Warm Smile 2023.06.30 One thing I can do now is to at least support food and beverage establishments while being careful enough. Let's all give it our best shot with a positive mindset. Quick review due to price changes. June is over in the blink of an eye. Today, I decided to visit a Japanese restaurant in a small town. "Warm Smile" is the name of the place. They offer takeout service. The restaurant is located right in front of Niikappu Station (previously known as Ebigane). The exterior is marked by a large sign. Inside, there are 4 seats at the sushi counter, 3 tables for 4 people, 2 sunken tables for 4 people, and private rooms. Since I had katsudon last time, I opted for something cold today due to the heat. I ordered the Zaru Soba Set for 1,600 yen (tax included). Today's set meal included tempura shrimp, bell pepper, pumpkin, hokke fish, eggplant, and burdock root. There were also various side dishes like simmered fish, sausages, and simmered daikon radish. The zaru soba and rice were also included. The tempura dipping sauce had just the right amount of ginger, and the simmered dishes were flavorful and delicious. The portion size was generous as always. I was planning to stop by a kind mother's cafe near Shintoku town on my way back, but I was too full. I'll save it for next time. I'll come back to try the miso katsu ramen. Thank you for the meal. Warm Smile's business hours are from 11:00 to 20:00 (last order at 14:30), and they have irregular closing days.

Warm Smile 2023.02.01 Today, I visited a small local diner called "Warm Smile" for the first time in a while. The place is located right in front of Shin-Toku Station (previously known as Ebigane). The exterior is marked by a large sign, and inside, there are 4 counter seats, 3 tables for 4, 2 raised tables for 4, and private rooms available. Unfortunately, they were out of sushi when I visited, but I was told that it can be arranged with a reservation. I ordered the Upper Cutlet Bowl for 1,080 yen (tax included). The thick slices of pork shoulder meat had a good amount of fat and were tender, with a nice crispy coating. The Tamago was fluffy and the dashi broth had a great flavor, making it a delicious meal with a satisfying portion. I plan to come back to try their soba set next time. Thank you for the meal. Warm Smile offers takeout. Opening hours: 11:00-20:00 (Last order 14:30) Closed irregularly.

This is the most prominent location in front of the Shintoku station. Inside the restaurant, there is a sushi counter next to the seating area, with various decorations that seem to have been added later, giving a chaotic and historical feel. The floral tables and chairs give a down-to-earth impression. They offer soba noodles, ramen, rice bowls, set meals, Chinese dishes, curry, and more. I was tempted by the Katsu Ramen, but I chose the recommended menu item. The Yakisoba (870 yen) arrived bubbling in a pot, filled with plenty of ingredients like leeks, shiitake mushrooms, burdock tempura, rice cakes, chicken, and egg. The noodles are thick and soft, although I prefer them to be more chewy. The rice cakes are melt-in-your-mouth! I enjoy dipping them in the broth. The broth has a good balance of saltiness, sweetness, and umami, bringing together the unique ingredients in a cohesive way.

Warm Smile 2022.02.14 What I can do now is to support at least the food and beverage industry while being cautious enough. Let's all work together and give our best efforts. Today, I visited a small local diner that I haven't been to in a while, "Warm Smile." They offer takeout as well. The location is right in front of Niikappu Station (formerly known as Ebikin). The exterior is marked by a large sign. Inside, there are 4 seats at the sushi counter, 3 tables for 4 people, 2 raised tatami tables for 4 people, and private rooms are available. It was exactly 11 o'clock. I ordered the Soba Set Meal for 1,380 yen (tax included) as usual. After about 20 minutes, the set meal arrived. Today's set meal included tempura shrimp, green pepper, pumpkin, kiss fish, eggplant, and burdock tempura. There were plenty of side dishes, including autumn salmon, ham and egg omelette, wiener shumai, simmered dish, shrimp chili, and Chinjao-style pork. Soba and rice were also included. As expected from a former Japanese cuisine chef, the tempura dipping sauce had a good balance with a hint of ginger. The simmered dish had a good flavor and was delicious. The side dishes may have been prepared in advance or frozen, but they were satisfying with a good portion. The soba was average. I will definitely come back for the soba set meal. Thank you for the meal. Warm Smile - Business hours: 11:00-20:00 (Last order at 14:30) - Regular holiday: Irregular

I climbed Mt. Tomuraushi, soaked in the Tomuraushi Onsen, and then returned to Niikappu Station for dinner. This has nothing to do with Tabelog, but I encountered a bear for the first time while climbing. I was going down and the bear was going up. I saw something black moving and thought, "Could that be a bear?" Just then, the bear and I made eye contact. I thought, "Oh no, what should I do?" But the bear, looking surprised, turned around and ran away. It seemed to be a cub. I was relieved that it ran away. Now, back to the restaurant review. This was my third meal in Niikappu. I had noticed "Danshou" before, but since they had a sign for sushi, I felt a bit hesitant to visit because it seemed a bit high-end. However, I found out it was a regular set meal restaurant, so I decided to visit for the first time. The menu included soba, udon, ramen, curry, and set meals. Since I still had some mountain food onigiri with me, I ordered the tori soba as a light meal. The soba arrived in about 5 minutes. It had a nice aroma of the broth. The slightly sweet broth matched well with the soba. It seemed like a restaurant loved by the locals.

