Owner-chef Kiyoshi Hashimoto stocks his restaurant with a full complement of bar snacks, as well as seasonal local sakes. Duck with leeks and miso sauce, tofu marinated with barley miso, and soybeans and ume with chopped katsuo-bushi are standard appetisers before the soba. Tipping back cups of sake as you dine makes the evening fun. Diners can choose from either thin-cut or coarse-ground soba. It’s easy to understand why many guests start with shuko and wrap up with cold soba.