Omura

The menu ranges from classic chilled soba to distinctive dipping sauces and hearty sets. A good place to start is the signature Kamo Seiro: chilled soba dipped in a substantial broth enriched with the savoury flavour of duck. Finish by pouring sobayu—the hot water used to cook soba—into the remaining broth and savouring it to the last. For something different, try the spicy Aka no Tsuke Soba, made with a special chilli oil, or Tsuke Tororo, with egg and grated yam whipped to a light, airy texture.

Crisp, lightly fried tempura makes a fine partner for chilled soba. Choose the Tempura Zaru Seiro with shrimp tempura, the Vegetable Tempura Seiro topped with seasonal vegetables, or Irodori Tempura Soba, a colourful pairing of tempura and soba. There are plenty of ways to match a bowl to your preferred toppings.

Set meals combining noodles and rice are a useful choice when you want a more substantial lunch. Options include a mini pork cutlet rice bowl with thick cutlet simmered with egg, a classic mini tempura bowl, a mini shirasu rice bowl featuring whitebait from Suruga Bay, boiled with Akō salt, and a mini curry bowl fragrant with broth and spices. You can choose the accompanying noodles, including mori, kake or tanuki soba, making it easy to tailor the meal to the weather and your appetite.

Omura stands along a road in Minamikawasaki, Yashio, and has free parking. It is suited to anything from a casual solo lunch to a family meal in the tatami room. Alongside lunch, it is also an easy place to drop in for soba and small plates with bottled beer or sake in the evening.