In Asahikawa, there is a town soba restaurant called Mitori-san in the Ryutsu Danchi area. I visited for lunch. The interior of the restaurant has a slightly old-fashioned feel, but for some reason, it feels comforting. The staff are very friendly and welcoming. When I looked at the menu, I saw they had a "soba set meal" which includes soba, side dishes, and rice. I hadn't had breakfast, so I was quite hungry and decided to order it. I chose the cold soba option. The meal arrived in about 10 minutes, served in a two-tiered bento-style container. The bottom tier had soba, and the top tier had rice and side dishes. The soba was served with a katsuobushi-flavored sauce, and it was cold and had a good chewy texture. The rice was topped with hijiki seaweed, yukari seasoning, and white sesame seeds. The side dishes included tonkatsu, kabocha tempura, simmered beans, pickles, and fresh vegetables. The tonkatsu had a light, homemade-style breading. It was a bit cold for April, and the staff kindly offered me a complimentary miso soup to help warm me up. Towards the end of the meal, they also served soba-yu (hot water used to rinse soba noodles) and coffee made from soba-yu. The staff were very kind and attentive, and I left the restaurant feeling satisfied and grateful for their hospitality.

In Asahikawa, you often see the sign for the restaurant called Midori-san. I haven't been to all the locations, I wonder how many are left... I haven't really looked into it, haha. For now, I'll try visiting the store I discovered this time. The inside of the store has an old and nice atmosphere. I like that type. The staff (a woman) was very friendly and left a good impression. The "Tendon Set" (warm) costs 900 yen. There is also an "Ue Tendon Set" on the menu. I asked what the difference was. I was told that the Ue Tendon Set comes with 2 shrimp tempura. The Tendon Set is already quite filling, one shrimp tempura is enough. The dish was served in a unique, old-fashioned bowl. The top bowl contained the tempura rice bowl, and the bottom had soba noodles. The soba noodles had seaweed on top, which I didn't really need. The soba noodles seemed to have been made with care, even though they weren't piping hot. The tempura had a soft batter and the sauce was light, and the rice was very soft. The shrimp tempura was an interesting belly-open style and looked like it was dancing. Since the staff was so nice, I made an effort to finish the meal. Thank you for the meal.

Today's lunch was at Bittri, where I had the Katsudon set for 850 yen. It's a relatively generous portion at a reasonable price. If you're unsure of what to order, go for the set menu. The Katsudon was served in a long bento box and was deliciously hot and freshly fried. They even offered complimentary coffee at the end.

I'm in Asahikawa. It's lunchtime between work. Just feeling nostalgic, I ended up coming to Bitori σ(^_^;) When I was working in Asahikawa, I used to come here once a month, alternating with the neighboring diner. satochinaさん had reviewed it before, and I finally made it here out of nostalgiaヽ(´▽｀)/ It's not about the presentation or taste, but σ(^_^;) I ordered the pork cutlet rice bowl set. The soba is cold. This is my go-to. The cutlet is big and has some gristle (laughs). The seasoning is a bit sweet and tasty^_^ The soba is just delicious, but the soba broth is always lightly flavored, almost like soba-flavored water. I took a sip out of nostalgia^_^ The ladies are all cheerful, which is great! I hope they keep going strong for a long time‼️ Thank you for the meal^_^

When I was young, I was taken to this restaurant when I visited Asahikawa. Back then, there were no other dining options around here. Visiting after several decades, the restaurant and the staff have aged. I sat in a small raised tatami area, which may seem cramped to modern people. I ordered the Tempura Soba for 1,000 yen. It arrived in a huge container, like a large bento box, which was quite overwhelming. Inside, there was a tokkuri, ochoko, and dipping sauce. The soba noodles were white. I think they were Sarashina noodles. The dipping sauce was plain and ordinary. I prefer my tempura to be a bit crispier. After the meal, a very American-style coffee was served, which I enjoyed. Thank you for the meal.

The Midori-san near my house is a familiar shop that I have been going to since I was a child, but to find Midori-san in a place like this!!! As someone born and raised in Asahikawa, Midori-san gives me a sense of comfort. I happened to come across it and was surprised. It's not too far from my workplace, so I have visited a few times since then. I always order the Gomoku Soba. Midori-san's soba is not the kind that you can eat every day and it's not the type that impresses soba enthusiasts, but it's also not like homemade soba. However, when you eat it, it's comforting. It's nice to have Midori-san's soba in a place like this, and it's comforting.

In June 2017, I visited a restaurant called "Bitori Ryutsu Danchi-ten" located in a distribution industrial park in Asahikawa City. The restaurant has been in business for over 40 years, originally started by the owner's father and now run by his daughter. The style of the restaurant closely follows that of the main branch located near the Ginza Street shopping district. The soba noodles, priced at 550 yen, are made from a blend of buckwheat and wheat flour, with a firm texture and delicious taste. The dipping sauce is rich and flavorful, with a strong bonito base. The restaurant also offers other dishes such as Inaniwa Udon and Somen noodles, but no ramen. Tempura is available in both hot and cold options, with prices varying. The restaurant does not serve alcohol, likely due to its location in the industrial park. Overall, the experience of trying the various dishes at "Bitori Ryutsu Danchi-ten" helped me understand the unique characteristics of the Bitori restaurant lineage in Asahikawa.

I had soba two days in a row. I really like the soba broth here. It has a crisp taste with a well-seasoned dashi and just the right amount of sweetness. I finally found soba broth that suits my taste! Yesterday I had a set menu and today I had the extra-large serving of mori soba. I thought I might have overdone it, but I ended up pleasantly full! Thank you for the meal! <(_ _*)>

I actually went to a shop on the Rudo Danchi Street, but even though the opening hours had passed, there was no sign of the shop being open. It wasn't a regular holiday, so I waited in the car for about 10 minutes. However, the shop still didn't show any signs of opening. So, I remembered a shop I had seen before and was curious about, "Bitori Rudo Store, let's go there, it's nearby." It's located on a side street of the Rudo Danchi Street, next to the Truck Association building, and it's easy to miss if you don't know it. The shop had a strong Showa era vibe, with many folk crafts displayed. I ordered the "mori" (soba) without knowing how much it would be. The soba was thin and cut well, with a unique and strong dashi flavor. The shop mainly seemed to cater to locals, but it was a delicious soba shop that shouldn't be overlooked.