I went to the nearest restaurant excitedly despite the heavy snowfall. The pictures may look cloudy or out of focus because it was so cold that steam was rising everywhere. I had the herring soba again, which is not commonly found at standing eateries. I always end up choosing this when it's on the menu. This time, I didn't add any green onions. Hmm, it tastes better without them. I think next time I'll try the large serving of kake udon that fills the bowl to the brim.

I was missing Kagasan, so I visited around 11 o'clock. I was in the mood for something refreshing, so I chose the cold natto soba with a hot spring egg on the side. The natto, mountain vegetables, and tempura were mixed well, and the hot spring egg added a nice touch to the flavor. As always, the light and delicious tempura was a highlight. Unfortunately, the spring chrysanthemum tempura was not available, but I understand that it is best enjoyed in colder weather. I look forward to trying it when it's back in season. Thank you for the meal.

After watching a play, I got hungry so I decided to grab something to eat. Since it was a matinee, I couldn't make it to the standing soba shop nearby. Their specialty tempura is always freshly fried. It takes about 5 minutes from ordering to serving, but it's worth the wait for a huge, freshly fried tempura for only 550 yen. I love that you can add as much green onions as you want. The soba noodles are also to my liking - they seem to be cooked just right, with a firm texture that goes well with the dark broth. The sound of the freshly fried tempura soaking in the broth is so satisfying.

Since last year, I have been wanting to visit this restaurant during the weekdays, and finally managed to do so in the morning. I arrived 3 minutes before opening time, and the restaurant was already open for business, but there were no full seats or waiting lines outside, so I could quickly purchase my meal ticket and place my order. Mornings might be a good time to visit. I had been wanting to visit during breakfast hours as it is difficult to go during lunchtime, but I was hesitant because the restaurant is known for serving a large portion of soba. However, I recently found out that they offer a half-size soba option until 10 am. So, this time, I purchased a ticket for the morning limited "Half soba/udon" and "simmered herring" as planned. The other popular topping, the chrysanthemum tempura, was not available at this time of year. After presenting my meal ticket at the counter, my soba was served in about 2-3 minutes. The simmered herring soba was served before the tempura dishes, and the first thing that caught my eye was the presence of the soft-boiled egg that comes with the half soba/udon. A small amount of seaweed was also included. I had cold soba this time, and it exceeded my expectations with its rich soba flavor and firm texture. The broth had a unique sweet and savory taste, and the combination of flavors was quite delicious. Although the tempura toppings are popular for being freshly made, the soba and broth alone were impressively delicious. This standing soba shop offers exceptional taste. Additionally, the rich and sweet simmered herring went perfectly with the soba! Overall, the flavors were rich, and I enjoyed the variety of tastes with toppings like the soft-boiled egg, seaweed, green onions, wasabi, and chili pepper. The portion of the half soba was just right for the morning, allowing me to enjoy a slightly luxurious breakfast at a reasonable price. The staff at the restaurant were very friendly, and their thoughtfulness in opening the shop slightly before the official opening time was wonderful. I look forward to the return of the chrysanthemum tempura, and I definitely want to come back again when I have the chance. Thank you for the meal.

Kaga @ Hatsudai On a Monday in early September 2023, at 10:30 am. It's been over two months since the temperature has dropped below 30 degrees at this time. The rain has stopped, so let's have an early lunch. As I step outside, I can feel the hint of autumn in the air. I feel like having something warm. I head to this place near the station. There is only one male customer ahead of me. The following customer is also alone. Last time, the fried food was a bit heavy, so I opt for something lighter this time. - Herring Soba, 670 yen - Chikuwa Tempura (topping), 90 yen Located just 5 seconds away from the north exit of Hatsudai Station, it gets crowded during lunchtime. Despite the busy environment, the food doesn't come out immediately after ordering. The herring is served warm, ensuring the soba doesn't get cold. The chikuwa tempura has a crispy coating and is piping hot. Even in the summer, the soba soup is served hot. The shop's commitment to providing the best quality at all times is evident in the taste. The shop's stance of always serving the best quality food regardless of the time keeps customers coming in constantly. The shop prominently displays two recommended items at the entrance: "Kakiage Soba" and "Herring Soba." The kakiage soba is made fresh after ordering, ensuring it is served piping hot and crispy. Customers even come from afar to enjoy this dish. The following customer also orders this dish, which is served just as I finish my meal. It's definitely worth the wait. Now, let's talk about the "Herring Soba" that I tried this time. The herring simmered in a perfectly balanced sweet and savory sauce pairs wonderfully with the refreshing soba soup. The broth infused with the sauce is so delicious that you'll want to finish every drop. It's so good that you might even want some rice to go with it... (laughs) After finishing the bowl, feeling satisfied, I leave with the intention of coming back again.

