[About an hour from Kyoto !] Recommended gourmet Feature Articles in the beautiful rural Ayabe City

*This article is quoted from CO-KYOTO, a website that provides information on the Chutan region ( CO-KYOTO homepage (pref.kyoto.jp) ).

Ayabe City: A town where you can encounter the Hara Japanese scenery

It is close to Kyoto City and is attractive for its lush forests, clear air, beautiful water, and beautiful autumn leaves.

Game cuisine is popular in Ayabe City, and dishes using ingredients such as deer, wild boar, and local chicken are gaining popularity.

• Table of Contents
• A safe lunch for families with small children♪ Takematsu Udon Shop
• Enjoy matcha and a meal at Chatsubo Yoshida
• Local ingredients plus delicious ingredients from all over Japan
• Ayabe Tsumugi: A taste of the hometown that focuses not only on the materials but also on the tools
• Enjoy a memorable day with elegant cuisine and a relaxing atmosphere at Yuzuki
• Rice flour sweets KOKU
• Rice flour bread and cafe shop Housework in a dream

A safe lunch for families with small children♪ Takematsu Udon Shop

Shika, Ayabe City, is surrounded by nature that resembles the Hara scenery of Japan. Takematsu Udon Shop, which operates here, is a Sanuki-style udon restaurant that uses pure hand-made noodles made from domestic wheat and boils them in a wood-fired oven, which is becoming rare nationwide.

Takematsu Udon restaurant is located on spacious grounds.

The owner, Takehara Takehara, says that when he was a child, the udon noodles his mother bought for him were so delicious that he fell in love with udon. He grew up as the youngest of three brothers, and whenever his parents asked him to help out, his older brothers would tell him to go instead. He started helping out reluctantly, and that's when he became interested in cooking.

As his love for udon grew, he worked part-time at a udon restaurant in Kagawa Prefecture during his summer vacation as a university student, and after graduating he began training there. After three years of study, he set off on a journey of training, driving a mobile food cart loaded with udon cooking equipment. He traveled around the country selling the udon he made himself, and perfected the udon he was looking for. "The journey was not only a way to train in udon, but also a way to find ingredients," says Takehara. The wheat and salt used in the restaurant, as well as the Rishiri kelp used in the broth, were all ingredients he encountered during his travels around the country.

The Takehara are made using reliable ingredients that Takehara personally found, which is why he can feed them to children without worry.

The popular dish "Seseri Udon" features charcoal-grilled sezeri with a fragrant aroma.

The standard udon menu can be increased in size to regular size (1.5 servings) or large size (2 servings). If you go with a toddler, you can choose the large size and share it with your child, so both of you will be full.

In addition to hot and cold udon, you can also order lukewarm udon, which is easier for children to eat. They also provide tools for cutting udon into shorter pieces and chopsticks for children, and these thoughtful touches are what make this restaurant a great place to bring children.

Children's tableware that makes eating fun.

They also cater to those with wheat allergies, and can change the noodles to brown rice noodles. They also offer rice balls made by the proprietress, and crispy tempura made with locally grown seasonal vegetables and fish. Another plus for parents is that there are many menu items that children can eat.

The dining space, a renovated storehouse on the premises, has a raised tatami room, making it a relaxing space even for those with babies.

There are also picture books and toys for playing house, which the children will be delighted with.

In the large garden on the premises, children can be seen running around and playing while waiting for the udon to be boiled or while the adults are eating.

Takematsu Udon is a restaurant that offers satisfying meals and a relaxing time.

-Information-

Address: 13, Shika , Shigagocho, Ayabe City , Ayabe City Kyoto Prefecture

TEL: 0773-21-1665

HP: https://ameblo.jp/takematsuudon

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/takematsuudon/

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/takematsuudon

Enjoy matcha and a meal at Chatsubo Yoshida

Chatsubo Yoshida, where you can enjoy matcha tea and meals, was created by renovating a tea and tea utensil store. There is a tatami room, so even if you have small children with you, you can stretch your legs and relax.

You can relax in the tatami room. Children's chairs are also available.

There are three types of meal menu: lunch, lunch set, and lunch set with cake.

Lunch is a Japanese meal made with plenty of seasonal vegetables.

When your child gets sleepy, lay down a cushion and cover them with a clean bath towel provided by owner Michiyo Minato. "If you let us know in advance, we can prepare meals for children up to about four years old," says Ms. Minato. This thoughtfulness makes this a relaxing lunch spot.

