Hello everyone, thank you for your hard work! (＾Ｏ＾☆♪ I’ve also started a blog!! Please check it out!! https://nakazaki-kenji.jp/ Today, I visited "Teuchi Soba Jiyu San" in Higashi-Nagasaki. It’s been about two and a half years since my last visit. As summer approaches, I thought it would be a good idea to start visiting soba restaurants, and I decided to kick things off with Jiyu San. d(^_^o) Let me delve a little deeper into soba. _φ(･_･ As summer draws near, I find myself inexplicably drawn to soba shops. I enjoy slurping cold soba while sipping a bit of sake during the day. It’s not too heavy, not too noisy, and it feels comfortable even when dining alone. The culture of "soba-mae" that has continued since the Edo period offers a perfect "style" for adult daytime drinking. Moreover, soba contains rutin and B vitamins, making it a gentle food for a tired summer body. I sip lightly and finish with soba. This year, I plan to explore this enjoyable summer experience a bit more seriously. "Soba is meant to be slurped heartily, the Edo way." That’s the image I have. However, it is said that the actual Edo culture was more about "subtle elegance." The perception of slurping loudly likely spread through rakugo, movies, gourmet culture, and television. Originally, it was less about competing for loudness and more about gracefully enjoying the soba and leaving the shop smoothly. When I enter a soba shop alone during the day, I feel I can grasp that Edo-like distance a little better. By the way, soba was not originally the thin noodles we know today. It is said that the old form of soba was kneaded like sobagaki and eaten in dumpling form. The thin-cut soba known as "soba-kiri" became popular during the Edo period. The techniques of using wheat flour as a binder and the busy merchant culture contributed to the formation of the current soba culture. I sip lightly on sake and finish with seiro soba. Perhaps this "thin-cutting" is what gave rise to the Edo soba-mae culture. Let me briefly introduce the restaurant. _φ(･_･ About the cuisine: Facing soba directly and adjusting the kneading method according to the flour's condition Chef Takahashi, who wishes to express what he truly loves and desires, continues to pursue and evolve his ideal taste. Through careful techniques like water management and kneading, he has achieved the current flavor. The buckwheat sourced from producers across Japan, including Nagano and Fukui, is ground in a stone mill only for the day's use. The rich dipping sauce enhances the flavor and umami of the soba, which is made according to the flour's condition of the day. He pays attention to the use of water, using mineral water for the kneading water and soft water with shell fossils for boiling. About Chef Sadao Takahashi: Originally from Tokyo, he grew up in a family that has run a soba shop since his grandparents' generation. He helped out at the shop from a young age and decided to become a soba chef in elementary school. After graduating from Tsuji Culinary Institute, he trained for five years at the renowned "Takeyabu" in Kashiwa, Chiba. In 2005, he took over the family business and became the third generation at just 26 years old. He changed the shop's name from "Chojuan," which had been maintained by his grandfather and father, to "Teuchi Soba Jiyu San," revamping the menu and transforming it into a popular spot for soba lovers from afar. I got off at Shin-Ekoda Station on the Toei Oedo Line and headed to the restaurant. It’s about a 10-minute walk, which is a bit far, but it’s a straight path, so I arrived without getting lost. Upon entering the restaurant, the owner warmly welcomed me. The service was wonderful, and her smile was soothing. ( ◠‿◠ ) For dinner reservations, there’s a rule where you can enjoy one drink and an appetizer for JPY 1900, so I started with Japanese sake. d(^_^o) I was served a lightly cloudy sake from Yamagata Prefecture, which was incredibly rich and aromatic—absolutely fantastic!! I enjoyed various types of sake afterward!! Each one was delicious and made me feel pleasantly tipsy. (//∇//) Alright!! Let’s fully enjoy Jiyu San after such a long time!! Today, I’ll be ordering a variety of dishes a la carte!! First, let’s start with the appetizers. Appetizer: First, we have a four-item appetizer platter. Just looking at it makes me excited!! Nukazuke: Pickled eggplant, carrot, cucumber, and turnip. Each one has a pleasant acidity and is delicious!! I could easily drink two cups of sake with just this!! Tataki Gobou: The flavor of the burdock is gentle and soothing. The aroma of sesame is irresistible!! Shidoke no Ohitashi: Crunchy with a moderate bitterness and a wonderful aroma!! This feels like it will cleanse my body from