Walk about five minutes west from the tourist destination of the Bikan Historical Area.
You’ll see a stately wall and a building with white-plastered storehouse-style walls.
Looking at the size of the grounds and the imposing gate, you might wonder, “Is this a mansion? What kind of building is it?”
You can’t see much of the inside from outside, so you may be curious about what it looks like.
In fact, this impressive building is a restaurant!
On the grounds are Takenoya Bettei and “Trattoria Homemade Soba Takenoya.”
For those who are curious, let’s take a closer look.
The information presented was current when this article was published in November 2021. Please note that it may differ from current information.
A different world inside the grounds
Water flows around the grounds, and a stately wall surrounds the building.
Now, let’s cross the bridge and go inside.
Once inside the grounds, you’ll find the soba restaurant Trattoria Homemade Soba Takenoya on your right.
In addition to classic, authentic seiro soba, this popular restaurant also serves creative pasta made with soba noodles.
Across from Trattoria Homemade Soba Takenoya is Takenoya Bettei.
It is a sister restaurant of Takenoya that opened in July 2021.
Takenoya is surrounded by shopping streets and residential neighborhoods, so the grounds feel like a different world.
The grounds feature white-walled buildings and storehouses that evoke Kurashiki, as well as an inner garden carefully planted with trees that bring the seasons to life.
Simply admiring Takenoya’s buildings and garden lets you experience something out of the ordinary and a special atmosphere.
I wonder what kind of food they serve in such a lovely place…
Naturally, my expectations for the food rise considerably, too.
Now, let’s head to Takenoya Bettei.
An interior that evokes Kurashiki
Now, let’s step inside the building at Takenoya Bettei.
Inside, there’s a staircase, and you can see that there are seating areas on the first and second floors.
The second-floor seating is used to serve shaved ice in summer and when the first floor is full.
The first-floor seating lets you appreciate the interesting structure of the building.
There’s a large room across the corridor from the private rooms, and it feels as if you’re outside the building!
The white walls often seen in Kurashiki’s streetscape are usually used on exterior walls, so seeing them inside the building creates a strange sensation.
Those who are especially used to seeing white walls may lose track of whether they’re inside or outside the building.
Tables and chairs are set up in several places in the large room.
Sitting seiza-style on a cushion can make your legs go numb, but chairs are comfortable.
There are three private rooms: one with two tables and two with one table each.
Each room has a large window facing the inner garden, giving the private rooms an open feel.
You can enjoy your meal while taking in the view.
Menu for the 2021 Autumn Lunch Itadakimasu Stamp Rally
Since we were there, we decided to eat in a private room while looking out at the trees in the inner garden.
From our seats, we could see a cherry tree in the foreground, and a storehouse and Trattoria Homemade Soba Takenoya in the background.
It’s a seat that makes you want to visit during cherry blossom season.
During the Autumn Lunch Itadakimasu Stamp Rally, Takenoya Bettei offers two options for lunch: a special Lunch Itadakimasu menu and “Garden Afternoon Tea.”
| Event | Autumn Lunch Itadakimasu Stamp Rally |
|---|---|
| Event period | October 1 (Fri)–December 20 (Mon), 2021 |
| Locations | 50 establishments in Kurashiki City |
| Price | ¥1,650 (tax included) or ¥2,200 (tax included) |
| Organizer | Kurashiki Tourism and Convention Bureau (Public Interest Incorporated Association) |
Let’s take a look at what’s in the Lunch Itadakimasu menu, “Takenoya Bettei Temari Sushi Set.”
▼Small, round temari sushi is served on a Western-style plate.
The denim mat beneath the plate adds a Kurashiki touch while also providing a color that makes the food stand out.
▼Soup goes perfectly with sushi.
The soup contained shimeji mushrooms, burdock root, and daikon radish.
The ingredients apparently vary from day to day.
▼ Steaming-hot chawanmushi served in a rounded Japanese-style bowl.
A light layer of thickened sauce covers the surface, and the dashi flavor comes through.
Inside were lily bulbs, yuba, conger eel, ginkgo nuts, green beans, and more.
It was packed with seasonal ingredients that evoke autumn.
▼ Each small side dish is carefully prepared.
The roast duck is a fragrant dish.
The soy sauce glaze has soaked in thoroughly, and with every bite, its rich flavor spreads through your mouth.
▼ The items on the skewers are dengaku.
The white one is awa-fu (millet gluten cake), and the green one is yomogi-fu (mugwort gluten cake).
Both had a pleasantly chewy texture and were topped with sweet miso.
▼ There was also dashimaki tamago.
This is dashimaki made with yellow chives from Okayama Prefecture.
It is a blissful dish, thoroughly infused with dashi.
▼ The main course is six kinds of sushi.
These cute, bite-sized morsels use a variety of ingredients, as you can see when you look closely.
I had assumed sushi belonged on Japanese-style tableware, but these temari sushi also looked right at home on Western-style plates.
▼ The sushi topped with salmon roe featured flounder, radish sprouts, cucumber, and Japanese ginger.
You can't tell what's inside just by looking; you only discover the ingredients when you take a bite.
It's also fun how eating a variety of ingredients together creates complex flavors.
There were some unusual toppings, too.
▼ A dish of eggplant and kolinky (a type of squash) from the Kibi Highlands, coated with bonito flakes.
The sushi rice contained ginger.
Some of the sushi rice also had sesame seeds.
Each temari sushi had a completely different texture and flavor, making them exciting to eat.
The toppings apparently change depending on the season.
Don't miss the sweets
When you order a Lunch Itadakimasu menu, you can add a Mont Blanc parfait and Takahashi black tea set for 700 yen (tax included).
I had to try it!
Next up, dessert after lunch.
▼ Served alongside the parfait was Takahashi black tea in a wine glass.
This Japanese black tea is grown and produced in Takahashi City, Okayama Prefecture.
The wine glass not only looks stylish, but also lets you enjoy the aroma of the tea more than a cup does.
Topped with a maple leaf, this Mont Blanc parfait evokes autumn.
The Mont Blanc is made with Japanese chestnuts.
The chestnut flavor comes through beautifully.
▼ The item beside the Mont Blanc is apparently a rusk made from gluten cake produced in Yakage Town.
I wouldn't have realized it was gluten cake if the staff hadn't told me.
It's a Japanese-style rusk flavored with caramel and soy sauce.
Don't you get excited wondering what might be inside a parfait?
The parfait at Takenoya Bettei also had a variety of hidden sweets.
The one I found especially delicious was the oval-shaped streusel.
It was a fun dessert with a crunchy texture: something like crushed cookies coated in white chocolate.
There are four layers beneath the Mont Blanc, each different, so you can enjoy the changing flavors.
The brown layer is caramel sauce, and the white layer beneath it is whipped cream.
The green layer is a matcha pudding that melts in your mouth.
At the bottom was a jiggly buckwheat tea jelly.
I was surprised to come across buckwheat tea here, but then I remembered that one of the sister restaurants is a soba shop.
It was an autumn parfait that delighted me right down to the last bite.
Takenoya Bettei offers an extraordinary experience and a special sense of occasion.
We spoke with chief manager Azusa Takeno.
Takenoya Bettei details
| Name | Takenoya Bettei |
|---|---|
| Address | 3-18-18 Achi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-422-5335 |
| Parking | Available 12 spaces |
| Hours | 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m.–9:30 p.m. |
| Closed | Wednesday, Thursday |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Accepted |
| Seating | 42 seats Number of tables: 18 |
| Smoking | Non-smoking (smoking permitted only in designated areas) |
| Restrooms | Western-style toilet |
| Website | Takenoya Bettei |
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