Tosoba Sho, a handmade soba restaurant that relocated from Mikkaichi to Azukimochi, serves handmade soba noodles made with buckwheat flour from Shinshu. I had heard rumors about this restaurant when it was in Mikkaichi, so I decided to visit after hearing that it had moved to a nearby location. The owner, Tomoaki Masaki, discovered his passion for soba through his hobby of pottery, and at the age of 50, he quit his corporate job to start a second career and open this restaurant. Next year will mark his 10th anniversary as a soba restaurant owner. The pottery he uses is actually handmade at Mikkaichi Ona Kiln (Niji no Mori Kobo: Pottery Class), mainly fired by the owner and other pottery staff. These pieces are displayed in the shop, and he also uses his own work for teacups, soba bowls, and soba cups. That's why the restaurant is named "Tosoba" (pottery soba)!
The restaurant has 7 counter seats and 8 table seats. The owner runs the place by himself. The soba noodles are made from whole grain buckwheat from Shinshu: Yatsugatake, Tateshina, and the foot of Mt. Asama, milled with a stone mill. The dipping sauce is a traditional blend of dark soy sauce, mirin, and granulated sugar. The broth is made with Rishiri kelp, bonito flakes, soda flakes, mackerel flakes, and horse mackerel flakes. The menu lists 100% and 80% buckwheat noodles, but the basic style is 100%, and the 80% is rarely served. Unusually for a mountain restaurant, they serve venison sashimi. The wild mountain vegetables served in tempura and other dishes include tara no me (angelica tree sprouts), oni sansho (Japanese pepper), yama udo (Japanese spikenard), kudzu sprouts, yukishita (snow-covered oak), nuruppa (snakehead), mukago (yam bulbils), and Shimonita leeks. The ingredients vary depending on the season, but many of them are grown on the premises. For seafood, we use white tiger shrimp (from Indonesia), and when available, we also use shrimp and small fish from Lake Hamana and Enshu-nada.
They served me "buckwheat tea," saying, "Please let it steep for at least two minutes." The aroma of buckwheat was so soothing. It was truly delicious buckwheat tea.
Buckwheat tea, made by brewing whole buckwheat grains, contains rutin, a type of polyphenol. This component has antioxidant properties that remove free radicals and helps plants protect themselves from ultraviolet rays, so drinking it can also help protect against UV rays in the summer. Furthermore, it helps prevent lifestyle-related diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease, arteriosclerosis, diabetes, and liver disease, and since it is caffeine-free, it is safe for children and pregnant women.
"Zaru Soba (cold buckwheat noodles) - 100% coarsely ground buckwheat" 900 yen
The soba noodles in the foreground are served raw, offering a different texture which is interesting. It's impressive that they can maintain such a beautiful length with 100% buckwheat flour and no binding agents. You can enjoy both the smooth texture and the aroma. If I had to nitpick, I think they could be cooked for a slightly shorter time.
"Grated Radish Soba (100% Coarsely Ground)" 1,100 yen. The grated radish soba comes with the zaru soba mentioned earlier.
The grated daikon radish is quite spicy and refreshing, and it's best enjoyed by dipping the soba noodles in it with plenty of Kujo leeks (grown by the owner) and sweet soy sauce from Kagoshima, then slurping them down. The perfect balance of spiciness, sweetness, and richness from the soy sauce makes it a recommended dish for summer soba!
Tempura 600 yen
Two shrimp, angelica tree sprouts, mountain udo, angelica tree leaves, nuruppa, and purple sweet potato in a sweet potato paste style. It's wonderful to be able to enjoy so much tempura at this price. We enjoyed it simply with Okinawan sun-dried salt and tea salt. The salt was also delicious. I often eat tempura made with wild vegetables around this time of year, but this was my first time trying nuruppa. It seems to be an edible leaf from a vine, and it has an interesting texture with a slimy stickiness. It's a leaf that absorbs a lot of minerals and is highly nutritious, and can be enjoyed from May to September. The other wild vegetables were also fried well, and they were all delicious with a crispy texture. The purple sweet potato in a sweet potato paste style was especially delightful and comforting.
Finally, "soba broth"
This soba broth is quite thick. The dipping sauce itself is slightly sweet, resulting in a gentle flavor. I happened to glance at the menu and noticed they didn't serve alcohol, nor was there any mention of a corkage fee, so I asked the owner. He said that soba connoisseurs are picky about sake, so they decided not to serve it (laughs). He said that if you want to drink, feel free to bring your own. If you borrow the owner's charming sake cup, there's a rental fee of 100-200 yen, which acts as the corkage fee. The owner, Mr. Masaki, recommended that I try their sobagaki next time, so I think I'll bring some sake and enjoy a drink while snacking on the sobagaki♪
Tosoba Sho
2-32-12 Azukimochi, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu City, Maruyama Mansion 1F TEL: 053-439-0139
Opening hours: 11:30-14:00, 18:00-20:00. Closed: Mondays and Tuesdays. *Closed in October 2013
