After a long time, I came to Uji Tahara and decided to have lunch here. I arrived just after 11 am on a weekday, and there was only one other customer at that time, so it was quite empty. I chose the A lunch set, which includes tempura, mini udon, soba or cold udon, and it was served in about 8 minutes. The mini udon, shrimp tempura, croquette, salad, side dish, and pickles made for a very satisfying meal, especially considering the price of 880 yen. The rice portion was also quite generous. The udon was thin and didn't have any particular standout features, but the cold udon was refreshing on a hot day. The curry-flavored croquette was made only with potatoes, but it had a smooth and creamy texture that I enjoyed. The large shrimp tempura was deliciously plump, and the potato salad and side dish of okara and konjac were also comforting. I am grateful for the variety of dishes available in this green and peaceful setting of Uji Tahara. The clean and serene atmosphere of the restaurant made it a pleasant place to enjoy lunch, and the attentive service from the female staff member was also impressive. It's not easily accessible without a car, but if I ever come back to this area, I would like to try a different lunch menu. Thank you for the meal!

Arrived around 12:15 on a weekday. The restaurant was quite empty. I decided to go with the lunch special, "Service Lunch B (Tempura Rice Bowl & Udon) for 874 yen". The tempura rice bowl looked amazing with a soft and flavorful egg. The tempura consisted of shrimp and shishito peppers, and they were delicious. The udon had a nice chewy texture. The restaurant seems to specialize in dishes with shrimp, and they never disappoint. The next time, I want to try their curry or pilaf with shrimp topping. Overall, it was a satisfying meal.

Around Ujitawara, there is a restaurant called "Uo Yoshi" that caught my attention while driving on Route 307. You can park a few cars in front of the restaurant, but if you go down the road between the neighboring gas station and the agricultural cooperative, there is a second parking lot in the back where you can park about 5 cars. Today's lunch special menu included "Fried squid, spaghetti salad, croquette, vegetable salad, mini udon, small side dish, rice, pickles," so I decided to go with that and entered through the automatic door. Although there was a staircase leading to the second floor, it seemed that they were only serving on the first floor during lunchtime. The interior of the restaurant, with about 10 table seats, 5 sunken kotatsu-style seats, and a few counter seats, had background music playing through the speakers. I sat at a table in front of a splendid Inari shrine, and ordered the "Service Lunch" for 840 yen from the waitress. After about 10 minutes of waiting while looking out the window at the national highway, the food was brought to me. The meal consisted of what was mentioned earlier, with the udon portion being pleasantly generous. The noodles were slightly less than usual, but they were hand-made style with fried tofu and tempura bits, and the broth was also good. The main fried items were 3 pieces of fried squid and croquette, both of which were decent, although I felt it would have been nice to have another type of fried dish in addition to the squid. The egg salad-like side dish was also tasty. The small side dish was a vinegar-dressed glass noodle dish, which was decent. The rice was cooked well and had decent flavor. However, the pickles, although there were three types, were slightly dried out, which was disappointing. Overall, in terms of cost-performance, taste, service, ambiance, and the fact that they gave me a 100 yen discount coupon at the end, it was decent. 3.5 stars out of 5 (72/100)

Tanomodore, a restaurant I used to visit for lunch every day, had daily specials and offered a satisfying lunch. I have fond memories of this place. Recently, as I passed by, I noticed that it had been renovated and looked very beautiful. The udon served with lunch had a delicious broth. Next to it, there was a café with the same kitchen. When I got tired of Japanese food, I would go to the café to have pasta or pilaf. I particularly remember the tarako spaghetti, which had mashed plum mixed in, along with shiso leaves on top, which helped balance out the fishy taste of the tarako. This unique technique, based on Japanese cuisine, is something special to this place. I haven't been to Gyokuyo, the fish specialty store, recently, but this review brought back memories.