I made my way to a little gem tucked away in a Sabae neighborhood—*Ohaguro Soba-dokoro Sohei*. Honestly, I’d never even passed through this part of town before. And yet, there it stood—this charming little soba hideaway with a façade that whispered, “You’re in for something special.”
We were ushered into a traditional tatami room. The vibe? Bustling. The crowd? Plenty. It looked like the place was fully booked—clearly, word had gotten out.
Here’s the menu—a beautiful chaos of choice. If you opt for a “teishoku,” it comes loaded: soba noodles with rice, a few small side dishes, and miso soup. A full-blown culinary package deal.
So naturally, Tōru-kun went for the teishoku option—go big or go home, right?
My wife and I, ever the sensible pair, went with the restaurant’s signature—Sohei Soba. Plus, we split a tempura platter between the two of us. Soba *and* rice in one sitting? That would have been a heroic but foolish act.
Sohei Soba, it turns out, is soba sprinkled with crunchy tempura flakes. Maybe we could’ve skipped the tempura side… but hey, hindsight is delicious.
Now, this soba had character. Coarsely ground buckwheat hinted at in-house milling—earthy, rustic, unapologetically bold. The dashi? A bit sweet for my taste, but fans of rich, distinctive broths might just fall head over heels.
The tempura lineup? A veggie rainbow with shrimp and surprises: sweet potato, onion, green pepper, shiitake, pumpkin, chikuwa… it was a festival on a plate. Just the right size for two hungry yet civilized diners.
Then came the twist. Tōru-kun spotted a poster of Erina-san and casually mentioned it to the staff—who instantly assumed *he* was the fan. Plot twist: the real fan is F-kun! The drama! The mistaken identity!
And that, dear reader, wraps it up.
“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” —George Bernard Shaw
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