Preface
Today is ``Chichibu Whiskey Festival 2024We are participating in a whiskey event called ``.
The problem at these whiskey events is what to have for lunch.
At events, I mostly drink straight whiskey.
There are free tastings, but there are also paid tastings, ranging from a few hundred yen to several thousand yen, with some whiskeys costing over 10,000 yen.
Whiskey has a delicate taste, so if you eat dishes that linger in your mouth after eating, such as curry or dishes that use ginger or garlic, the taste of the whiskey will be affected.
Even for free tastings, I pay about 5,000 yen to participate in the event, and if I'm going to pay for a tasting and drink it, I want to be able to taste it properly, so I personally try to avoid such dishes for lunch at whiskey events.
You can intentionally avoid curry, but if you try to avoid ginger and garlic, you won't be able to eat ramen, Chinese food, or set meals, and your options will be severely limited.
However, there is a menu that allows you to easily avoid ginger and garlic.
That is soba.
Of course, udon, kishimen, and similar dishes are also OK.
Since soba often contains green onions, you might think that it will remain in your mouth even after eating.
I think this kind of thing will happen with cold soba like zaru soba.
However, if you are using warm soba like kake soba, you can minimize the onion-like taste that remains in your mouth after eating by soaking the green onions in the soup and heating it a little while the soup is still warm.
And this is Chichibu.
The area is also famous for soba.
Another problem is that the restaurants near the event venue are crowded.
Events are being held, and since it's Sunday, there are regular tourists, and there are long lines at all the famous soba restaurants.
You can stand in line, but that will reduce the amount of time you can participate in the event.
I want to eat soba without waiting in line. .
In such cases, it is convenient to use ``standing soba noodles”.
We will head to Ohanabatake Station, which is one station away from Chichibu Station, where the event will begin.
There are two stand-up soba restaurants near Ohanabatake Station.
『Hanayuu” and “
Chichibu Soba Ohanabatake Station Branch”.
I was worried about which one to eat, but...Hanayuu” was selected.
Hanayuu
The exterior has a retro atmosphere.
There is standing seating as well as chair seating.
Tempura soba
To order, please go to ``Tempura soba』。
The price is a whopping 400 yen.
If you're in Tokyo or at a chain restaurant, you can get tempura soba for the price you'd pay for kake soba.
The ordering method is to verbally explain the menu and pay on the spot.
Payment method is cash only.
Tempura (kakiage)
The tempura (kakiage) is not freshly fried but pre-made, but it drains well and retains its crispy texture.
The ingredients were strongly reminiscent of carrots, onions, and garland chrysanthemums.
Soba Noodles
The soba noodles were a little thick but had a chewy texture.
Tsuyu (Dipping Broth)
The soup has a good balance of soup stock and the salty taste of the soy sauce.
Others
Another nice feature is that the green onions are cut diagonally, and both the white and green parts are included.
The portion felt a little small, probably because I was hungry.
So, I quickly ate and drank the whole thing and said thank you for the meal.
One cup of soba is not enough to satisfy the stomachs of young people in their prime growing age, so it is difficult to satisfy the stomachs of people in the early 30's.Chichibu Soba Ohanabatake Station BranchI decided to go to ``.
