(Translated by Google) [We Came Again This Year]
This soba restaurant in Kitashiga has been a regular since 2021, and I've been visiting it almost every year. It's about 100km from Karuizawa, and the drive takes just under two hours.
This was my fourth visit. It's closed during the winter season, so you have to come between spring and fall, but sometimes I stay overnight in the area while I'm here. This time, I combined it with an overnight trip to Tsunan Town, about 50km further away. The soba here is the main attraction.
I made a reservation for 12:30 about a month ago. When I arrived 20 minutes early, it was almost full. The staff were busy working, and I was told to sit on the sofa for a bit. Just like last time, I waited 20 minutes before finally being able to sit at a table at my reservation time. As expected, if you don't arrive exactly on time, you'll end up wasting time.
I wrote down the number of soba noodles I wanted on the list, writing three for two people, including refills. ...
The restaurant had hired more pizza bakers and delivery staff, which probably increased the amount of soba noodles they were making, and it seemed like they were able to accommodate more customers than before.
However, today, once again, a walk-in customer who arrived after us was told to wait another 40 minutes, and then the restaurant staff told them that the soba noodles were sold out, so I think reservations are still essential.
The course menu consisted of ❶ seasonal appetizer, ❷ hand-ground soba noodles, ❸ freshly ground soba noodles, and ❹ stone-oven fried soba pizza. It was 2,850 yen including tax. It's cute that the price has only increased by 100 yen since last year.
There are six types of pizza available, and each customer chooses one. Each pizza is 30cm in diameter.
For the first time, they also offered a two-course meal.
① Freshly pounded soba noodles and hand-ground soba pancakes (large)
② Freshly pounded soba noodles and stone-oven fried soba pizza (medium, 16cm diameter)
① "Sukagawa Soba Pizza" = Shinshu miso, green onions, enoki mushrooms, buckwheat seeds, and sansho pepper
② "Seasonal Soba Pizza" = Spring: Butterbur miso and wild vegetables / Early summer: Bamboo shoots / Summer: Summer vegetables / Autumn: Apple
③ "Anchovy Soba Pizza" = Tomato sauce, anchovies, and oregano
④ "Dry Salami Soba Pizza" = Tomato sauce, dry salami, and basil
⑤ "BLT Soba Pizza" = Tomato sauce, bacon, lettuce, and tomato
...In the end, I decided to go with my usual choice, choice ③.
My partner ordered choice ①, just like last time.
I was actually planning to order the "Seasonal Soba Pizza" with summer vegetables, but since it was already autumn, even though it was still hot, it was already autumn with apples, so I decided to go with option ①.
First, soba tea was brought out, and then I wanted a beer, so I ordered the non-alcoholic "Moretti Zero Non-Alcoholic Beer (600 yen including tax)." ...It has sugar in it, doesn't it? It's a little less beer-like, after all.
The snack to go with the beer was pickled cucumber.
Warm soba noodles...with both salt and wasabi soy sauce.
The first dish, ❶ "Seasonal Appetizer," was "Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin, Soy Turnip, and Kurakake Beans." The pumpkin was just the right amount of sweet and delicious. The Kurakake beans were boiled and salted just right.
Next, ❷ "Hand-Milled Soba Noodles." Just like last time, I upgraded to a large portion (+750 yen). I simply love the soba noodles at this restaurant.
These piping hot soba noodles have a distinctive green color. They're delicious with either salt or wasabi soy sauce.
Next up is another treat: ❸ Freshly Grown Soba Noodles.
Today's soba noodles, like last year's, are sourced from Minoya, Nanto City, Toyama Prefecture, and Shimosukagawa, Shimotakai District, Nagano Prefecture. The owner of this restaurant is meticulous in all aspects, from post-harvest storage and management, to peeling, milling, kneading, and boiling.
"Freshly Grown Soba Noodles"...as promised, I first enjoyed them without any seasonings, enjoying the flavor and taste as they were, then adding a little salt, and finally enjoying them with soba soup and wasabi. They have a smooth texture. ...Personally, eating them with salt is my favorite. But I get bored of that if I keep doing that, so of course I eat them with soba soup and wasabi. I eat them straight, without any condiments like green onions. And they're delicious.
❸-② And then we had a refill of the "Namakouchi Soba" (+1,250 yen). Considering the pizza that was coming later, one more bowl of soba would be too much, but we decided to have it anyway, thinking we'd regret it if we didn't have some since we'd come all the way to Kitashiga. It was still delicious, after all.
A thick soba soup was also prepared, to which we added some Nozawana greens. This soba soup was also delicious...
Next up was
❹ "Stone Oven Yakisoba Pizza"...we shared two pizzas between the two of us.
① "Sukagawa Soba Pizza" = Shinshu miso, green onions, enoki mushrooms, buckwheat seeds, and sansho pepper...the enoki mushrooms were surprisingly effective as an accent for the texture. The miso base was delicious. The pizza crust was thin and crispy, and delicious. Of course, it was made with buckwheat flour. Tabasco would have been nice, but perhaps due to the restaurant's policy, they didn't have it.
The other pizza is
③ "Anchovy Soba Pizza" = Tomato sauce, anchovies, oregano... The subtle saltiness and tartness of the anchovies is the key. It's an addictive flavor.
This year, the shop will probably close for winter in late November. I hope to come back next year.
