Ushio

武蔵国分寺うしお蕎麦。A delicious meal at Ushio @musashikokubunji.ushio soba shop in Kokubunji (a short walk from Nishi-Kokubunji station).

Can you see the hand-drawn menu of seasonal dishes on the wall? It shows you the heart of the restaurant.

The chef has a selection of sake-friendly small dishes before ending with handmade soba. It’s a charming shop worth a journey. We went on a Sunday for lunch and had the restaurant to ourselves.

The chef enjoys woodcarving and you can see his work throughout the restaurant. He said that since the pandemic has hit he has had more time to do more woodcarving. Looking forward to when business returns for him.

sobagaki – a boiled cake of buckwheat dough

dashimaki tamago – savory omelet

misoyaki – toasted buckwheat groats with miso and green onions seared on a hot rock

shirauo tempura – icefish tempura

negi tempura – leeks tempura

soba with duck and leeks

goma soba – creamy sesame soup with soba

House made natto soba. The thin sliced green chili was accent with heat unusual for the Japanese palate. I loved it.

Ushio 潮
Kokubunji-shi, Nishimoto-machi 2-18-11
https://musashikokubunji-ushio.jimdosite.com/

Closest station is Nishi-Kokubunji on the Chuo line.