Bocchi - The best Shinshu Togakushi Soba that I have ever eaten!
Juwari (100% Buckwheat) Zaru Soba
Bocchi
Bocchi
Second time’s the charm! As the first time I visited them they were close, which is during the first day of my Japan trip.
In short, the best Shinshu Togakushi Juwari (100% Buckwheat) Soba I ever eaten at the point of time!
Dipping sauce covered by the plate with wasabi, radish, and spring onion
Bocchi
Juwari Zaru Soba (Regular) (¥1140)
Soba: The Juwari (100% Buckwheat) soba noodles are really distinct, and I can differentiate the taste compared to the common soba noodles. Most common soba is using a 2:8 ratio of wheat flour and buckwheat, where the flour is used to “glue” or “bind”. So to make Juwari soba requires the chef to have a high level of skill and experience so that the soba will maintain it’s structure. I learnt a bit from googling and google translate all the information as it is in Japanese.
Most importantly the taste, you can feel the deep natural earthiness and nuttiness from the buckwheat which I never tasted before from normal soba noodles. It is a full-bodied flavour in soba term if I am to describe it. The texture of the soba is slightly chewy and very slurpable. The shape is round and has a slightly thin thickness.
Dipping Sauce: Clean and refine sweetness and saltiness taste
After adding Sobayu: I seriously can’t recall due to it been such a long time since we ate.
Rating: 3.75/5
Tempura Soba
Bocchi
Tempura
Bocchi
Texture of the soba
Bocchi
Tempura Soba (¥1550)
Soba: This is not juwari soba, most likely the 2:8 ratio soba. But from the photo, you can see the colour and details of the soba from the buckwheat. Still can feel the earthiness taste, it is slightly chewy with square shape and slightly thin thickness.
Tempura: Hot and crunchy tempura made of fresh seafood and vegetables. The batter is made just nice, the thickness of it is balanced too.
Dipping Sauce: Same as above dish
After adding Sobayu: Same as above dish
Rating: 3.75/5
Dipping sauce mixed with sobayu
Bocchi
Condiments (shichimi and salt)
Bocchi
Do you know that Yawataya Isogoro Shichimi is a local produce of Nagano, and history dated way back in the mid-18th century where the founder is selling it on Zenkoji Temple grounds. Their current HQ is also situated near Zenkoji Temple too. Information from their official website haha!
We bought a couple of their Shichimi while browsing at their store too, it was a good addition to our dishes when we cook back home!
Menu
Bocchi
Shop Interior
Bocchi
Entrance
Bocchi
Overall
I know I am repeating myself, but this Juwari Soba is just so GOOD! The earthiness and nuttiness of 100% milled buckwheat and the texture is so slurpy-worthy! This local Nagano milled buckwheat produce must contain some magic!
It just set the benchmark whenever I’m having soba now, I can never untaste this good of a standalone soba itself ever.
I will definitely 100% come back here again if I’m in Nagano, most of the other customers in the restaurant are locals and it’s a full house.
Location is also only a short 5 minutes walk from Nagano Station, just right beside the hotel I’m staying in Nagano, which is the Hotel Metropolitan Nagano.
Shop Front
Bocchi
Simple menu outside the store
Bocchi
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Address: 長野県 長野市 大字南長野南石堂町1326 長野プラザホテル Ｂ１Ｆ
Opening Hours: 11am-2pm Daily, 5.30pm-9pm (weekdays) and 5.30pm-8pm (weekends and public holidays), non-fixed closing days
Payment Method: Cash
Tabelog: https://tabelog.com/en/nagano/A2001/A200101/20001876/
(Last visited: October 2019)