Soba

 While away snowboarding, we met a new friend who just so happens to have his own Soba Restaurant, Okina.

 (Okina set nicely amongst the trees: photo from Dave's blog)

We stopped by and ate at the restaurant on our final day before heading back home and it was a real nice Japanese experience! Great tranquil setting and free flowing drinks meant that a good time was had by all. I ate the 'Inaka' soba which was quickly renamed 'In-Da-Car' which was fantastic and cooked just right! Then as we left our friend presented us with some 'Sara' soba to take home. All of his soba is made fresh on the premises daily and went down a treat with my wife who was over the moon. If you're in the hood, you've got to try it!

 Thank you so much!

Soba (そば or 蕎麦) is a type of thin Japanese noodle made from buckwheat flour. It is served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or in hot broth as a noodle soup.

The most famous Japanese soba noodles come from Nagano. Soba from Nagano is called Shinano Soba or Shinshu soba. Ni-hachi (二八, two-eight) soba, consists of two parts of wheat and eight of buckwheat; Juuwari (十割, 100%) soba, the finest (and usually most expensive) variety, consists entirely of buckwheat.

• Sarashina soba: thin, light-colored soba, made with refined buckwheat
• Inaka soba: "country soba", thick soba made with whole buckwheat

(SOURCED FROM WIKIPEDIA)