I usually eat at the cafeteria at work, but I went out for lunch for the first time in a while. I went to a restaurant called "Orly," which specializes in yakisoba. Yakisoba specialty shops are rare in the vicinity of Jingumae Marutamachi. The shop was featured in various magazines when it opened two years ago. The shop has only counter seats and has a stylish design with jazz music playing. It's a place where you can enjoy a drink in the evening. When I went to the shop on this day, it was just before 1 pm and there was only one other customer besides me. Looking at the menu, I noticed that the prices had gone up since last time. Well, it's understandable considering the rising cost of ingredients. I ordered the normal sauce yakisoba. Soon, the dish arrived with "sunny lettuce" and "mitsuba" on top, adding a nice accent. I finished it in no time. I want to come back in the evening to enjoy a leisurely drink, but I haven't made it happen yet...

Kyoto-style sauce yakisoba with a blend of Kyoto's traditional sauce and original sauce. It is made with a small amount of pork and squid, priced at 750 yen. You can add extra pork for 100 yen and top it with a fried egg for an additional 100 yen. The slightly burnt edges of the yakisoba make it delicious. They can only make one type at a time, so if multiple orders come in, there can be quite a wait.

I visited during lunch on Friday, February 25, 2022, and there was only one other customer when I arrived. I ordered the sauce yakisoba. It was nice to see the kitchen open and watch them cooking the dish. The vegetables were stir-fried in order before being served. When it arrived, I was surprised to see that it was garnished with chopped seaweed instead of parsley or nori. The flavor was not too strong, making it easy to eat. I noticed they also offer other sauces like oyster sauce and soy butter, and I would like to try them all.

It is not recommended to go to this restaurant with a group of three because they only cook one portion at a time, resulting in long wait times. The taste is average.

Recently, it seems that specialty yakisoba shops are becoming popular. According to online articles, this is called the "4th yakisoba boom." This trend started in Tokyo and Osaka, where "Mizutomo" is popular and there are long lines on days off. In Kyoto, a yakisoba specialty shop opened last year. I was finally able to visit the shop this week. The place I went to is called "Yakisoba Senmon Orai!" The shop is located a 7-minute walk from Keihan Kamomarutamachi Station, in Sakyo-ku, Kyoto City, on a side street east of Aragami Bridge in Yoshida, Kamogawa. Inside the shop feels like a music cafe and doesn't look like a typical yakisoba shop. There are only counter seats, where you can see the cooking process well. The menu offers four types of sauces: sauce, shio, shoyu, and oyster, with pork and squid for 650 yen. You can also choose udon noodles. Other toppings are also available. As it was my first visit, I chose the normal sauce with a topping of fried egg. After a while, the dish arrived. It was quite a generous portion, typical of a shop in a student area. On top of the yakisoba, there were basic ingredients along with bean sprouts, mizuna, and roasted seaweed. The shiny fried egg topping looked appetizing. The noodles seemed to have a satisfying thickness. I took a bite and found that the noodles had a good texture that matched well with the sauce. I soon felt full as I ate. Next time, I would like to try the shio and shoyu flavors.

I visited Orai! near Kyoto University, a yakisoba specialty store. Yakisoba specialty stores are not very common, so it's a unique find. Each serving is made individually, so it may take a little longer when it's busy, but you can enjoy yakisoba that makes you want to say, "This is what I want." You can choose from different flavors like sauce, soy sauce, salt, and vinegar. They cook on a commercial-grade teppan, so the heat is strong, making it the most delicious version of street vendor yakisoba. I recommend going before it gets crowded, around 12 o'clock.

I visited this restaurant for the first time. The interior has a slightly retro bar atmosphere. The friendly master made me feel comfortable and I wanted to come back again. The yakisoba was cooked on a traditional iron plate, staying hot and delicious. The photo is of soy sauce butter yakisoba.

The source is spicy, priced at ¥750. It's so unique that it's delicious.

