From First Bite to Last: My Tateno Kawamoto Sohonten Experience

It was a chilly afternoon on a Tuesday in Saitama prefecture, and my father and I had decided to spend our money on a delightful lunch at a place he knew of that I had never heard of or eaten at before. That restaurant is called 'Tateno Kawamoto Sohonten' or 館乃 (Tateno) for short. It is a chained restaurant located in Fukaya, Saitama, near Takekawa Station.

At first I had thought it to be an ordinary restaurant as I passed it a few times when going out for grocery shopping nearby, and I wasn't really much interested in it. Not until my father had told me they had one of the best teishoku (meal sets) and wanted me to try it out. And so I did!

The Ambiance:

As I entered the restaurant, I noticed there was a queue, and it was something that I didn't expect to see because I never realized how popular this restaurant actually was and because we came 30 minutes after it had opened. I was surprised, to say the least, and the more I looked around, the more surprised and taken aback I got by the cozy vibe it gave with the paintings that were hooked on to the walls, as well as the peacefulness I could feel even as we were escorted to our table. I liked how the tables were placed with the right amount of spaces between each of them; to say the least, it didn't make me feel claustrophobic.

The Service:

We started ordering, and I couldn't find the meal set my father wanted on the menu, and so instead of wasting unnecessary time, we rang the bell, and one of the staff members politely helped. She was so nice and very polite and took notes on what my father wanted. In no time, both of us had ordered our food; mine by the tablet and code on the menu, while my father's by the kind waitress that helped us.

Even though we ordered separately (via tablet and waitress), our food arrived quicker than we had expected. It might be because of the sizing of the picture in the menu, but when our food came, they were plated bigger than expected. I was very pleased with the sizing and was eager to try what we had picked for ourselves.

The Food:

My father ordered a katsu-don set with a large portion of soba, and this had a big bowl of katsudon, a big portion of cold soba, and some yellow pickled radish on the side. While I ordered a seseragi gozen, and this had a sashimi assortment (tuna, salmon, shrimp, squid, and rolled egg), a tempura assortment (shrimp, green pepper, eggplant, sweet potato, and mushroom), a small portion of cold soba, and a small bowl of chawanmushi (Japanese steamed egg custard).

The first bite I started with was the sashimi assortment. The size, for both the rice and sashimi, was portioned really well and was big enough to eat in one sitting for an adult. But if I were to be honest, it tasted like any other sashimi I had tasted; however, it wasn't bad at all. It wasn't too fishy, and dipped in soy sauce, it enhanced the flavor even more, which, in my opinion, was delightful.

Next is the tempura assortment. The sizes they had prepared for each type were big, and one or two bites weren't enough to finish it. It had a nice flavorful crunch to it, and I was very glad they added mushrooms to the assortment because I am a sucker for mushrooms. Tempura is one of my absolute favorite meals in Japan, and I really enjoyed this assortment!

Next is the cold soba. When I looked at the menu when choosing my meal, I really thought I wouldn't be able to finish everything, knowing how big the portion is for the soba. But surprisingly, for the meal set I had chosen, the amount they had prepared was the perfect size! In addition, for the dipping sauce, I had chosen to add wasabi and green onion together, and it definitely was the right decision because it had brought more flavor to the sauce, which I really enjoyed.

Next is the chawanmushi. It had shrimp, mushrooms, a big bean, and the perfect amount to make you full. However, if I were to be honest, it tasted a little bland for my taste, and I didn't quite enjoy this part of the dish. Nevertheless, I still devoured that bowl.

For the last order, it arrived at our table by a lovely cute machine, and as it left, I gave my thanks while I waved at it like a child. What meal wouldn't be complete without a dessert? So, I ordered a mini komachi parfait, which had matcha ice cream, three balls of mochi, anko paste, a tiny rice crispy kind of ingredient at the bottom, whipped cream, and a cherry on top, all drizzled in matcha syrup.

I. LOVE. MATCH. Especially after a meal filled with savory dishes, this parfait, to me, tasted like heaven. Though the mochi balls didn't taste like anything, paired with the anko paste and matcha ice cream, they tasted very delicious. Who knew the sweet-bitterness of the matcha and the not-too-sweetness of the anko fit perfectly well with the blandness of the mochi? It's a genius combination, and I'm here for it!

Final Thoughts

All in all, I was satisfied with my eating experience in Tateno Kawamoto Sohonten. The combination of the sashimi, tempura, soba, and steamed egg custard sounds very filling (which it is), but because of the sizes of all the assortments were portioned correctly, it didn't make me feel disgustingly full, and ending with a perfectly sweetened dessert was the perfect conclusion to my experience.

From noodles like udon and soba to fried dishes like tonkatsu and karaage and hot pots, there was such a variety of dishes to choose from, and I recommend dining here if you have the time or plan on visiting Japan. They have different branches available in Fukaya, Kumagaya, and Ogawamachi and are open every day except Wednesday. They open at 11:30 am and close at 09:00 pm, taking in last orders around 08:30 pm. Though, if you plan on purchasing from them online, unfortunately, they do not have any delivery services, as their services only provide dine-in and takeout.

Lastly, here is a list of the things we ordered all in all, how much each dish was, and the total of what we had spent:

Seseragi gozen 1,848 yen

Katsudon set 1,518 yen

Big portion soba 100 yen

Mini komachi parfait 528 yen

Total: 4,004 yen

For more information about Tateno Kawamoto Sohonten, please click here to be brought to their official website, which has all the information needed to know.