TGS before going to work. Today I went to a famous shop in Hachioji. Their specialty is kakiage soba for 550 yen, which is the only option. However, it can be quite heavy if you have it in the morning, so it's best to have it when you're feeling great. As usual, they fry the kakiage after you order. And... the thickness is still seriously heavy (lol). It's nice that you can add as much green onions as you want by yourself. Although the kakiage is also famous, the soba itself is delicious here. I'm full since the morning (lol).

I ordered tempura soba! The tempura is huge and piping hot! It arrived in about 5 minutes! The tempura is so big! It's still hot even after blowing on it! The soba noodles are medium thickness, so they are satisfying to eat! The tempura is so hot that I can't eat it quickly! As I reach the middle of the soba, the tempura starts to soak up the broth and expand. Wow, it's so filling! The location of the cold water dispenser is a bit awkward, which is a downside. The broth has a salty flavor with a hint of sweetness, and it warms me up like blood flowing through my body after cycling 30 kilometers! Wow, it was delicious! It's a bit spicy, but I'll push through it on my way back! Thank you for the meal!

Around 1:00 PM, I had lunch at the restaurant. I ordered the Nishin Soba (670 yen). It had been a while since I last visited Kaga. When I entered, there were about 4 other customers. Water was self-service. There is only standing counter seating available. On the table, there were green onions and shichimi (Japanese spice blend). The Nishin Soba was something I had been curious about for a while. I thought the herring would be flaky like canned mackerel, but it had a firm texture and a good bite. Herring is sweet and really delicious on its own. It pairs well with the soba noodles. The seaweed served with it also complements the herring. I added green onions and shichimi to the broth and drank it all. It was hot and delicious. I was satisfied. The flavor was so good that I want to eat it again. Maybe next time I'll try the natto soba.

I don't have the opportunity to visit often, but I sometimes crave standing soba noodles. The freshly fried vegetable tempura is delicious. Even in the summer, hot soba topped with freshly fried vegetable tempura is amazing. At first, enjoy the crispy tempura little by little while it's still hot. The sweetness of the onions is really good, and it goes perfectly with the soba dipping sauce. As the tempura gradually soaks in the sauce, the crispy coating becomes soft and the oil blends with the dipping sauce. The oil that floats on the dipping sauce is also delicious. I finish eating while sweating. And then, after a few months, I start craving it again.

It had been a while since I last visited this place, as it had gotten too hot. I arrived around 2 pm to avoid the lunch rush, and there was only one person waiting in line. But as I waited, more people started lining up... This place is really popular. I heard they will be closed for summer vacation from August 11th (Friday) to 15th (Tuesday), so maybe that's why it was so crowded? I actually wanted to order the spring chrysanthemum tempura with a hot spring egg, but I accidentally ordered the mountain vegetable tempura. However, I realized that something light was perfect for me today, and it really suited my current mood. By the time I finished eating, the restaurant was starting to empty out. As always, the food was truly delicious. Thank you for the wonderful meal.

I will have the tempura soba for 550 yen and the hot spring egg for 90 yen. It's just before 11 am on a weekday and there are several customers. I will defeat my hangover on this sweltering day with the hot tempura soba (what a choice!). The thick, carefully fried tempura is delicious with the sweetness of onions and carrots. It starts off crispy and ends up moist, allowing for a variety of flavors. The soba, topped with a warm egg, is just the right firmness for standing soba. It's a classic dish served with a sweet and savory broth. The deliciousness blows away the hangover, but leaves a feeling of fullness afterwards (but it's a happy fullness!).

