Casa Kunisaku

The little garden by the entrance is a lovely break from the busy streets, and the meal feels best when you have time to linger. You take off your shoes at the door since this is a renovated private home. The scenery and menu shift quite a bit between lunch and dinner, so it may not suit anyone in a rush. The soba and tempura are great, and I also loved the chawanmushi. On my first visit, the nutty dipping sauce caught me by surprise, but now I find it hard to resist. The fried soba sold as a souvenir is delicious too.

The place itself is lovely, and we had been looking forward to the food, which made this visit all the more disappointing. One staff member was so unpleasant that my parents and I had a very bad experience. I couldn't enjoy the soba at all, and my parents were left feeling suspicious about the whole situation. The other employees seemed fairly new, but they were gentle, polite, and kind, and bringing out the food was the one saving grace. The person who handled us, though, ignored our greeting when we arrived, gave us no directions, then went outside to call the next customer as if we weren't there. Their attitude was awful, they didn't smile or manage a conversation, and the phone communication was just as poor. They seemed mentally unstable. Although they were working in the dining area, I don't think they should be dealing with customers. I know the staff may be different from one day to another, but for an important occasion I'd pick somewhere with more attentive service. They need to be more careful about training and choosing staff.

The garden has a quiet elegance to it, and it's a relaxing place to spend time. The soba is the highlight: it's 100% buckwheat, comes with soba broth, and both dipping sauces are so good I always drink a little. Nuts and soba really do work together. The tempura includes seasonal choices like wild vegetables and oysters, and I noticed lots of other diners ordering the set. Still, the oil seemed old, and I had heartburn for a long time afterward. Service can be uneven too. The staff sometimes looked overwhelmed and irritated, and when I asked about the menu, they didn't seem to know much. The food and setting are wonderful, so it's a shame the service doesn't quite fit the restaurant's history and atmosphere.

The garden looked freshly tended, with pruned branches and just a few cherry blossoms scattered here and there. Inside, the soba place feels like it's set up in a home's living room, with a large garden outside. It's only a short walk from the station, and even though the serving looked small at first, I was completely satisfied. It had been a while since I'd had soba that good. A peaceful spot for a slow lunch.