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かね井蕎麦 Kanei
Add: 11-1 Murasakino Higashifujinomoricho, Kita Ward, Kyoto
Tel: 075-441-8283
Hours: 11:30am-2:30pm, 5-7pm (closed on Mon)
Price: 1,500-2,000 yen
Visited: Aug 2016
I didn’t plan to go to any Michelin restaurants this time in Kyoto, but as I was sorting out the itinerary, I noticed that there’s a one Michelin star soba restaurant near Daitokuji Temple which we planned to visit, so I decided to drop by for a taste. After getting off the bus in the nearest station, we walked for another 7-10 minutes in the scorching sun, eventually arriving at this humble-looking restaurant with a tiny sign that says “かね井” (Kanei), so small that it’s definitely missed unless by those specifically looking for it.
這次京都之行沒有特別安排豪華的米其林餐廳，不過在規劃行程時發現想要造訪的大德寺旁有一家米其林一星的蕎麥麵，決定順道去嚐一嚐。從公車站下來後冒著大太陽走了10分鍾左右，來到這間樸素的餐廳，外面挂著一塊不特別留意的話絕對看不到的小小招牌，上面寫著かね井（發音：kanei）。
Upon entering the shop, I noticed that there are only about 16 seats inside, and even though it wasn’t even noon time yet, every seat has been taken. The owner lady quietly came over and said rather apologetically – I’m afraid you will have to wait for about 1 hour or so for a table. Well then, we shall wait.
推門入內，發現店裏只有16個左右的位子，所有人盤腿而坐在榻榻米上安靜地吃著麵。我抵達時才12點不到一些，不過店裏已經完全客滿了，前面還有兩位客人在等位。老板娘略帶歉意的說，可能要等一個小時哦。哎呀，那就等吧。
In this small Japanese building of over 80 years old, the husband Toshio Kanei is busy manning the kitchen, while the wife takes care of the customers out in the front. There’s no air-conditioning even in the summer heat, only a small fan quietly doing its job; There is a small backyard garden, simply and elegantly decorated with a goldfish bowl, and a traditional Japanese wind bell making beautiful sounds with each breeze. The air is quiet, so quiet that everyone automatically lowers their voice as they enter the space.
80多年的日式建築裡，老板在廚房裏忙碌著，老板娘內外走動招呼客人。沒有空調，只有電風扇輕輕轉動著，小小的後院簡單精致，擺了一個很有禅意的金魚缸，挂了一串聲音清脆的風鈴。靜谧的氣氛讓所有人都也不自覺的輕聲細語。
We didn’t actually wait for one hour, though it was pretty close to it. Upon being seated, we were served some cold brew tea, and started browsing though the hand-written menu. Though the restaurant is one Michelin star, it is not significantly more expensive than a regular soba joint, with the price for each a la carte item to be around 950-1,700 yen.
其實並沒有等到一個小時（不過大概也45分鍾了）。老板娘爲我們倒上了冷泡茶、遞上一份手寫的菜單。雖然說是米其林一星餐廳，不過かね井的價格跟其他蕎麥麵屋的價格似乎差不多，單點的價格950－1700日幣不等。
Being a huge fan of mountain yam, I first tried the “山かけそば”, soba noodles with grated mountain yam (1,200 yen), a simple and refreshing bowl. The noodles are all handmade by Mr. Kanei himself using 100% domestic soba, and the artisanal flavor and texture are unmistakable.
極愛山藥泥的我，首先點了 “山かけそば” 山藥泥冷蕎麥麵（1200日幣），十分樸實清爽的味道。在日本的拉麵、烏冬麵、蕎麥麵裏，我想蕎麥麵可能是氣質上最接近京都的吧？顔色淡雅，沒有喧賓奪主的配料，能夠確實的嚐到它最純粹樸實的味道。
“辛大根おろしそば”, grated spicy daikon soba (1,200 yen).
“辛大根おろしそば” 辣蘿蔔泥荞麥麵（1200日幣）。偶而也會發現麵的粗細不同，很有手工做的樸質感。
”鴨ざるそば” soba with duck soup (1,700 yen), is the heaviest in terms of flavor among the sobas we ordered. It might look simple, but the soup was extremely delicious for dipping and for drinking. When the soba noodles are finished, we were served a pot of soba soup be poured into the unfinished dipping sauce, which becomes a flavorful soup.
”鴨ざるそば” 鴨蕎麥麵（1700日幣），是我們點的蕎麥麵中味道比較重的一款，湯汁的味道非常鮮美。順帶一提，老板娘會在客人將蕎麥麵吃完後端上一壺熱的荞麥面湯，可以注入在沒蘸完的湯汁中喝掉，也是品嚐蕎麥的另一種方法。
Only after we finished the noodles did we realize that there are dashiyaki (Japanese omelet), soba tofu and other side dishes on the menu, it’s a shame that we didn’t get to try any (we must’ve been too hot and hungry to notice these earlier). We did tag on an order of a dessert called “そばぜんざい” (700yen), which is soba-based mochi paired with stewed red beans, accompanied by a few slivers of savory seaweed.
吃完後才發現原來還有雞蛋卷、蕎麥豆腐等配菜，剛才點單時完全沒有注意到啊（又餓又熱，頭昏了吧），有點可惜。在飯後追加了一道甜點，“そばぜんざい”（700日幣），是用蕎麥做的年糕搭配紅豆，還搭配了鹹海苔提味。
Kanei is a quiet little shop persistently focusing on what it does best – soba. Unless you are a soba aficionado, I don’t necessarily think you need to make a trip for this as it is slightly out of the city center, but if you happen to be visiting Daitokuji Temple, why not come here for lunch or dinner. Kanei does not take reservations, so come early to avoid the line.
かね井是家安安靜靜、很有自己堅持的小店。雖然不覺得需要特別爲了它跑一趟（畢竟這裏位置稍偏），不過如果行程中正好安排了大德寺，倒是可以來這裏享用午餐或晚餐。餐廳不接收訂位，建議早點來，避免排隊等太久或著到達時蕎麥麵已經售罄。
かね井蕎麥 Kanei
地址：京都府京都市北區紫野東藤ノ森町11-1
電話：075-441-8283
營業時間：11:30am-2:30pm，5-7pm，周一休
價位：950-2000日元
造訪：2016年8月
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