Tempura Soba with Claire: Wankosoba Rotta

In a perfect location for lunch at the Odawara fork in the roads, where you can choose to go on up the mountains to Hakone or down the sea coast to Izu, there is a doggie soba restaurant, even offering a complimentary bowl of soba for your canine companion.

I called Wankosoba Rotta in advance to make a reservation, and they said it's first come first served, but it's mainly crowded on holidays...when we arrived, lo and behold, we were fourth on the waiting list and the restaurant only has three places. We went for a wee walk, and then settled by the entrance to wait, while Claire lapped the water from the fish bowl at the entrance to the main restaurant reserved for humans, which was virtually empty.

We had fun chatting to the other people waiting, and got hot tips on new places to go explore. One couple was heading down to hot springs and doggie fun at Mutsumian, which looks fantastic but seems to cost a pretty penny too. Perhaps later on in the year...Another friendly couple had two gorgeous brown poodles done in Mohican cuts with Ultraman t-shirts, both rescues, and it was fun to enthuse and share stories. I wish i'd taken their picture. I guess it was too hot to think straight!

 But it was worth the wait! Claire had a fantastic bowl of cool water in a soba style Japanese lacquer bowl, and i indulged with delicious tempura soba - yummy. It was fun to watch her eating soba, like a child they were in her throat but still not down, and she had a bit of a tussle before she began to bite them into shape...we left bits strewn all over the floor, I am ashamed to say, and I guess I should have fed her like most Japanese doggie mamas do. Check out the link to another Suzuki blog of a smaller dog enjoying his soba . This doggie restaurant is FUN!