On my way home, I discovered a restaurant I had been wanting to visit for a while. Today, I had the kakiage tamago soba. It was great that you could add your own green onions at the table. I could see them making the tempura, which was nice. As the reviews said, the portion was quite large. I first tried the broth, which had a strong bonito flavor. It was not too hot, just the right temperature. I finished every drop. The noodles were a bit soft, but the hot, freshly cooked feeling was nice. The tempura was crispy and firm, and dipping it in the broth made it even better. The hot soba with the runny egg yolk was incredibly delicious. I was hesitant at first with the ramen shop nearby, but I made the right choice coming here. Next time I'll try the spring vegetable tempura.

The glare was so strong that even driving felt hot. I thought about stopping somewhere around Hatsudai for lunch, but if I parked in an open parking lot, I would surely be in a steam bath when I returned. So, I parked in the underground parking lot of Opera City and ordered my favorite chilled spring chrysanthemum soba for 540 yen. The tempura is fried after the order is taken, so the wait time is just over 5 minutes. The chilled spring chrysanthemum soba arrived, topped with chopped green onions on the table. The freshly fried chrysanthemum tempura was crispy and had a good texture with the soba. The chilled dipping sauce was just the right thickness and delicious. The thickly chopped green onions added a refreshing touch with their spicy flavor. More and more customers came in, so I quickly finished my meal. The freshly fried tempura here is really good.

Kakiage soba (550) On the way to work, I made a solo attack on Kaga, a noodle shop just outside the north exit of Keio Shin Line Hatsudai Station after a year. The shop owner was working alone. Although it was indicated that kakiage and shungiku tempura are fried each time, so it takes time, my vibes were raised. The freshly fried kakiage makes a powerful entrance with a loud sound, and the atmosphere inside the shop reaches its peak. I added a large amount of self-serve green onions, submerged them in the bowl like a runaway gang from northern Kanto, and then devoured the freshly fried shungiku tempura and soba. It's understandable why some people rate this as the number one noodle shop. Finally, I scoop out the soaked green onions with hot soup and eat it to finish. Somehow, it seems like I'll end up coming here once a month. #EarlyMorningKagaClub #NoodleShopFirst #SobaIsBreakfast

It's been a while since I visited Higashi-Kitazawa Station! It's evening but still hot! I came to eat hot and crispy tempura with cold soba noodles! The best standing soba experience! I entered Kaga-san's. The crispy tempura with cold soba was amazing! Even after eating it many times, it's still delicious! Whenever I come to Higashi-Kitazawa, I will definitely stop by. I'm impressed by the unlimited green onion service. Thank you for the meal.

I have been stopping by this tempura place for about 7 years now. They fry the tempura fresh every time you order, so it's always piping hot and I end up burning my mouth every time haha. I recently stopped by after a long time, and it was a hot summer day so I tried their cold tempura for the first time. Hmm, the dipping sauce was a bit lukewarm... I guess even in the middle of summer, I prefer warm soba. There was a senior employee who was in charge of frying, and a senior employee who kept giving him annoying instructions. I go there to enjoy my meal, so I think this kind of behavior is unnecessary regardless of the size of the price.

I stopped by on my way to work today. It was 6:45 in the morning. The shop opens at 7:00. It hasn't opened yet. They must be busy preparing for the opening inside. When it was time, I entered and there were already two customers inside. They seemed like regulars. It's a popular shop indeed. I finally ordered the cold tempura soba I've been wanting. I had to wait a bit as they fry it after taking the order. The bowl that was soon served had a very splendid tempura on top. This is what I wanted to eat. The contrast between the cold soba and the warm crispy tempura was incredibly delicious. Thank you for the meal.

I stopped by on my way to work. It was just before 7 am. There were about 2 customers inside. I was looking at the thick kakiage picture and was thinking of getting it cold, but I ended up ordering tororo soba at the ticket machine. I also got a soft-boiled egg. The nishin soba also looked delicious. It's hard to decide.

