Nikko, Tochigi, Japan｜小百田舎そば

I stopped by for lunch last month when I was watching wild birds. This is my first visit since I visited about 3 years ago. We went there 15 minutes before the store opened, and although we were the only ones there at that time, cars were coming one after another from about 5 minutes before. You can see the popularity. My wife and I ordered 5 gobuchi and 2 pieces of tempura. When the soba noodles arrived, I was worried that the two of us would not be able to finish them all, but they were so delicious that we ate them all. It was a little disappointing that the tempura was a little cold, but the tempura was also delicious. It is a shop where you can feel the warmth of several elderly women. I will ask you again.

The soba I was looking for. Country soba with a rough texture and a distorted cut. The texture of the buckwheat noodles that are caught in a lump and brought to your mouth is an outstanding match. The more you eat it, the more delicious it becomes, and the more you enjoy the aroma. The tempura soba contains kakiage, which brings out the flavor of the vegetables rather than the batter. Kakiage is like vegetable heaven without meat. The kakiage batter and vegetables are perfectly balanced, and you can feel the sweetness of the onions. The garnish is simply boiled with salt-crusted cabbage and lightly rubbed with salt. A large serving of tempura soba (warm) is 900 yen, which is expensive for a stand-up soba, but it is cheap if you eat it near a soba restaurant, which is nice in a tourist area. The warmth that is also a place for locals to relax is very comfortable. Feels like a hidden gem.

I went to eat there for the first time in 10 years. I forget the price in the past, but the price of soba is high. Even famous Nikko restaurants are 100 yen cheaper than this. The quality of tempura has improved. There is no assortment, only kakiage. Soba is delicious. The response is also good.