Shinshusoba-to Jizake Ogisoseifunjo Naganoekimaeten

Was outside this restaurant opposite the Nagano station, contemplating whether to give it a try. Then a local Japanese gentleman on his way out, gushed that the soba was really good, and that we should order it. Indeed, the soba is pretty good. The baked miso was also pretty good, something new on ...the palate. A new dish that I've not seen before is the soba dumpling my friend and I spied on our neighbour's table. We tried to ask the waitress discreetly and she concluded that it was the agedashi tofu with soba dumpling dish on the menu. When it came, we were puzzled as it didn't look the same, we just left it at that. It was pretty cool that our next table's neighbour later struck up a conversation with us, perhaps curious about our distinct Singaporean accent, and we went on to learn about his good impression of our country. And the best part is, the kind gentleman and his wife, helped us order the soba dumpling dish. What made the meal even more memorable was that we later learnt, when settling the bill, that he had paid for our soba dumpling. What a kind gesture, despite us being strangers... Moments like this are what made the world feels smaller and life's journey as fellow sojourners more heartwarming...

Visited May 2017