The secret story

Based on the concept of “a noodle factory that connects the community with the future through noodles,” TumuLab has created a menu which emphasizes seasonal, locally sourced ingredients and collaboration with local companies.

Kitami and Okhotsk are home to an abundance of ingredients and wonderful businesses, but their appeal is still not widely known. Therefore, TumuLab acts as a base for disseminating information that connects regions and people. Our mission is to spread the word about the charm of the local area, its diverse ingredients and local crafts, and we strive to develop collaborative menus which bring out the best of the region’s local ingredients.

Secret development story, part 1: Kitami’s specialty is finally born! Signature product: Kitami onion hiyamugi

The shop’s signature menu item, “Kitami Onion Hiyamugi,” was first created in April 2023.

When renovating TumuLab into a restaurant specializing in fresh hiyamugi, all the staff wanted to create a menu that made use of Kitami’s regional specialties.

When you think of Kitami, the first thing that comes to mind is Kitami onions. Despite the fact that the region boasts the largest shipment of onions in Japan, there are few places in Kitami where fresh onions are served as the main dish.

Therefore, we set out to develop a product using Kitami’s delicious onions to help promote the region’s specialities.

However, onions are challenging ingredient to make the star of the meal, so we cut them into various shapes and experimented with many different cooking methods.

Finally, the cooking method that convinced us that this could be served deliciously was to make crispy tempura. Kitami onions, in particular, become sweeter when cooked, making them a perfect match for fresh hiyamugi.

With the cooking method determined, the last thing we struggled with was how exactly to serve it. It is important for food not only taste delicious, but also to look delicious.

After much trial and error, an impressive menu item called “Onion Ring Tower” was born. To make the onions stand tall, we designed our own tower holder exclusively for this menu item.

See menu details

Secret development story, part 2: Excellent affinity with herbs! The healthy “Yakuzen Hiyamugi”

Yakuzen Hiyamugi was born out of an encounter with Mr. and Mrs. Hinata of Rikubetsu Town’s “Tane Lab”. The Seed Cultivation Research Institute (Tane Lab) cultivates medicinal plants and herbs in Rikubetsu Town, Tokachi.

The herb used in Yakuzen Hiyamugi is touki, or Angelica leaves. This herb is from the parsley family is used in Chinese medicine. Because touki leaves grow slowly, it takes two years before they can be harvested. This herb is therefore extremely valuable in Japan and there are very few farmers who grow it. In addition, since it is not widely available, it is quite rare to have the opportunity to eat the leaves fresh.

Tumulab’s Yakuzenhi Yamugi features touki leaves tempura. We also offer a small bowl of grated daikon radish mixed with chopped touki leaves to give it a fresh and healthy tasty. The dish has been well received as it is very easy to eat and has no peculiar flavors.

Born from an encounter with a local grower, we have created a new way to eat fresh hiyamugi that has never been seen before.
Please give it a try!
*This is a limited time menu from June to July.

Secret development story, part 3: Development of a collaborative menu with a famous local company.

We also offer seasonal collaboration menus with local businesses, such as the “Kitami Onion Curry Hiyamugi”.

Curry Hiyamugi was born from the cooperation of Curry no Chikara, a curry restaurant that originated in Kitami. Curry no Chikara has five locatios in Hokkaido and is famous for its onion curry, which is made by frying Kitami onions for more than 10 hours and then blending them into a fine paste.

This collaborative menu is one that was created and realized after many re-creations.

It was difficult to develop a dish that brought out the best of both the curry and noodles, as the curry did not mix well with the noodles and the original flavor of the noodles was lost in the more powerful flavor of the curry when using it as a dipping sauce.

After much trial and error, however, we finally completed the Kitami Onion Curry Hiyamugi, which became a big hit and is loved by everyone.
*This collaboration menu is a seasonal product.