We offer a wide variety of pizza using wheat, water, and pesticide-free vegetables nurtured by the nature of Misato-machi, Kumamoto Prefecture,
The original menu includes pasta, home-roasted coffee, and more,
The ”country life” of living close to nature is expressed as it is.
Stone Oven Pizzeria & Cafe HARVEST
Prologue Cafe renovated from an old private house
The owners, who moved to Misato Town in Kumamoto Prefecture in search of a rural lifestyle, renovated an old private house and opened the café "Ishigama Pizzeria & Cafe HARVEST" in July 2016.
Near this café, there is a sightseeing spot, "Reidai Bridge," a stone bridge designated as a national important cultural asset, and "Forest Adventure," a natural athletic world where families can enjoy wooden attractions and bouldering, etc., which are recommended for a short drive or an autumn outing. Forest Adventure" is a natural athletic world where families can enjoy wooden attractions, boulders, and other activities.
The cafe's main dish is a homemade pizza dough made with 1001 TP3T Kumamoto wheat, natural water from the Misato spring, and natural yeast, combined with organic vegetables and handmade herb sauce, and baked in a handmade stone oven with firewood. The pizza is baked over an open fire for only one to two minutes, which keeps the ingredients fresh and makes the dough more elastic. In addition, the wood smoke lightly smokes the pizza, which makes the umami and aroma stand out even more.
Incidentally, the owner always has a large stock of firewood for the stone kiln, which he splits whenever he finds the time.
The "Heisei 28 Kumamoto Earthquake" that occurred in April 2016 still left a huge mark on Misato Town, but the entire community is making a concerted effort to support reconstruction efforts and infrastructure development.
Harvest also has "Ganbarou Kyushu" at the entrance of its store, and is involved in activities such as events that combine food, goods, and music based on the café to attract customers to Misato-machi and increase its name recognition.
We interviewed the owner about his thoughts and activities, as well as his recommended menu, so please take a look!
Just a quick stop before Harvest.
After entering Misato Town, Kumamoto Prefecture, and driving for about 10 minutes, you will see a magnificent stone bridge in front of you.
The stone "Reidai Bridge," designated as a National Important Cultural Property, was built in the Edo period (1603-1867) and is the largest single stone arch bridge in Japan.
It has stood for more than 160 years since the bridge was built, and its dignified appearance, which has stood still and watched over the history of drastic changes, is a sight to behold.
The bridge was actually used as a transportation network until 1966, and you can still stand on the bridge today and feel its weight.
Store Appearance
The owners, Mr. and Mrs. Nasu, who moved to Misato Town, opened the restaurant in July 2014 after renovating and gradually improving an old private house with their own hands along with their friends.
The terrace was completed in July this year, over two years after the earthquake that hit Kumamoto in April 2016. The store was severely affected by the earthquake, but they were able to get the store up and running immediately after the disaster, saying, "Let's keep our feet on the ground and do our best.
The firewood used for the stone kiln is chopped and prepared by the owner without running out! The woodshed, which is as big as the store itself, is filled to the brim and looks like a dignified objet d'art.
A view of the store entrance. The haphazardly painted glass is somehow stylish♪
Store Interior
The restaurant has tatami rooms, table seating, and counter seating, and is surrounded by the gentle warmth of wood.
The shop displays sundries and paintings that are imbued with the energy of nature, as if expressing the way of life of the owner and his wife, who live in harmony with nature. Of course, the background music in the store is also selected to evoke a sense of nature, allowing customers to relax and enjoy the space.
In one corner of the store, miscellaneous goods and accessories created by artists of his acquaintance are also sold.
The owner is also involved in music activities in addition to his store, and the background music in the store is often the work of artists known to the owner. On the shelves behind the counter are not only records collected through his music activities, but also some core equipment, so if you like it, you will enjoy just looking at it.â
This is a view of the counter. In the back is the owner's work space, where you can watch the pizza being made. Incidentally, the huge open rack in front of you is also handmade!
And a handmade stone oven. Pizzas are actually cooked over a wood fire. Also, Harvest's original "stone kiln roasted coffee" is made by purchasing green beans and roasting them in this stone kiln!
He says that he arrived at the right amount of heat and baking time after repeated trial and error. He says he still gets nervous the moment he puts the ingredients into the stone kiln, because the slightest deviation can change the finished product.
It takes only a few minutes to put it in the stone oven. The savory smell of baked dough and the aroma of herbs and cheese waft through the restaurant.
Recommended Menu Pizza
Ortonara Lunch Set (1,300 yen included)
Lunch time (11:30-15:00) from pizza set (1,300 yen for an individual item)
(Pizza, salad and soup set of your choice + drink for 200 yen)
This gorgeous pizza has a tomato sauce base and is topped with mozzarella cheese, seasonal vegetables, olives, and Parmigiano cheese! At lunch time, the set includes a salad and soup, which increases the volume considerably, and best of all, it is a great value!
Plenty of organic vegetables from local fields are used. The homemade pizza dough is fermented slowly over time with natural yeast, making it stretchy, firm, and chewy. Just like the baking conditions in the stone oven, it took many, many trials and errors to reach this dough, which he says he was at a loss to perfect.
The moment the dish is brought in front of you, the aroma of the dough smoked by the wood smoke rises up, increasing your appetite even more. The rich milk flavor of the melted mozzarella cheese and the tart tomato sauce are a perfect match. Seasonal vegetables refresh the palate, leaving you with no lingering sensation after the meal.
