Kurama Review Summary

① How to order
Order from the staff after taking a seat.
②Payment method
Call the staff from your seat after eating and ask for the bill. Only cash is accepted.
③Others
There is a milling machine in the restaurant and they make buckwheat noodles from buckwheat seeds. The Japanese style interior is calm and comfortable. There is a wide variety of sake, and although there is a one-hour limit, you can enjoy it with snacks.

◎Grilled Duck with Salt
Roasted Kyoto duck breast. It is simply seasoned with salt. The duck meat is thick, fatty, and delicious.

◎Soba Noodles with Sweet Skin
Thick, black buckwheat noodles made by grinding the skin and the buckwheat together. Soba noodles purchased from a contract farmer in Ibaraki Prefecture are rich in flavor, filling, and delicious. The aroma of the buckwheat is locked in by serving it in a box.

Another small (about 18 seats) soba restaurant, located in Nishi Ogikubo.

Handmade soba and the tempura is fresh. Unlike most places tough, the tempura soba only includes two shrimps and one little shishito pepper, or the other choice is anago sea eel). We ordered an extra tempura dish of Gobo and Fu. The soba portions are average and it’s possible to order another “box” of just soba if one isn’t enough.

They have a good selection of sake, which goes well with the soba. And, there are a few other small dishes you can order.

No English menu. None spoken either.

Non smoking.

Not open at night.

Excellent juwari soba (100% buckwheat) and seasonal tempura. We first visited their sister restaurant in Niiza, Saitama, then were delighted to find this Tokyo branch. We've never been disappointed (but have often over-ordered!)

Visit at lunchtime
The store was full, but there was no wait, so I was the first in line. While I was waiting, I looked at the menu and decided on a large set (400 yen) that included the shop's recommended 100 percent soba noodles and two shrimp tempura.
Gensoba is said to be organically grown Hitachi Autumn soba.
My favorite way to eat it is to put wasabi on top of soba noodles and then slide it into the noodle soup. This shop didn't have a lot of wasabi and they ran out quickly, so I ordered more and when they ran out, I was told to call again.
Thank you for the meal.

About 2 minutes after exiting from the south exit of Nishi-Ogikubo, you will see a building with a texture that is different from the surrounding area. The inside of the store is a mysterious space where the mortar and customer seats coexist.

If you order several items at once, the final mackerel will be brought to you first, and it will arrive quickly with just the right amount of seasoning and it will be delicious. I look forward to the next dish. Next is the salted squid, which is homemade and has an enchanting texture and power. The quality is unbelievable for a side dish in the 500-600 yen range. Naturally, the soba is also delicious.

However, while the tempura is delicious, the oil is a bit heavy. Also, while the seasonal tempura was good, I didn't find the tempura made with raw gluten very appealing.

I'm afraid that there are always 3 people on the floor compared to the number of seats. Thanks to you, my order was delivered quickly. A spirited shop with a wide selection of sake, from honjozo to daiginjo. The more expensive sake is served in glasses rather than in half-go portions, which is perfect for when you want to have a little drink.
I have high expectations for conger eel tempura next time.