There's a hobbit-in-the-Shire feeling in Muraki, a homely husband-and-wife run soba restaurant west of Kyoto city. The entrance is uncharacteristically marked not by traditional noren curtains but sliding wooden doors — the ki in Muraki is the Chinese character for tree or wood. The arboreal theme continues inside with the main communal dining table composed of two long slender planks and the smaller wooden tables placed in alcoves. And from the ceiling, a half dozen bird mobiles sway, making the restaurant feel like a tavern deep in Scandinavian snow country. Or a perfect setting for hobbits, if they ate soba.

Muraki serves black and white buckwheat noodles, which are both made early each morning with flour from Hokkaido and Fukui prefectures. The "black" soba is black in name only, these noodles are juwari, made from 100 percent buckwheat giving them a more robust character than the lighter "white" soba noodles, made from a combination of buckwheat and wheat flour, which are closer to the texture of vermicelli once boiled. You can choose either type for most orders, but I recommend the darker soba which has a more substantial, wholesome flavor — more buck for your bang if you'll pardon the pun.

Lunch started with hot cha-soba, a mix of green tea and the water in which buckwheat has been steeped. This was served with soba chips, which are offered at almost every soba and udon restaurant. They're bland but offer something to nibble on while perusing the menu.