Homemade Genovese & Nuts Lunch Set 1,300 yen
Lunch time (11:30-15:00) from pizza set (1,200 yen for a la carte)
(Pizza, salad and soup set of your choice + drink for 200 yen)
Luxurious pizza with homemade Genovese sauce made with plenty of local pesticide-free basil and mozzarella cheese, topped with coarsely crushed nuts and Parmigiano cheese.
The rich flavor of the aromatic genovese sauce and cheese is accented by the crispy texture of the nuts. The chewy dough wraps all the flavors together and brings them all together, giving you a satisfying feeling when you swallow.
As the owner says, "The aroma of wood smoke on the pizza in the stone oven is one of the tastes," I was impressed to find that the flavor of the ingredients was completely different from that of oven-baked pizza.
Tomato and Eggplant Italiana Lunch Set 1,000 yen
Lunch time (11:30 - 15:00) from pasta set (individual dish: 850 yen)
(Pasta, salad, soup, and drink set of your choice + bread set for 200 yen)
This pasta has become one of the most popular items on our menu, thanks to the skills of a chef who originally worked as a chef at a restaurant in Kumamoto City. Authentic Italiana with the richness of fine olive oil and the aroma of garlic.
Stone Kiln Roasted Coffee Iced 450 yen (summer only)
This original coffee is made by roasting green coffee beans in a stone kiln. It is refreshing and has a unique flavor with a wood-roasted aroma along with a deep aroma peculiar to coffee that passes through the nose after passing down the throat.
By the way, the image behind the coffee is a grissini under prototype. It has a rich aroma of flour, and I could eat as many as I want! They may appear on the menu soon☆.
On the rack in front of the counter are coffee beans before they are roasted in the stone kiln, and they are also available for takeout if ordered!
Interview with Yuya Nasu, Owner
This café is a place where we can express ourselves living close to nature itself. We hope you will feel the free atmosphere of country life at our restaurant, which is handmade with ingredients and cuisine that make the most of the goodness of nature as it is, without twisting it, such as water from the mountains and vegetables from the fields.
Q: When did you open?
It's July 2014. It's been exactly two years."
Q: Why did you decide to start living in the countryside?
When I was in my 20s, I was working at a restaurant in Kumamoto City, playing music at night, and just living a hectic life. Of course, I had no doubts about living surrounded by artifacts. But I guess I was feeling stress somewhere. ...... Somewhere along the line, I started thinking negatively and started going out less and less. ...... Then I suddenly began to question my current situation, and I left my living space at that time and went to Australia, a country with abundant nature. While living in nature and traveling as a backpacker, I gradually began to understand what "self" and "life" really meant in my own way.
Q: How do you feel about moving here?
When we found this house and moved here, it was a nondescript building with nothing but walls. When my friends heard that we were going to start living in the country, they were against it. ...... But once we started building the house, why not? Before I knew it, my friends who had opposed the project got together and started helping me. And to celebrate the opening, we held an event here with our friends who are active in music. And right after the Kumamoto earthquake, we organized a 4-day camping event, and people came from as far away as Tokyo and Hokkaido. Many things happened before I arrived here, but in the end, I am glad that I moved here so that I could create a place where everyone could gather at their leisure.
Q: Why did you choose pizza as your main dish?
I used to be a chef, so I had a vague idea about the menu for the café, but before that, when I thought about what would be the key to developing the café in this non-urban location, I thought of a stone oven made of natural materials. We decided to complete the stone oven first, and then we asked ourselves what would be the best menu item that would make the most of Misato's ingredients, and we settled on pizza.
Q: It seems difficult to bake in a stone oven. ......
That was a real pain. I was sometimes at a loss in front of the ingredients because I had to fine-tune various aspects such as the amount of water, fermentation of the dough, thickness of the dough, and the heat level of the stone oven. ...... To be honest, I was disappointed with the first pizza I made. But the process of trial and error is what makes it interesting. Because living in the countryside is about creating something out of nothing. Whether it is a storefront, a stone kiln, or home-grown vegetables, making things is how we live, and I think people can get a sense of that kind of lifestyle.
Q: What are your future goals?
We are now mainly serving pizza, but we would like to expand our café menu to include hamburgers cooked in a stone oven and enzyme juices unique to the countryside, so that it can function more like a restaurant. Since the restaurant is located in the midst of Misato's natural beauty, we would like people to enjoy food made with natural ingredients that make their bodies happy and feel the charm of the countryside. I hope to bring something different to the area that has never existed before.
▲The owner's family came at the end of the interview.
Thank you for your time!
Access
Address: 259-3, Miwa, Misato-machi, Shimomashiki-gun, Kumamoto Prefecture
Phone: 080-1742-1120
Business hours: 11:30 - 21:00 (Lunch - 15:00)
Closed: Wednesday
Parking: Yes
After about 5 minutes by car from the ▲Reidai Bridge, you will see a road sign like the one above and the "PIZZA" sign on the left side of the road. The store is located in an easy-to-understand location along the national highway.
MAP
Miwa, Misato-machi, Shimomashiki-gun, Kumamoto 861-4732, Japan
Interview and editorial staff
Model, Report, Editing: Nozomi Nakamoto
Photography and production: VOKE Ltd.