-Information-

Yoshida Teapot

Address: 3-32 Honmachi , Ayabe City, Kyoto Prefecture

TEL: 0773-43-1514

HP: http://chatuboyoshida.sakura.ne.jp/

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/%E8%8C%B6%E3%81%A4%E3%81%BC-%E5%90%89%E7%94%B0-1233929043332771

Local ingredients plus delicious ingredients from all over Japan

Hitotsubu, with its impressive sign saying "Wow" (locally produced), is popular for its wide range of menu items that value local Ayabe ingredients while also actively incorporating good ones from around the country. The current owner and manager, Kazuhisa, has been involved with the restaurant since it opened in 2006, and has continued to operate in the same style since taking over from the previous owner in 2021.

The ingredients they use include the main dish of the "Oyakodon" we will introduce this time, Kanbayashi chicken, which is raised on the spacious grounds of a chicken farm that has been thriving since ancient times in the Kanbayashi area of ​​Ayabe, rice with concentrated flavor due to the temperature difference in the region, and fresh vegetables directly sourced from the local JA. In addition to Kyoto , they currently offer pork cutlets made with pork from Hachimantai in Iwate , and fried oysters from Ofunato.

To make the most of the goodness of these ingredients, we use magnets and filters to activate the water used to make the soup stock, and we prepare the chicken by washing it in hot water at a constant temperature to generate enzymes and then squeezing it with ice. We also do not use any synthetic seasonings, and aim to provide food that can be safely eaten by everyone, from children to the elderly.

Located along the national highway with a spacious parking lot, you can easily stop by by car, so why not stop by Hitotsubu-san for a break and enjoy some food during your drive or trip to northern Kyoto Prefecture?

-INFORMATION-

Store name: Hitotsubu

Address: 8-2 Amidaji, Aikata-cho, Ayabe Ayabe City, Kyoto Prefecture , 623-0031

TEL: 0773-43-2244

Website: https://ayabe-hitotsubu.com/

Ayabe Tsumugi: A taste of the hometown that focuses not only on the materials but also on the tools

Ayabe Tsumugi originated as a shop called "Tsumugi" that was opened by the first owner, Shigeno, in Fushimi Ward , Kyoto City , about 30 years ago. It moved to Ayabe in 2019, and is now run by Kanehira, who has inherited Shigeno's vision.

The "Obanzai Set Meal" that we will introduce this time was created by Shigeno, who wanted to offer dishes that focus on ingredients and seasonings, based on his concept that "because our bodies are made of food, we need to eat properly to stay healthy."

The ingredients are mainly from local Kyoto, and the vegetables are pesticide-free or pesticide-reduced, purchased the day before or the morning of the day, and fresh fish and meat are added to create the set meal of the day.In addition to the ingredients, the utensils are also part of the meal, so the pots are mainly earthenware and iron pots, and even the charcoal for the stove in which the rice is cooked is ordered from a specific source, and the restaurant is full of attention to detail.

They also try to avoid using sugar as much as possible in their seasonings, instead making good use of the sweetness of the ingredients, resulting in a light yet memorable taste. You can also request a special menu using the ingredients of the day, so if you're interested, please ask.

The shop is loved by locals and is bustling every day, with customers from when it was open in Fushimi also occasionally dropping in. The detached building often hosts events themed around coffee, alcohol, music, fortune telling, etc., but one day a customer said, "I'd like to stay here, not just eat," which prompted the owner to begin preparations to open a farm guesthouse. This is a popular spot in Ayabe that is likely to attract more and more people in the future.

-INFORMATION-

Store name: Ayabe Tsumugi

Address: 57-1 Araki, Tsu City , Ayabe City Kyoto Prefecture , 623-1123

TEL: 0773-21-6104

Enjoy a memorable day with elegant cuisine and a relaxing atmosphere at Yuzuki

"We want to make your irreplaceable day the best it can be," was the thought behind the opening of "Yuzuki" in 2005. Since being invited by the owner, who was a friend of his from his previous job, head chef Toyama, to open a Japanese restaurant, he has been using his skills to provide the perfect cuisine for the special day of his customers who visit every day.

The kaiseki menu is reviewed every two months, and is centered around classic dishes that use plenty of seasonal Kyoto Kyoto ingredients, with slight changes each year, even for the same season. Each new menu is created after soliciting opinions at a tasting event for employees, and the dishes are carefully crafted through repeated improvements. The recommended dish this time, the "Seasonal Flower Gozen," is a lunchtime-only menu designed to allow many people to easily enjoy kaiseki cuisine.