Visit date: June 24, 2023 (Saturday) Opened on June 24, 2022, and today marks the 1st anniversary of "Tekkamagiri Kamekoi," where I had the limited 1st-anniversary special "Handmade Extra-Rich Niboshi Tsukemen." Next, I headed to "Kaga," a standing soba shop located right in front of the north exit of Hatsudai Station on the Keio New Line. This shop, known for its large kakiage soba and shungiku tempura soba, has been in business for over 40 years. I found out about this place from someone I follow on Twitter who was eating the "Shungiku Tempura Soba" here. I used to visit "Kaga" a lot when I lived in Hatsudai. From Shibasaki Station on the Keio Line, I took a local train to Tsutsujigaoka, then transferred to the Keio New Line rapid express bound for Hon-Atsugi at the next station, which brought me to Hatsudai Station. I remembered this place while on my way, and since I still had room in my stomach, I decided to make a stop. Upon exiting the station and going up the stairs in the direction of Opera City, I found the shop right in front of me. I entered the shop at 12:31, and it was almost full inside. I first purchased a meal ticket at the ticket machine located on the left as soon as I entered. The menu was divided into hot soba/udon and cold soba/udon, indicated by pink and light blue buttons. The menu included items like "Kakiage Soba/Udon," "Nishin Soba/Udon," "Shungiku Tempura Soba/Udon," "Gyukorokke Soba/Udon," "Chikuwa Tempura Soba/Udon," and "Kakesoba/Udon." There was even a menu with "Half Soba/Udon (with raw or hot spring egg)" until 10:00. I decided to go with the "Shungiku Tempura Soba" that my follower had recommended, but I also felt like having the "Kakiage," so I ordered that as well. I handed the meal ticket to one of the two men in the kitchen and asked for soba. I also requested to have the kakiage served on a separate plate. The other staff member who was frying tempura responded, "For customers who order Shungiku Tempura, we always serve the kakiage on a separate plate." They started preparing the tempura batter by mixing onions, carrots, and leeks in a bowl with flour and ice water, and then began frying the tempura. They also started preparing the shungiku for frying. I had heard that they fry the tempura after receiving the order, but I didn't expect them to make it from scratch every time. The efficiency and skill of the tempura chef were impressive. When the tempura was ready, the soba was cooked, and the dipping sauce was poured over it. After about 8 minutes, the "Shungiku Tempura Soba" was ready, topped with the kakiage. The shungiku tempura covered the soba in a striking manner, and the incredibly voluminous kakiage was about 5cm thick. I was a bit overwhelmed by it. I first moved the shungiku tempura on top of the kakiage, added some free chopped green onions, and tried the soba. The soba flour ratio was about 30%, which is typical for standing soba shops where soba flour and wheat flour are mixed. While the soba here may not be as delicious as the one I had at "Komoro Soba" before, which I recall had a 50% soba flour ratio, it was still enjoyable.

