On Sunday Mewby and I had the pleasure of lunch with writer/photographer Sean Lotman. Sean’s wife manages the Honke Owariya soba noodle business, a family company which is pretty famous in Kyoto. The business actually dates from 1465, though they “only” started making noodles Sean told me about 300 or 400 years ago, as they were originally a confectionary business. They still make confectionary but it is the noodles that have made it famous. We met up with Sean at the main branch of Honke Owariya, a delightful old traditional Kyoto building for a stimulating lunch of hearty food and good conversation in beautiful surrounds. [Read more…]
Soba no Mi Yoshimura
蕎麦の実よしむら is a great place Mewby and I only recently discovered, though we must have passed it hundreds of times. I’m not sure why we didn’t go in before. Perhaps we thought that soba (buckwheat noodles) was all they did. Or perhaps we thought it was too expenive-looking. We were wrong on 
both counts.
Though the prices are surprisingly reasonable, Yoshimura certainly looks expensive on the inside. The interior has a kind of old-Japan charm to it. And you get to see the soba-making process first hand.
The dishes though are many and varied. I really like the little dried soba snacks they give you with your drinks before your meal. I also like the fact that they stock Yebisu Kohaku. Among the big dogs of Japan beers, this amber ale is one of the tastiest.
Here’s the meal we enjoyed on our last visit.
Check the online menu for other dishes and prices.
Soba no Mi Yoshimura is located on the north side of Gojo a short walk east of Karasuma. Here is a map. 
They also have a sister shop in Arashiyama, named Arashiyama Yoshimura, that I haven’t been to (yet).
Lunch:11：00～14：30
Dinner:17：30～22：30
Last Orders: 22：00
Open every day.
Telephone: 075-353-0114
Highly recommended!