Reiwa Soba Honten 令和十割そば本店
A friend recommended this place to me while I was looking for ideas on what to have for lunch. I thought of checking the reviews before going, but I decided to go without checking the reviews.
With the GPS guiding me, I was surprised that it was located near where I used to stay previously. This quaint little restaurant was in the middle of unhood beside the reservoir. Looking at the shops around it, I wouldn’t have thought a place like this would exist in that location.
The restaurant's entrance was simple, nothing fancy; full-height glass panels let you see clearly into the restaurant. Upon entering, you get this Japanese vibe to the place. I love how the place was decorated.
It was mostly empty when I arrived. I thought it would be more crowded as it was in the middle of lunch service.
Taking my seat, I noticed a simple pair of chopsticks placed horizontally in front of me giving off a very Zen vibe. The menu is digital; you scan a QR code, look through it and place your order with their staff. Pretty straightforward. Since it was my first visit, I decided to just go for the simplest item, a zaru soba with a tempura set.
The green tea was served first. The first thing I noticed was how green it was, almost a slight luminance. I took a sip and was pleasantly surprised by how balanced and refreshing it was! You taste the slight bitterness of the tea, but it is not overpowering.
The rest of my order came next. With a good mix of the condiments into the sauce, I dipped a generous serving of the soba into the dipping sauce and took a nice draw of breath and slurped!
It was fantastic! The wasabi, sesame seeds and spring onions go very well with the dipping sauce! Very, very refreshing on a hot and humid day. I guess this is why they say cold noodles are good for summer.
Next, the tempura. I noticed they served the tempura with a generous portion of sea salt by the side. This is the first time I’ve had tempura in this manner. I dipped the tempura with a bit of salt before taking a bite, and I must say this will be how I would like to eat tempura from now on! The sea salt seems to draw out more flavours from the different items in different ways. I especially love how the taste of the sweet potato is enhanced by the sea salt.
In a matter of minutes, I was done with the meal. I washed it all down with the rest of the green tea. The portions were perfect! Overall, it was a very satisfying meal. I’m definitely coming back to check out the rest of the menu!