For more details, please visit the blog: https://tokyo-tabearuki.com/kaga-hatsudai This time's content 1. Tokyo Tabearuki: Popular article on standing soba 2. Hatsudai Kaga: What is it? 3. Access, appearance, business hours of Hatsudai Kaga 4. Menu and atmosphere of Hatsudai Kaga 5. Tempura soba enjoyed at Hatsudai Kaga 1. Tokyo Tabearuki: Popular article on standing soba - Saganosuke Shibuya store: 5 out of 10 stores closed! "Saganosuke" in a big pinch due to COVID-19! Hang in there, Saganosuke. - Sobayoshi Nihonbashi: Tamori praises it as the best standing soba shop in Japan! "Sobayoshi" Nihonbashi/Mitsukoshimae - Minatoya 2 Otemachi: "Minatoya" suddenly closed! So I visited the mysterious "Minatoya 2" in Otemachi. - Kasagi Soba Nishiogikubo store: Nishiogikubo "Kasagi Soba" in the atmosphere of a black market, a delicious chewy soba! 2022-12-26 2. Hatsudai Kaga: What is it? - Kaga, located near Hatsudai Station, opened in 1984. It will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2024. There are no branch stores. It is a well-known standing soba shop in Tokyo, with an impressive Google Map rating of 4.3! As of June 25, 2023, it is likely the number one standing soba shop in Tokyo. It has 455 reviews, which is a significant number. The comedian duo "Alco & Peace" has a channel called "Alpi Channel," where they visit standing soba shops, and their choice of shops is always wonderful. Of course, they have also visited Kaga. Since Hatsudai is close to Shinjuku, I can visit anytime, so I was looking forward to it. On this day, I had onigiri at "Yamataro" in Zoshigaya for lunch. The landlady trained at "Bongo." Details of the queue, menu, and information on the new takeout-only store at "Yamataro" Zoshigaya as of 2023-06-25. I was quite full with two large onigiri, but I felt like I could still eat soba. Kaga is open all day, so it's okay even in the evening. Therefore, I visited Kaga around 4 pm on this day, and the soba was even more amazing than I imagined. The tempura that is highly recommended was very thick, hot, and delicious, leaving a lasting impression. 3. Access, appearance, business hours of Hatsudai Kaga - 1F Matsukai Building, 1-2-3 Honmachi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 151-0071 - Keio Line (Keio Shin Line) Hatsudai Station North Exit is right there - I walked along the Koshu Kaido from Shinjuku, which took about 20 minutes. - Appearance of Hatsudai Kaga: I came for the tempura soba this time, but the herring soba also seems to be a signature menu. I would like to try that next time. 4. Menu and atmosphere of Hatsudai Kaga - Vending machine at Shinjuku Kaga: The red button on the left is for hot soba, and the blue one on the right is for cold soba. The kake soba starts at 380 yen. Since it was getting hot, I could have gone for cold soba, but I wanted to taste the soba broth, so I chose hot soba. The tempura soba in the upper left corner is 550 yen. They also have udon, but when I was inside, everyone ordered soba. It was around 4 pm, and there was only one customer at first. I thought I might be the only one, but more people started coming in. When I left, there were about five customers. Many of them seemed like regulars, and there were also solo female customers, giving a sense of being loved by the locals. As I watched the tempura being cooked, I knew it was going to be big, but seeing its size again made me nervous. It must have been around 5 cm thick at the thickest part. The filling was mainly onions, with a little bit of carrots and leeks. It was rare for a standing soba shop to have a ladle, so I tried the soba broth first. I thought it was delicious with the bonito broth, but that was just the beginning. The soba was of a standard thinness, slightly chewy and slightly firm. Now, I took a big bite of the huge tempura. Of course, it was piping hot. Even for someone who insists on hot tempura, it was perfect. 5. Tempura soba enjoyed at Hatsudai Kaga - I had seen the cooking process, so I knew the tempura was going to be big, but seeing its size again made me nervous. It must have been around 5 cm thick at the thickest part. The filling was mainly onions, with a little bit of carrots and leeks. Unlike the usual standing soba shops, there was a ladle, so I tried the soba broth first. I thought it was delicious with the bonito broth, but that was just the beginning. The soba was of a standard thinness, slightly chewy and slightly firm. Now, I took a big bite of the huge tempura. Of course, it was piping hot. Even for someone who insists on hot tempura, it was perfect.

After coming back from the gym, I was looking for a place to eat that would provide me with protein and be low in fat. I happened to stumble upon a restaurant near Hatagaya Station that I had been curious about for a while. It had good reviews on Tabelog and had been recommended by acquaintances. Even though there was a line outside during lunchtime, I decided to go in since there was no line outside. I quickly purchased my meal ticket from the machine, but the restaurant was packed. Since I am currently in a bulking phase, I ordered the warm egg soba with extra noodles. The food was delicious as everyone had said, and I ended up finishing the soup, which I don't usually do. I've noticed that restaurants that are always full tend to have tense staff. They focus on taste, turnover rate is crucial for the business, so it's understandable, but still... Next time, I want to try the herring soba!