Did you know there’s an old-style Japanese house cafe themed around soy sauce right near Sakazu Park?
At Kurashiki Sabo Ouka, you can enjoy a homemade obanzai buffet.
Obanzai are side dishes traditionally made in ordinary Kyoto households.
And the tamago kake gohan served with the obanzai, topped with “Kibi Nira Soy Sauce,” is absolutely delicious!
We’d like to introduce Kurashiki Sabo Ouka, a family-friendly cafe with a relaxing, nostalgic atmosphere.
The information provided was current when this article was published in April 2023. Please note that it may differ from current information.
A garden that evokes the seasons
The traditional garden and old house create a nostalgic atmosphere.
When the cafe is full, you can sit on the veranda and wait while looking out at the garden.
The garden plants have been selected so that flowers are always in bloom, and you can enjoy flowers throughout the four seasons.
At the time of our visit, cherry blossoms were in full bloom throughout the Sakazu area.
You can also enjoy the cherry blossoms in the garden in spring.
Now, let’s head inside Kurashiki Sabo Ouka.
A cozy Japanese-style room in a century-old traditional house with an old-fashioned atmosphere
Kurashiki Sabo Ouka is a cafe in a traditional house over 100 years old, where you can enjoy an obanzai buffet while admiring the beautiful garden.
It opened on March 13, 2014, as a place where visitors can enjoy the taste of soy sauce up close.
The obanzai buffet displayed on the wooden shelves just inside the entrance catches the eye and whets the appetite.
The interior is a Japanese-style room, a relaxing space reminiscent of a grandmother’s house in the countryside.
You can sense the care put into every light fixture and decorative item.
The garden is clearly visible from the seats, so you can enjoy the view while dining.
A single flower from the garden is apparently always displayed in the vase.
Works by Kurashiki artists are also on display, and you can purchase any that catch your eye.
The works on display included a wide range of pieces that can be enjoyed by everyone, from children to older adults.
Kurashiki Sabo Ouka’s lunch buffet menu
At Kurashiki Sabo Ouka, you can enjoy a lunch buffet packed with vegetables grown in Okayama Prefecture.
Lunch includes a buffet of more than 10 kinds of obanzai, Genki rice, the soup of the day, and a small dessert.
The lunch buffet prices are as follows.
| Category | Price (tax included) |
|---|---|
| Adults | ¥1,500 |
| Elementary school students | ¥700 |
| Children (including preschoolers) | ¥500 |
| Lunch drink (coffee or tea) | Lunch price + ¥100 *Complimentary every Friday |
Takeout is also available, and it’s nice that you can take home obanzai.
Takeout prices are as follows.
| Category | Price (tax included) |
|---|---|
| One obanzai dish | ¥250 |
| All obanzai dishes | ¥1,000 |
| Genki rice | ¥150 |
| Bento | ¥500 |
For takeout of all the obanzai dishes, cold items are packed in one container that you can fill yourself, while warm items such as “Sato no Ko-age” are packed by the staff.
A lunch buffet where you can choose freely from more than 10 kinds of obanzai
One of the things to look forward to is that the obanzai change each time depending on which vegetables are in season.
The especially popular “Japanese-style okara salad,” “Sato no Ko-age,” and “curry” are apparently regular menu items.
The Japanese-style okara salad whets the appetite with the contrast between the sweet flavor of okara and its tanginess, while the Sato no Ko-age is crispy on the outside and fluffy inside, making it a favorite with many people.
At the obanzai buffet, you can freely serve yourself the dishes you like.
The glazed carrots are full of sweetness and add a splash of color to your plate.
The Japanese chive omelet is wonderfully fluffy inside.
When all the obanzai dishes are arranged on a plate, you end up with a spread this lavish.
And one thing you should definitely try at Kurashiki Sabo Ouka is rice topped with a raw egg and drizzled with Tora Soy Sauce's yellow chive soy sauce.
Take an egg and some yellow chive soy sauce to your table.
With all the dishes laid out on the table, it looks incredibly lavish.
The small dessert was sweet bean paste yokan, deliciously and moderately sweet.
The multigrain Genki rice and soup are brought to your table by the staff.
Everything, including the obanzai, is all-you-can-eat.
The obanzaibuffet menu during our visit was as follows:
- Simmered beans
- Japanese-style okara salad
- Simmered konjac
- Glazed carrots
- Komatsuna greens and fried tofu simmered together
- Daikon radish with shrimp
- Japanese chive omelet
- Bamboo shoots and fiddlehead ferns namul
- Simmered kiriboshi daikon
- Fried satoimo
- Curry
Every obanzai dish had a gentle yet rich flavor, seasoned in a way that never gets old and makes you want to come back again and again.
Apparently, each obanzai dish is carefully prepared starting the night before.
The reason they don't taste bland is that the soy sauce has had plenty of time to soak into the ingredients.
Rice topped with a raw egg and drizzled with Tora Soy Sauce's yellow chive soy sauce is exceptional
As popular as the obanzai is rice topped with a raw egg.
The eggs come from Ubukokko-ya, a specialty egg shop known for its smiling customers, in Tamashima, Kurashiki City.
Tora Soy Sauce's yellow chive soy sauce is the perfect match for rice topped with a raw egg.
Crack an egg into a bowl of multigrain Genki rice and mix in Tora Soy Sauce's yellow chive soy sauce, and the result is simply incredible…!!
The subtle aroma of chives whets your appetite even more, making you want another serving.
Of course, I went back for another serving of rice topped with a raw egg.
The cafe menu after 3 p.m. features Japanese sweets made by a skilled anko artisan
Kurashiki Sabo Ouka offers more than just an obanzaibuffet and rice topped with a raw egg.
After the lunch buffet ends, the cafe is open from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The cafe menu has a wide selection of Japanese sweets, and the pancakes served with plenty of sweet bean paste, bittersweet matcha, and soy milk whipped cream are a popular choice.
If you're too full to manage pancakes, the anko latte is a great choice.
The sweetness of plenty of sweet bean paste and soy milk whipped cream pairs perfectly with the slightly bitter coffee.
Try the mitarashi dango too, and you'll leave feeling completely satisfied.
The staff's latest recommendation is the “Classic Custard Pudding.”
You can also order it during the lunch buffet.
Photo courtesy of Kurashiki Sabo Ouka
In the second half of the article, we spoke with Rika Miyake and her mother, Sumiko, of Kurashiki Sabo Ouka, about how they came to start an obanzaibuffet cafe and what makes it special.
Kurashiki Sabo Ouka details
| Name | Kurashiki Sabo Ouka |
|---|---|
| Address | 2429 Sakazu, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-441-8713 |
| Parking | Available 4 spaces |
| Hours | 11:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m. *Lunch service ends at 3:00 p.m. |
| Closed | Thursday |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Accepted |
| Seating | 24 seats total: ・Four 4-person tatami seating areas ・Four 2-person tatami seating areas |
| Smoking | Non-smoking (smoking permitted only in designated areas) |
| Restroom | Western-style toilet |
| Website | Kurashiki Sabo Ouka Instagram |
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