The first-ever "Yaeyama Soba Championship," a competition to determine the best Yaeyama soba restaurant, was held in the Yaeyama Islands, including Ishigaki Island and Taketomi Island, and the results were announced on October 15, 2015.
Related article:https://okinawa-labo.com/yaeyama-soba-championship-6541
Therefore, Okinawa Lab will be introducing the top-ranking restaurants in the Yaeyama Soba Championship.

Our first featured restaurant is "Yaeyama Soba-dokoro Shima Ryori Komatsu," the first-ever champion in the Yaeyama Soba category. Having achieved this glory in less than a year since opening, Komatsu has become the most talked-about soba restaurant on Ishigaki Island.

What is "Yaeyama Soba Restaurant Island Cuisine Komatsu"?

"Komatsu" is a restaurant that was created by relocating a traditional Okinawan house with red tile roofs, and it has a spacious and calm atmosphere with a wood-based interior.
The location is to the right and behind "Royal Marine Palace Ishigaki Island," which is west of Ishigaki city center.

The exterior, with its red tiled roof and terrace, creates a very nice atmosphere, and they also have a commemorative flag displayed for winning the recent Yaeyama Soba Championship.

The restaurant has six tables with sunken seating for 28 people, and two tables with 8 people on the outdoor terrace.
Dogs are welcome, so if you're lucky, you might even get to meet the adorable resident dog!

Yaeyama Soba Restaurant & Island Cuisine "Komatsu" Recommended Menu

Yaeyama soba (500 yen)
This dish features medium-thick, round noodles and a rich broth made from pork bones, chicken bones, and bonito flakes.
This dish lets you enjoy the taste of a champion Yaeyama soba restaurant.

This is Komatsu's Yaeyama soba, the "number one Yaeyama soba in the Yaeyama Soba Championship." It's topped with pork, fish cake, and green onions, and uses round noodles.

What makes it distinctive, as I will explain later, is the brown broth, which is unusual for Yaeyama soba.

This is a photo of round noodles being lifted with chopsticks. Each noodle has a firm, chewy texture, and it pairs well with the soup, making it very satisfying to eat.

Yaeyama soba usually has a light yellow broth. In Komatsu, however, they are particular about their broth (chicken, bonito, and pork) to create this distinctive brown color. When you taste it, you'll find it's very rich and full of the sweet flavor of pork.

 This is a photo of pork belly being held with chopsticks.
It comes with a generous three slices of pork fat, which really enhances the appeal of Yaeyama soba.

• Soft bone pork rib soba (750 yen)

・Pork belly soba (750 yen)

Yaeyama Soba Special (850 yen)

This luxurious soba set includes Yaeyama soba, which is delicious on its own, along with three kinds of meat: soki (spare ribs), tebichi (stewed pig's trotters), and sanmai-niku (stewed pork belly). It's a recommended dish for those who love both soba and meat.
Tebichi Soba (750 yen)
Yaeyama Soba Special (850 yen)
・Inamuduchi set meal (950 yen)

Access to Komatsu

The location is on the west side of Hotel Royal Marine Palace Ishigaki Island in Shinkawa, Ishigaki City.
This is a popular restaurant and is always crowded, so I recommend going with plenty of time to spare or checking the crowd situation beforehand.

・By car... It takes about 40 minutes by car from New Ishigaki Airport. It takes about 15 minutes from the remote island terminal.
・By bus... Approximately 25 minutes from the bus terminal. Get off at "Royal Marine Palace" on the Kabira Resort Line, then it's a 1-minute walk from there.

Afterword

Mr. Arita, the manager of "Komatsu," which makes Yaeyama soba with meticulous care, returned to Ishigaki Island after training at a high-class restaurant in Osaka. He worked for 25 years as head chef at "Yuna," a restaurant that was located inside the old Ishigaki Airport, before opening his own restaurant in September 2014.

"Yuna," a restaurant beloved by locals, has been popular since its opening, with customers wanting to enjoy its soba noodles once again.

And the slightly sweet "Yaeyama Soba," which they meticulously prepared and which can't be tasted anywhere else, won first place in the Yaeyama Soba category of the Yaeyama Soba Championship in October 2015.

Nowadays, the restaurant is packed every day with tourists coming to eat what is considered "Yaeyama's number one soba." If you ever visit Ishigaki, be sure to try it!

Name: Yaeyama Soba Restaurant Island Cuisine Komatsu
Opening hours: 11: 00 to 15: 00
* Complete reservation system at night
Closed holiday: irregular holiday

Address:2460-1 Shinkawa, Ishigaki City
Phone number: 0980-87-0779

Please make your hotel reservation here.

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