open, with windows that offer a view of the garden. I ordered a mini appetizer platter and some mountain sea urchin tofu to go with my cold sake. I sipped on my sake slowly and finished off with a zaru soba. It had been a while since I last visited, so I opted for the large serving. When the zaru soba arrived, I noticed that the soba noodles were thinner than before. They were shorter and had a smooth texture, making them easy to eat. The aroma of the soba was still as good as I remembered. When I asked the owner about the change in the soba noodles, he smiled and seemed pleased. It was clear that he was still dedicated to perfecting his soba, and I knew I would definitely be coming back in the future.

From Kyosei Bridge Shin-Senbon Street, head south on a one-way street. There are shops on the left and a parking lot for three cars to the south. It's a traditional Japanese building that has a calm atmosphere, quite different from when it was on Fushimi Ryoma Street. The soba noodles have changed from the innovative "thick noodles" to delicate thin noodles. The flavor and texture of the fresh green leaves are enjoyable. The relaxed atmosphere of the Japanese house makes it a comfortable place to enjoy your meal. It was delicious. Thank you for the meal. (⌒∇⌒)

I stopped by here on my way to Arashiyama to try the binding shoes. The new soba has a great flavor.

I had a delicate tasting soba. The outside garden was also lovely, and I heard you can enjoy autumn foliage there.

Unajyu extra-large portion for ¥1190. The background music is Carole King and it's amazing.

I don't really understand the difference between expensive soba and cheap soba. I know that the taste of standing soba in the city is not good at all. I also understand that the high-end soba that costs 1500 yen for one plate is delicious. However, I have a hard time distinguishing the quality of soba in the mid-price range. Therefore, I call myself a "soba tone-deaf." Today, I remembered that I had bookmarked this place after watching a video of a YouTuber, so I decided to come here for the first time. The restaurant was almost full even though it was past 1 pm, and they wouldn't accept my order for a "large serving" (probably because they had limited soba left). I ordered the "oroshi soba." The restaurant was clean, the staff were friendly, and it was a pleasant place. The oroshi soba that came out had a good amount (even though it disappeared quickly since I ordered it as a single item). The soba had a good texture and flavor, and the broth was just right, not too strong or too weak. The grated daikon was refreshing. The soba disappeared in almost an instant, but I'm sure the feeling of fullness will catch up later. I thought that being able to eat soba of this quality and quantity for less than 1000 yen was worth it. But actually, I ended up eating something else as a "second lunch" afterwards, because I couldn't get a large serving... (excuses)

I tried the country-style soba (100% buckwheat) and it was full of soba flavor. It felt like I was eating soba noodles. Next time, I want to try the zaru soba (soba noodles served on a bamboo tray) that someone else was enjoying. I may have given it a slightly harsh rating.

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