Continued: Delicious Spots in Miyauchi-Settaya, Niigata - For Those Who Want to Enjoy This Summer Edition -

Hello!I'll writer Yukki here.

It's gotten hot all of a sudden, hasn't it...
Summer in Niigata is truly humid and tough, isn't it?
Lately, I've been spending almost all my time with the air conditioner on.

Personally, I'm more of a 'dehumidify' person than a 'cool' person, but I wonder which one is actually kinder to the body and the wallet... Well, either way, it's kinder to both the body and the wallet than getting heatstroke and being taken to the hospital without the air conditioner on, so...

Now, today I'd like to write a follow-up article about the "Miyauchi-Settaya" area that I introduced a year ago.
Over the past year, I've touched on it frequently in At-Niigata's note and I'll's note, but since entering university, I've had a connection with this Miyauchi-Settaya area, and I've visited almost all the shops in the area. Among them, I'd like to introduce some 'delicious' spots I want to recommend to everyone this summer today.

What is the Miyauchi-Settaya area?

To begin with, the Miyauchi-Settaya area is a town of fermentation and brewing located in the southern part of Nagaoka City.
It is a spot rare even on a national level, with six brewing storehouses scattered throughout the area.
It is within walking distance from Miyauchi Station on the JR Joetsu Line, and you can enjoy walking around sake, miso, and soy sauce storehouses, or eat your way through the area while feeling the atmosphere of history.

Recommendation 1: WILLOW HOUSE "Shaved Ice"

First, I'd like to introduce the shaved ice from "WILLOW HOUSE."

It's a menu item unique to summer.

This WILLOW HOUSE is a bakery restaurant with the theme of fermentation and circulation, but they offer shaved ice during cafe hours (10:00-11:00, 14:00-) during this season.

The biggest feature of this shaved ice is that it is carefully made one by one after the order is placed.
It is a dish where you can enjoy flavors unique to Niigata, such as soy sauce and koji from the Miyauchi-Settaya area, as well as Echigo-hime strawberries and Murakami matcha, along with fluffy-textured ice.

What I ordered this time was "Koji and Lemon (¥1200)."

The syrup made with sweet koji and lemon had a refreshing sweetness, wasn't cloying, and I was able to enjoy it deliciously until the very end. It's a dish where you can't miss a single moment or second of the lemon aroma and the sweetness of the koji.

Recommendation 2: Nagaoka Imo Bugyo, Nagaoka Miyauchi Station Front Store

Next, I would like to introduce "Nagaoka Imo Bugyo," which has a shop near Miyauchi Station.

This shop is popular for its baked sweet potatoes and sweet potato soft-serve ice cream, which use salt koji from the famous miso brewery "Hoshino Honten" in the Miyauchi-Settaya area.

They also have a wide variety of delicious sweets made with their signature sweet potatoes, such as sweet potato soda, sweet potato pudding, and sweet potato crepes made in collaboration with the nearby Nagaoka Agricultural High School, all of which are exceptionally tasty.

On this day, I had the new menu items: fried takoyaki using salt koji and a fruit squash made with pineapple.

You might be tempted to say, "You're the 'Sweet Potato Magistrate' but you didn't order any sweet potatoes!," but this fruit squash can be purchased at half price with a student discount, and the takoyaki also uses Settaya salt koji. These menu items are filled with love for students and the Settaya area, and you can really feel the kindness of this shop and its staff.

In the evening, local high school students seem to come by to take out food. If a shop like this had existed when I was in high school, I definitely would have been a regular...!

Recommendation 3: Aoshima Shokudo

Finally, I would like to introduce "Aoshima Shokudo," which it is no exaggeration to say boasts top-class popularity nationwide in the Miyauchi area, for its Nagaoka ginger soy sauce ramen.

Model Ai Tominaga, who became a hot topic for saying she only eats ramen twice a year, really likes the ramen at Aoshima Shokudo, and it even made it into her top two, which was briefly in the online news. (Note: Ai Tominaga has since retracted her statement about only eating ramen twice a year and says she eats it whenever she likes.)

There is always a line at lunchtime, so I couldn't stop by due to time constraints, but I visited for the first time the other day.

Photography inside the shop is not allowed, so I don't have any actual photos, but the ginger soy sauce soup, where you can directly taste the aroma of ginger, was a perfect match for the noodles.
(No wonder there's a line...)It was such delicious ramen that I couldn't help but think that.

By the way, there are four Aoshima Shokudo locations around Miyauchi Station, and it seems the taste of the soup is slightly different at each one...
I have only visited the station-front branch, but I am also curious about the differences from the other shops...!

Conclusion

How did you like this "Delicious Spots in Miyauchi-Settaya" feature?
Including the ones I introduced a year ago, I can proudly say that all of these are gourmet spots you'll want to visit this summer!!

I still haven't introduced enough of my personal "delicious spots" in the Miyauchi-Settaya area, so I will probably (?) introduce more in a year. It might even be sooner.

I hope you all "ENJOY!!" this summer too!!

👇Yukki's Recent Notes