(Original)
【また今年も来ちゃった】
2021年以来通い始めてほぼ毎年お邪魔している北志賀のお蕎麦屋さん。軽井沢からは100kmくらいの距離で、車で店まで約2時間弱。
今回で4回目の訪問。冬シーズンは休業なので、春から秋までのタイミングで来ないといけないが、ここに来たついでにこの辺りに泊まるケースも。今回はここからさらに50キロほど離れた津南町へ一泊の旅をセットにした。あくまでもこちらの蕎麦がメインイベント。
ひと月ほど前に12時半に予約。20分前に到着してみるとほぼ満席。店の方は忙しそうにチャキチャキ働いていて、「少しソファに座ってお待ちください」と言われて、結局前回同様20分待って予約時間にようやくテーブル席に着席出来ることに。やはり予約時間ぴったりに来ないと、時間を持て余すことになる。
名簿にそばの枚数を書き、お代わりを含めて2人で3枚と記入。…
店のピザを焼く人、運ぶ人も増員されていたので、少しは蕎麦を打つ量も増えたのか、以前よりも多くの客を入れられるようになっていた気がした。
だがやはり今日もまた、僕らの後に来た飛び込み客の方はあと40分待ちと言われるか、その後は「蕎麦は売り切れ」と店の方から言われていたので、やはり予約は必須だと思う。
コースメニューは❶季節のお通し、❷手挽き蕎麦がき、❸生粉打ち蕎麦、❹石窯焼きそばピッツァと言う流れ。税込2850円。去年より100円しか値上げしてないところが、可愛らしい。
ピッツァには次の6種類があって各自が一種類を選ぶ方式。サイズは直径30センチ。
二種コースと言うコースも今回初めて出来ていて
①生粉打ち蕎麦と手挽きそばがき(大サイズ)
②生粉打ち蕎麦と石窯焼きそばピッツァ(中サイズ=直径16センチ)のコースも出来ていた。
①「須賀川そばピッツァ」=信州みそ、ねぎ、えのき、そばの実、山椒
②「季節のそばピッツァ」=春:ふき味噌、山菜/初夏:根曲がり竹/夏:夏野菜/秋:りんご
③「アンチョビのそばピッツァ」=トマトソース、アンチョビ、オレガノ
④「ドライサラミのそばピッツァ」=トマトソース、ドライサラミ、バジル
⑤「BLTのそばピッツァ」=トマトソース、ベーコン、レタス、トマト
…結局、僕はいつも通り③を選ぶことにした。
相方はこれまた①を前回同様オーダー。
実は『季節のそばピッツァ』の=夏:夏野菜を頼むつもりだったが、まだ暑くとも季節は既に秋ということで秋:りんごになっていたので、①をチョイスすることに。
ドリンクでまずは蕎麦茶が運ばれ、ビールも飲みたくなり、「ノンアルコールビールの「モレッティzero ノンアルビール(税込600円)」をオーダー。…砂糖が入ってるのね、これ。少しやはりビールらしさには欠けるかな。
ビールのツマミには「胡瓜の漬物」。
あったかい蕎麦がき…塩もわさび醤油も
さて、最初の❶「季節のお通し」…は、「甘辛かぼちゃ、醤油蕪、鞍掛豆」…かぼちゃは適度な甘さで美味しい。鞍掛豆の茹で加減、塩加減はちょうど良い。
続いて❷「手挽き蕎麦がき」…今回も前回に続き大盛りに変更させてもらった(+750円)。とにかくこの店の蕎麦がきが大好き。
独特の緑色したほかほか温かいそばがき。塩でもわさび醤油もどちらで食べても美味しい。
続いてこれもまたお楽しみの❸生粉打ち蕎麦。
今日のそばは昨年と同じ富山県南砺市蓑谷、長野県下高井郡下須賀川のモノを使う。収穫後の保存管理、皮剥き、製粉、蕎麦打ち、釜茹で、すべての作業をこの店の店主が行う徹底ぶり。
「生粉打ち蕎麦」…お約束通り、何もつけずにまずはそのままの風味と味わいを楽しみ、そしてお塩を少しつけて楽しみ、最後に蕎麦つゆと山葵で楽しむ。なめらかな口当たり。…塩でいただくのが僕的には一番好み。でも、それを続けても飽きるので、もちろん蕎麦つゆ+山葵でいただく。ネギなどの薬味はなくストレートで食べる。そして美味しい。
❸-②そして「生粉打ち蕎麦」のお代わり(+1250円)。…本当はこの後のピザが出ることを考えると蕎麦もう一枚は多いだが、せっかくここ北志賀まで来たのだから食べないと後悔するな、といただく。やはり、それでも美味しい。
とろりとしたそば湯も用意され、そこに野沢菜を入れていただく。このそば湯も美味しい…。
続いて
❹「石窯焼きそばピッツァ」…2枚を2人でシェア。
①「須賀川そばピッツァ」=信州味噌、ネギ、エノキ、蕎麦の実、山椒…エノキが案外食感アクセントとしても効果的。ベースの味噌味が美味しい。ピザ生地はパリパリと薄いクリスピータイプで美味しい。もちろん蕎麦粉ベース。タバスコがあっても良いと思うけど、店のポリシーなのか置いてはいない。
もう一枚は
③「アンチョビのそばピッツァ」=トマトソース、アンチョビ、オレガノ…わずかなアンチョビの塩味と酸味がポイント。クセになる味。
今年もおそらく11月下旬に冬支度でお店は休業に入る。また来年来れると良いな。