Soy butter ==========

I rate it 4.2 for food and taste, 4.1 for service, 4.1 for atmosphere, and 4.1 for value for money. The star of the show at Orly, who I hadn't seen in a while, is Yoshiku-kun. My first visit to the Riverside Cafe was thanks to him. Since then, we've become good friends, going out for drinks together and running into each other at other places in Riverside. Today, I splurged a bit and ordered the oyster sauce flavored yakisoba with shrimp and egg on top for 800 yen. Yoshiku-kun forgot to put the fried egg on top, but quickly fixed it. Since there weren't many other customers, we had a leisurely chat. He mentioned that the rising prices of vegetables due to the weather conditions are tough. Hang in there. The yakisoba here is made using the classic Kansai method, with plenty of crispy bits. It's delicious. For more details, check out this review.

The other day, I found a flyer for a yakisoba specialty store called "Yakisoba Senmonten Orai" at a cafe and it piqued my interest. I visited for lunch and found that the interior had a cozy coffee shop vibe with just a counter. I chose the most popular sauce flavor, but there were also options like salt, vinegar, oyster, and soy sauce, with customizable toppings. I decided to add a sunny-side-up egg. The dish was visually appealing with watercress and sprouts, and the slightly thick noodles had a chewy texture. It was packed with ingredients and had a satisfying taste that would bring a smile to anyone's face. The owner was friendly and had great communication skills, making it a comfortable place even for solo female diners. My cafe friends had already visited, so I was the only one who hadn't known about it. I definitely want to go back again.

I visited Kansai in August after visiting Hokkaido and Niigata. The main purpose was to attend a BABYMETAL concert, but I was also interested in the new yakisoba specialty shops that have been opening in the area recently. I took a few days off before and after the concert to visit these shops. First, I went to Orai! in Kyoto, a yakisoba specialty shop that opened in May 2017. The shop is located near Kyoto University in Sakyo Ward. I visited during lunchtime on a weekday, just a few minutes' walk from Jingu Marutamachi Station on the Keihan Electric Railway. The shop is small with only 7 counter seats, and the owner was running it alone. There were three customers already there when I arrived. Since it's a specialty shop, the menu only offers yakisoba with choices of "sauce," "salt and vinegar," "soy sauce," and "oyster" flavors, all priced at 650 yen with pork and squid. The three customers before me had chosen the sauce flavor, so I decided to try the salt and vinegar flavor. They also offer a student discount of 50 yen with a student ID. The cooking is done on a griddle in the back of the kitchen. The noodles are thick and boiled, cooked with pork, squid, cabbage, and topped with shredded seaweed and daikon sprouts. The aroma of the seaweed is enticing. The chewy thick noodles, seasoned with salt and vinegar, have a refreshing taste. The yakisoba brings out the flavors of the ingredients such as meat, squid, and cabbage. The addition of oil scraps adds a crispy texture and umami flavor. It was even more delicious than I expected. I ordered an iced coffee for 300 yen after the meal and had a chat with the owner. They mentioned that their family used to run an okonomiyaki shop, so they are experienced in making yakisoba. They originally wanted to use fresh noodles but decided on boiled noodles due to cooking time and costs. Restaurants have to consider various constraints when experimenting with their dishes. The total bill was 950 yen. The simple combination of salt and vinegar made for a very tasty yakisoba. I'll try the sauce flavor next time. On my way back, I crossed the Kamo River and took a walk around Kawaramachi Street and Shinkyogoku area. I'm happy that such specialty shops are opening in Kyoto.

I would rate it 3.5 for food, 3.5 for service, 3.5 for atmosphere, and 3.6 for value for money. I visited the "Orai!" cafe near my home during the Tuesday lunch slot at Riverside, and they have now successfully opened their own independent shop. Following SouZai-ya, this is a great achievement. Furthermore, Orai! has managed to keep their slot at Riverside Cafe even after becoming independent, which means this place is closed on Tuesdays (and Sundays and holidays). I had been looking forward to visiting as I had enjoyed drinking together at other places before. The owner mentioned that the place is old, but the interior with wooden tones is nicely done and very cozy. Since I had never tried the yakisoba with dashi soy sauce at Riverside before, I decided to go for it. It came with cabbage, squid, pork, nori, and alfalfa, and I added a fried egg for an extra 100 yen. I asked for less noodles (-50 yen) as well, making the total 700 yen (650 + 100 - 50). The flavor was slightly sweet but well-balanced, and it might be my favorite so far. They also have wine, so I'm looking forward to coming back for a daytime drink. After a bit of small talk, I left the restaurant. Thank you for the meal. My lunch mentor has also visited the place.