Ishiusubiki Teuchi Kyorakutei

※ Please note that Ishiusubiki Teuchi Kyorakutei only takes dinner reservations. ——— For a restaurant to lose a Michelin star can cause a huge furore within the gourmet circuit. But there was relatively little commotion when the wildly popular Ishiusubiki Teuchi Kyorakutei, having held a Michelin star since 2012, lost a star in 2017. This is because its pricing had simply led it to be awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand instead — an accolade given to restaurants worthy of inclusion in the Michelin Guide, but specially recognized for their price-performance ratio. If anything, being awarded the Bib Gourmand gave Kyorakutei the best of both worlds: the legacy of a Michelin star, and the reputation of excellent price-performance, propelling its popularity to even greater heights. One of the most popular menu items at Kyorakutei has always been — and continues to be — the nishoku “two-color” soba, which offers a tasting comparison between regular cold soba and juwari soba, soba noodles made with 100 percent buckwheat. Another popular option is its hiyamugi noodles; thin wheat noodles just barely thicker than somen, this noodle is a rarity in soba shops around Tokyo. Served up on the characteristic brilliant black and red of Fukushima’s pride, Aizu lacquerware, the soba punches far above its price point, supplemented by beautiful seasonal offerings like conger eel tempura and fresh tomatoes.