The property where the restaurant is located was originally built by the owner as a villa, but as you enter the main building's Chuo hall, the first thing that catches your eye is the large garden in the Oku. You can enjoy delicious seasonal kaiseki cuisine and an elegant time while gazing at the garden, which shows its charm in every season, with cherry blossoms in the spring and autumn leaves in the fall.

In addition to the hall, the main building has two private tatami rooms, and only three groups of guests can stay each day, day and night. The spacious annex has rooms that can seat up to 50 people, and like the main building, you can enjoy barbecues in the summer and hot pot dishes in the winter while looking out over the garden.

Tsuneyama-san regularly posts the latest information on their website and social media, so be sure to check them out before visiting the restaurant. Located close to the Ayabe Ankokuji Interchange, this restaurant is popular with customers who stop by on their way to northern Kinki and Sanin regions, and offers seasonal cuisine and a quaint atmosphere.

-INFORMATION-

Store name: Yuzuki

Address: 16-1 Yuri, Shichihyakukokucho , Ayabe City, Kyoto Prefecture , 623-0111

TEL: 0773-44-0818

Homepage: https://www.ioriyuzuki.com/

Rice flour sweets KOKU

The Kamibayashi district of Ayabe City is also known as the "Village of Water Sources," and has long been famous for the delicious rice grown with the pure water from melting snow.

The rice flour sweets under the brand name "Koku" of "KOKU," a rice and rice flour processing and sales shop established in this area, show us possibilities for rice that we have never seen before.

At the entrance there is an oven, which in the past was used in every household to cook rice.

The store was created by Miyazono Naomi, who moved to Ayabe City from Osaka and is a certified rice flour instructor by the Rice Flour Meister Association.

KOKU's sweets are made using only rice carefully grown by contracted farmers in the Kanbayashi area. Miyazono told us, "Using local rice and delivering our products to consumers also helps protect the farmers who grow the rice and the local area."

Among the sweets, one that particularly catches the eye is the "Rice Flour Hard Cookies," which are completely free of wheat, eggs, dairy products, nuts, and refined sugar.

Cookies are generally made by cutting dough into molds and then baking them, but rice flour cookies, which tend to crumble, are made by putting them into molds, shaping them, and then baking them. The unusual molds are original to KOKU.

Rice flour cookies are a great gift that will get people excited and say, "Wow! So cute and pretty!"

The rice flour cookies come in two varieties: "Born in Kyoto ," which is baked using a mixture of six ingredients grown in Kyoto , such as mulberry leaves and roasted green tea, and "Vegetable-Filled," which uses domestic vegetables such as burdock and spinach.

The elegantly shaped "Born in Kyoto" and the colorful "Vegetable-Filled" are sure to have even children who dislike vegetables reaching for them.

When you put it in your mouth, the mellow sweetness of wasanbon sugar and organic maple syrup spreads, and the crumbly texture is very pleasant. It is truly a sweet that is kind to both the body and the mind.

A snack that could help the younger generation learn about the appeal of rice

There are also many other rice-based products, such as brown rice pon crackers, which can be used as baby food or nursing food when added to soup stock, brown rice pon cracker bars that can be quickly eaten with one hand on busy mornings, and caffeine-free brown rice coffee, which is great for pregnancy and postpartum.

They also sell delicious pancake and muffin mixes made with rice flour.

Miyazono-san continues to research natural foods and rice. Based on the idea that "the kitchen is a pharmacy" and "the mother who cooks the food is in charge of the family's health," KOKU's sweets are not only beautiful to look at, but are also masterpieces that are carefully designed with nutrition and food safety in mind.

-Information-

KOKU

Address: 14 Nishiya, Tsu , Ayabe City , Ayabe City Kyoto Prefecture

TEL: 0773-21-8174

HP: https://koku-kyoto.com/about_koku/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/koku_kyoto/

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/koku.kyoto

Rice flour bread and cafe shop Housework in a dream

In the Kamibayashi district of Ayabe City, there is a rice flour bread and cafe called "Dream Housework" run by the Chikamochi couple, who moved to the area from Osaka.

The interior design is so cool you'll be stunned

From the shop, which overlooks the idyllic rural landscape, around 25 kinds of bread are on display every day, and you can also enjoy eat-in menu items such as hamburgers and pancakes.

A customizable menu with homemade ice cream inside a dream homemade dish.

Another popular way to customize your bread is to top it with homemade ice cream.

-Information-

Address: 3 Ota , Tsu Ayabe City, Kyoto Prefecture

TEL: 080-9120-8219

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yumenonakano_kaji/

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yumenonakanokaji/