I went to Nuan Xiao for the first time. It is located in front of Niikappu Station and the building has a strong presence. The sign says it's a dining place with sushi. I entered during opening hours and found a variety of menu options including soba, udon, ramen, rice bowls, set meals, curry, and sushi. I chose the soy sauce ramen for 590 yen including tax. The noodles had a smooth and slippery texture, coated with oil and chewy. The soup seemed to be made with seasoning, but it was just right. It had a light soy sauce flavor with a hint of seaweed dashi. It started off light but as I continued eating, I found myself wanting to drink the soup. It was delicious and I really enjoyed it. I think I'll try the soba next time. Thank you for the meal.

I had a pork bowl. It was an old-fashioned set meal restaurant's pork bowl. It had 4 or 5 slices of pork in a sauce with a hint of ginger. The rice went well with this sauce. The transfer time between the bus from Furano and the train to Kushiro was only 5 minutes. The weather was very nice today, and the bus arrived at Niikappu Station 10 minutes early. I was so hungry, so I looked around for a place to buy a bento box and found a sign saying "Takeout available." I asked what they could make quickly, and they said pork bowl. They made it quickly, and I enjoyed it on the train. It tasted especially delicious because I was so hungry.

On October 10, 2020, we visited Shin-toku for the first time. We decided to stop by again on our way back. My wife mentioned that there was a soba festival happening right in front of Shin-toku Station today. Despite the somewhat lonely atmosphere at the station after the carnival, this restaurant was still open, so we decided to give it a try! Although I really wanted to try authentic hand-made soba from Shin-toku, it was probably being sold at the festival and they were avoiding evening hours. The restaurants near the station were closed. This particular restaurant seemed to be more of a station-side diner rather than a soba specialty shop. They had a variety of items on the menu. It was around 4 pm, so my wife and I were the only customers. Two men arrived and ordered beer at this time. I was a bit envious! Our soba dishes arrived - I ordered tempura soba, while my wife ordered kake soba. The tempura on my soba was unexpectedly elaborate and delicious - shrimp tempura, smelt tempura, pumpkin, eggplant, and even shiitake mushroom tempura! The tempura was crispy and not greasy at all, with a great taste. The soba noodles seemed to be dry rather than hand-made, but they were still tasty with a strong buckwheat flavor and a good texture. And all this for only 850 yen - such a great deal! My wife also enjoyed her soba. She particularly liked the delicious broth. The eggplant and shiitake tempura that I don't like ended up on top of her kake soba, so we both ended up feeling like we had tempura soba! We were very satisfied with the soba. The tasty broth makes me think that their rice bowls and other dishes must be good too. This makes me curious to try their ramen as well. Our visits to Shin-toku just got even more exciting. It was delicious! Thank you for the meal!

Today, after a long time, I decided to try out a restaurant on the west side in Niikappu. I couldn't go to the sushi restaurant I visited once for an entertaining dinner about 20 years ago because it was only open in the evening. So, I went to a nearby restaurant called Wara Wara for a set meal. The place is right in front of Niikappu Station. When I visited before, I think it was called Kaiekin. It's 11:07 AM, and there are no other customers except for one group behind me. The exterior of the restaurant has a large sign that catches your eye. Inside, there are 4 seats at the sushi counter, 3 tables for 4 people, two raised tatami tables, and private rooms. I was intrigued by the Japanese-style yakisoba, but I decided to go with the soba set meal for 1,380 yen (tax included). After about 20 minutes, my meal arrived. The tempura included shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, pumpkin, sillago fish, eggplant, and burdock root. The shiitake mushroom was particularly impressive, almost the size of a fist, thick and delicious. Although there was no grated daikon radish, the ginger in the tempura dipping sauce added a nice touch. The side dishes (served in aluminum foil) were amazing: autumn salmon, sausage-wrapped omelet, wiener bacon roll, simmered dish, ganko (fish cake), macaroni salad, and crab stick with cucumber vinegar. The simmered dish had a great flavor, and the autumn salmon was deliciously fatty. The soba was just average. Next time, I'll come back to try their tempura bowl. Thank you for the meal.

This is a story from 2018, so I'll post the photo that came up. A great deal on JR tickets was released, so I decided to take a day trip to eat Shinotoku soba. I took an early morning JR train and arrived in Shinotoku around 10 o'clock. I first had some standing soba at the station, then went to a famous hand-made soba shop. Unfortunately, it was unexpectedly closed. I went back to the station and ended up at this restaurant where I ordered kashiwa soba. It seemed like they used dried noodles, but the broth had a surprisingly rich flavor and it tasted delicious. I felt relaxed and enjoyed the atmosphere of this restaurant. I liked it. However, it wasn't exactly the soba I was in the mood for that day, so I decided to go to another place. To be continued...

