Did you know that in Mabi, Kurashiki City, there is a soba restaurant in a converted storehouse, tucked away at the end of a narrow road lined with bamboo groves and rice fields?
The restaurant is called Kisoba Chaya Zozan.
The name comes from the storehouse (kura) that was converted into a place where guests can sit and eat. Unlike storehouses used to store food and grain, this one was originally used to store precious things such as family heirlooms and kimono.
Before opening the restaurant, the owner ran a design company. Here, we introduce the stylish interior and the owner's carefully selected 100% buckwheat soba made with Hokkaido-grown buckwheat flour.
The information presented here was accurate when this article was published in November 2018. Please note that it may differ from current information.
Recommended: cold seiro soba, for the full flavor of 100% buckwheat noodles
The owner's recommendation is cold seiro soba, which lets you enjoy the full flavor of 100% buckwheat noodles.
We also ordered a set meal and tempura.
| Name | Price (tax included) |
|---|---|
| Seiro (cold soba) | 700 yen |
| Set meal (rice and two side dishes) | 300 yen |
| Tempura | 400 yen |
The total came to 1,400 yen, including tax.
Arranged together, our order made for a lavish set!
Made with 100% Hokkaido-grown buckwheat flour, the soba is fresh and smooth going down. The light dipping sauce, with its restrained sweetness, brings out the aroma of the noodles.
Add wasabi and white leek, then slurp up the soba with a little air to enjoy its changing flavor even more.
The set meal on the day of our visit included seasoned rice, rolled omelet, and marinated eggplant.
The rolled omelet was soft and jiggly, with a lovely dashi flavor, and the gently flavored seasoned rice was comforting, too.
The tempura included shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, eggplant, pumpkin, and green pepper.
Dip it in pink salt and enjoy its crisp crunch.
The shrimp tempura's crisp yet fluffy texture makes it a must-try.
We also had sobayu, the hot water used to cook soba, which warmed us up and left us feeling relaxed.
It was a thoroughly satisfying lunch, and we left feeling full.
I was also living in Mabi as of November 2018.
The owner, who is from Mabi, and the restaurant were fortunately spared flood damage and have continued operating, but I heard that fewer customers have been coming in than before the disaster.
As someone who also lives in Mabi, I interviewed the owner about the reasons for continuing the restaurant despite these difficult circumstances and how they feel now.
Kisoba Chaya Zozan: Information
Closed as of November 2020.
| Name | Kisoba Chaya Zozan |
|---|---|
| Address | 2591 Yata, Mabi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086‐698‐3551 |
| Parking | Available 10 spaces |
| Hours | Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays 11:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m. (closes when the soba runs out) |
| Closed | Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Available Open for lunch on weekdays for reservations of courses costing 3,500 yen or more for groups of 8 or more. Open for dinner for reservations of courses costing 3,500 yen or more for groups of 4 or more. Please contact the restaurant for details. |
| Seating | First floor: 17 seats; counter: 5; tables: 5 Second floor: 20 seats; tables: 6 Terrace: 6 seats; tables: 1 |
| Smoking | Non-smoking (smoking permitted only in designated areas) |
| Restroom | Western-style toilet |
| Website | Bicchu Shikisai Shokaya Gomaisasa |
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