the inside!! Mushroom Ohitashi: Wow!! It’s packed with the umami of various mushrooms—absolutely the best!! The light seasoning allows me to fully enjoy the aroma and flavor of the mushrooms!! Tamagoyaki: They made a serving just for me! ( ◠‿◠ ) It’s hot and looks incredibly delicious!! This is so good!! It’s fluffy and creamy, with a rich dashi flavor!! The outside has no burn marks, and the inside is perfectly moist!! This pairs wonderfully with sake! (//∇//) Itawasa: This is a Kishu Tanabe-style grilled kamaboko, with a plump and chewy texture and rich umami!! The outside is fragrant, and the aroma of wasabi is fantastic!! Zenmai: They made a serving just for me! ( ◠‿◠ ) I was surprised at how thick it was!! It has a crunchy texture, and the more I chew, the more umami bursts out—absolutely the best!! I could eat this zenmai every day!! This is a sake thief! (＾Ｏ＾☆♪) Boni Shinn: They made a serving just for me! ( ◠‿◠ ) I’m happy it comes with kombu too!! This is so delicious!! It’s said to be carefully deboned and simmered for five days, and the herring itself is large and rich in fat—absolutely the best! (　ﾟдﾟ) Since it’s carefully deboned, I didn’t feel any bones at all!! The kombu is soft and full of umami, and it’s incredibly tasty!! This is a remarkable dish! (//∇//)(//∇//)(//∇//) Duck Roast: They made a serving just for me! ( ◠‿◠ ) It’s said to be low-temperature cooked with a Fuji vinegar sauce, and the refreshing acidity and aroma of the vinegar pair perfectly with the moist duck!! The duck isn’t greasy at all, and the rich umami bursts out with every bite—absolutely the best!! The side dish is carrot mixed with fuki miso, and the sweet carrot pairs wonderfully with the aromatic and slightly bitter fuki miso!! This is the first time I’ve had duck paired with soba! (　ﾟдﾟ) Now, let’s move on to the soba. Seiro Soba: The inaka soba was sold out, so I had the seiro! It looks beautiful, like ju-wari soba!! First, I tried it plain, and it was fragrant and rich in flavor—so good!! And this dipping sauce is exceptional!! It’s a bit spicy like the Yabu style and incredibly rich!! I’m so happy with this quality! (＾Ｏ＾☆♪) Sansai Soba: I ordered this as it was a seasonal special!! It’s a cold soba with shidoke and mushrooms. It looks incredibly beautiful!! First, the dashi is super delicious!! Really, the dipping sauce here is remarkable!! Slurping the soba with shidoke and mushrooms is heavenly!! The bitterness and aroma of the shidoke combined with the umami of the mushrooms is pure bliss! (^_−)−☆ This was the perfect way to finish! (//∇//) As always, both the appetizers and soba were outstanding!! This place is truly a renowned restaurant!! Here’s what I had today: 1. Pickled eggplant, carrot, cucumber, and turnip 2. Tataki Gobou 3. Shidoke no Ohitashi 4. Mushroom Ohitashi 5. Tamagoyaki 6. Itawasa 7. Zenmai 8. Duck Roast 9. Boni Shinn 10. Seiro Soba 11. Sansai Soba The appetizers surprised me right from the start!! The four-item platter was delicious, and I was already enjoying my sake!! The tamagoyaki was moist and hot, with plenty of dashi flavor—so good!! The itawasa was thick and plump, full of umami, and the wasabi was perfect!! And the zenmai was a surprise!! It was incredibly thick with a crunchy texture and wonderful umami!! The duck roast had a pleasant balance of acidity and umami, and the carrot mixed with fuki miso was superb!! And my favorite was the boni shinn!! It was a large herring that was carefully deboned and simmered for five days, and it was so tender and rich—absolutely delicious!! I didn’t feel any bones at all, and the umami was incredible!! The accompanying kombu was also soft and rich in flavor—amazing!! This kombu could stand alone as a soba-mae dish! (　ﾟдﾟ) I had seiro and sansai soba, and both were of high quality—absolutely the best!! The soba was delicious, and I was thrilled to enjoy such great soba after a long time!! Moreover, the soba dipping sauce was also delicious!! After a long time, I had soba at Jiyu San again, and I was once again impressed by how good it is!! The sansai soba was loaded with shidoke and mushrooms, and the combination of shidoke’s aroma and bitterness with the umami of the mushrooms was the perfect finish!! I relaxed with soba-yu at the end. (//∇//) The soba-mae was also served in individual portions for me!! I really appreciated the thoughtful attention to detail. (^_−)−☆ The owner assisted with cooking, serving drinks, and customer service. Chef Takahashi focused on cooking, and their teamwork was impressive!! I’m convinced this is one of Tokyo’s top soba restaurants!! I was completely satisfied!! It was a great meal! Thank you, Takahashi-san and the owner, for today!! I will definitely visit again! (^_−)−☆