I tried the "Yamabe Don" at the restaurant called "Nuan Xiao," which is made with deep-fried yamabe fish coated in a special sauce. It was a unique dish as I rarely eat freshwater fish, but the taste was quite good.

I had miso ramen at Atarashi no Dan Shou for the first time in a while. It was full of vegetables, and the chashu was delicious. I was very satisfied.

The food at Wara Wara in front of Niide Station is always delicious! Today, it was cold so I had miso ramen. It was delicious and warmed me up.

The miso ramen was delicious.

I visited this local restaurant for the first time, even though I had been avoiding it for some reason. My colleagues invited me to go with them, so I decided to give it a try. As soon as I entered, I could smell the nostalgic taste of Showa era. There was a jukebox and a cotton candy machine. The large shogi pieces of Osho, which are not commonly seen anymore, were displayed. The interior had a unique set of tables and chairs that reminded me of the Showa period. The shelves were filled with books, creating a cozy atmosphere where I could spend hours. The menu had a wide variety of options, from noodles and rice bowls to set meals and side dishes. I usually have a negative impression of restaurants with many menu items, but I decided to challenge the Ebi Hotate Tendon. The dish arrived quickly, with crispy tempura batter and large pieces of shrimp, scallops, eggplant, zucchini, and shishito peppers. The sauce was delicious, and the miso soup had a perfect balance of flavors. I finished my meal in no time. I apologize for my mistaken assumptions, and I will definitely be back again. Thank you for the delicious meal!

The area was heavily damaged by the typhoon, with JR not operating and surprising driftwood scattered in the river. In the midst of this, while driving north on Route 38 in a rental car, I decided to take a detour onto the old road. There were two other customers ahead of me. The menu was extensive, and although I considered trying the soba, I decided to go for the pork bowl. However, after waiting for 10 minutes, the customers ahead of me who ordered the tempura soba set were still being served, with no sign of my pork bowl. I began to wonder if I had made a mistake. Finally, the cook started preparing my pork bowl, and it was done in no time. The pork was cut fresh from a block, not pre-sliced, resulting in thick, large pieces. The meat was seasoned with sansho pepper, giving it a unique and flavorful taste. The hot rice was cooked just right, with a firm texture that complemented the dish. The only downside was the presence of ashtrays on the tables, which detracted from the overall atmosphere. Despite this, I enjoyed the wild and delicious pork bowl. Thank you for the meal!

On the other side of the Shin-De station, across from the station, there is a public bath (though it's technically a hot spring, it doesn't really feel like one) on the left, and a dining hall on the right. After getting off at the station, you can sweat it out, take a bath, feel refreshed, and have a meal. It's such a wonderful daily routine. In the past, it was taken for granted, but now... The Shin-De town public hot spring goes through the trouble of transporting hot spring water from Tomuraushi in tank trucks to heat and fill the baths. It may not be a natural hot spring flow, but it's a thoughtful consideration for the general public, even if some enthusiasts may find it a bit lacking. The dining hall is quite ordinary, with tables for 3 and tatami seating for 3, as well as 4 or 5 private rooms in the back. The best part here is the variety of menu options, including soba, set meals, and Chinese dishes, catering to different generations and tastes. Regardless of the taste (sorry!), I find this place easy to visit, with straightforward and delicious food, generous portions, and a cozy, homey atmosphere. I think it's a great place. Thank you for the meal.

On Sunday, I was waiting for a train at the Shintoku Station. Since I had some time, I wanted to have lunch, but "Minatoya" was closed, so I had a choice between Waraemi, Sekiguchi, and O-sanpo Cafe... I'm not a big fan of soba at Sekiguchi, so I decided to go here. The inside of the restaurant was different from the impression from the outside, with a sushi counter, raised seating areas, as well as Western-style table sets, and a shiny EP! jukebox! There was even a cotton candy machine, giving it a unique feeling. Since the train schedule was long, having plenty of comics available was also nice. The jukebox was shiny and had a lively atmosphere. It felt like it was from the late 70s, with songs like "Shindobaddo" and "Burandegurasu"... (laughs). And of course, since it's Shintoku, I tried the famous soba here. I ordered the zaru soba (600 yen) and waited for about 8 minutes for it to be ready. The soba water was poured into a ceramic beer glass-like container. The noodles were medium-thick, and you could enjoy the texture while slurping them up. They were not as thick as Sekiguchi's, but this thickness was just right for a casual soba meal. They were firm and had a good chewy texture. The broth had a strong flavor of bonito, with a nice balance of sweetness. It was a delicious soba dish for a station restaurant.