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.
こちらが店主の正木智晃さん。出来上がった料理を1皿1皿丁寧にお客様に説明してくれます。頑固そうなお顔立ちで少々強面ですが、話をきちんと聞いて正しい食べ方をすれば、いろいろなこだわり情報を教えてくれますよ♪
「蕎麦茶」
”最低2分は蒸らしてください”と言いながら出してくれました。蕎麦の香りでほっと一息。本当に美味しい蕎麦茶です。蕎麦の実を丸ごとふんだんに淹れた蕎麦茶には、ルチンというポリフェノールの一種が含まれています。この成分には、活性酸素を除去する酸化防止作用があり、植物が紫外線から身を守るための効果があるので、飲むことで夏場の紫外線対策にもなるそうです。そして高血圧、心臓病、動脈硬化、糖尿病、肝疾患などの生活習慣病を予防し、カフェインを含まないので子供や妊婦さんでも安心です。
「おろし蕎麦 粗挽き10割」 1,100円
おろし蕎麦は、ざるそばにこのおろし大根が付いてきます。店主から、”辛味大根は、先端の辛い部分と中くらいとどちらがいいかね？”と尋ねられ、辛いもの好きの相方が調子づいて先端を希望。すると味わったことのない驚くほどの辛さに涙が出ました（笑）次回は、中くらいの辛さでお願いした方が良さそうです♪
おろし大根には、店主が自家栽培している九条ねぎと、鹿児島の甘口醤油をたっぷりと入れて、こちらに蕎麦をくぐらせ、ずずっといただくのが良いでしょう。辛味と醤油の甘みとコクが相まって夏の蕎麦にオススメです♪
手前は、蕎麦刺しで違った食感が味わえ面白いです。10割のつなぎ無しでこれだけ綺麗な長さが保ててれば良いですね。喉越しも香りも楽しめます。しかし、今回は大根の先端を希望したばっかりに、おろし大根は辛さが際立ってしまい、蕎麦の旨味を感じられないのがオーダーミスでした。残念！でも夏のおろし蕎麦はさっぱりと喉越し良く美味しいですね♪
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
