Six days a week, promptly at 7am, Takashi Miyazaki heads to his restaurant in the heart of Cork city to hand-make fresh soba – a variety of slender Japanese noodles that can be enjoyed either hot or cold. The making of soba is a meditative, intricate exercise composed of 12 steps, with numerous variables involved. The key ingredient providing the distinctive nutty flavour to soba noodles is buckwheat flour, which lacks gluten. Consequently, wheat flour is combined to achieve the correct elasticity. Elements like temperature, humidity and water content play critical roles. After an extensive period of experimenting, he determined the ideal proportion to be 60 per cent French buckwheat mixed with 40 per cent wheat flour and Fior Uisce water obtained from Co Mayo.
The flours are sifted into a konebachi – a peculiar wooden bowl intended for soba creation, and the water is incrementally added. The ensuing dough undergoes kneading, flattening, and rolling out with a wooden pin, before being sliced into noodles with a pasta machine. Freshly made noodles are the most desirable, and are preferably consumed the same day they are created.
This soba creation is markedly different from Miyazaki’s earlier endeavours with his Kaiseki restaurant, an establishment that earned a prestigious Michelin star six months post its inauguration in 2018. Recognising the necessity for change, he served his final 15-course meal, priced at €140, in December, and recommenced operations in January by adopting a more relaxed, bistro-style approach. The Michelin guide’s inspectors promptly arrived, were pleased by his fresh perspective, and lauded the bistro with a Michelin Bib Gourmand award in February.
While little alterations have been made to the dining area, the number of seats has gradually grown from 22 to 35 with the addition of a counter. The food however, has been thoroughly revamped. The menu no longer features sushi, sashimi and chawanmushi, having been replaced by a more casual a la carte selection, with a range of starters, donburi (rice dishes), both hot and cold soba, and a variable list of daily specials, all of which are jotted down on a chalkboard.
The introductory dish for our feast was sizzling hot edamame (€6), lavishly coated in olive oil and sprinkled with a melange of garlic, chilli, sea salt and black pepper. It comes along with a tokkuri of steaming saki. But, at a price of €27.50 for a petite flask of 175ml, it might result in a hefty tab if indulged in for the entire night.
Our appetiser consisted of a selection of assorted tempura (€15.50), albeit a tad small in portion size. It includes a solitary shrimp, a crispy disc made of finely shredded carrot and corn kernels, and a leaf of Japanese green. The dish was ornamented with spring onions and grated daikon.The batter, light as a feather, compliments well with the tentsuyu dipping sauce, an umami blend of soy sauce, mirin (a rice wine) and dashi (a Japanese broth).
In contrast, the cod nanban don (€18.50) provides a hearty meal. A steaming bowl of rice, seasoned to perfection with mirin and a hint of spice, topped with chunks of fried cod coated in a sweet and sour condiment, the nanbansu. It is concocted using rice vinegar, mirin, soy sauce and sugar.
Though traditionally soba is consumed cold (hiya soba), garnished with wasabi, scallions and tsuyu, and the noodles dipped in the sauce, the cold, rainy evening made hot noodles more comforting.
We opted for beer and wine to complement our main dishes – Ichigo Ichie’s exclusive pale ale priced €7, and Sicilian skin-contact Vino Di Anna Palmento Bianco, which costs €11.50, sourced from a simple, low-interference wine list.
Finally, the kamo nanban soba (€21.50) presents a delightfully hot soup, brimming with soba and slices of Skeaghanore duck. The noodles were exactly as desired, slurp upon slurp of thin, earthy, nutty strands of buckwheat. All the while, interspersed with mouthwatering bites of succulent duck breast, this delightful creation was bathed in a crystal clear, mahogany, duck-infused dashi broth to be savoured till the last drop.
We savoured a shared dessert of Gubbeen baked cheesecake, a square slice paired with plum ice cream, priced at €8.50. The unconventional addition of a ripe, smoked cheese turned out to be a masterstroke, which we later found out was a concept that started on the Michelin menu.
Miyazaki’s informal food offerings have been elevated at Ichigo Ichie, served in a stylish space. Now, one can relish their meal seated at a comfortable table rather than trying their luck on snagging one of the few tall stools. The service is friendly and efficient, with most dining experiences wrapping up within an hour.
A supper with drinks for a pair amounted to €116.
Concluding remarks: The relaxed makeover of a well-revered eatery.
Ambiance: Background melodies by Moby and Jimmy Whoo.
Sourcing of Ingredients: English Market, free-range pork from Caherbeg, Skeaghanore duck, and crops from Cork Rooftop Farm.
Suitable for vegetarians: Possibilities include mushrooms a la plancha, agedashi tofu, vegetable tempura, edamame, kakiage and soba, with potential vegan adjustments.
Accessibility: Wheelchair-friendly main room, but lacks an accessible restroom.