A platter of grilled duck with green onions and a plate of tempura at Kokubunji Soba in Ebina, Japan. (Claire Jenq/Stars and Stripes)

Soba might be the best transitional autumn meal.

Days are still warm, and soba noodles dipped into a cooling, zingy broth make a refreshing lunch.

Cooler nights are perfect for a steaming bowl of soba served in a savory soup and topped with thin slices of duck. Kokubunji Soba, a local favorite soba-ya in Ebina, specializes in both.

Roughly a 15-minute drive from both Camp Zama and Naval Air Facility Atsugi, and just slightly past the Ebina Lalaport, is a stylish complex of black buildings, curated greenery and an ample parking lot.

The owner truly seems to understand customer wishes. The outside waiting area is fitted with a fabric canopy and multiple fans to circulate the air. Young bamboo trees line a fence, creating a sense of separation, privacy and shade from the street just outside.

While my group waited, a hostess gave us a menu to browse that was written in the traditional “tategaki” vertical format. She also gave us a typed menu that was easier to scan with a smartphone translation app.

The dishes range in price from 600 yen (about $4) for seiro soba — plain soba noodles served with a cool dashi broth — to 2,000 yen for a soba noodle set that includes a platter of tempura.

We ordered a large salad, a platter of grilled duck with green onions, seiro soba, a tempura platter, duck soba and soymilk pudding.

A bowl of warm soba topped with duck, yuzu and green onions at Kokubunji Soba in Ebina, Japan. (Claire Jenq/Stars and Stripes)

The restaurant’s interior has a homey, traditional Japanese feel. We sat at a cozy booth made of rough-hewn table and benches.

The salad arrived first, dressed with strips of seaweed and topped with a creamy sesame dressing. We were pleased by the addition of fresh, homemade tofu, another specialty of this particular soba-ya.

Next came the grilled duck and green onions, served with au jus, the two noodle dishes and the tempura platter. The duck was flavorful and chewy, while the green onions were grilled to caramelized perfection.

The soba noodles were slightly speckled with buckwheat and snappy in texture. The cool dashi broth was light and savory, while the warm duck noodles had the addition of zingy citrus from grated yuzu zest. The tempura had crispy, flaky layers of fried batter coating tender vegetables.

In keeping with the theme of natural ingredients and the restaurant’s attention to detail, they also served freshly grated wasabi on the side. The fresh root is more mildly flavored than its more common European horseradish and green-dyed counterpart.

Kokubunji Soba, a local favorite in Ebina, Japan, specializes in soba topped with thin slices of duck. (Claire Jenq/Stars and Stripes)

For dessert, the waitress brought out soymilk pudding. The pudding was delicately sweet and soft with a slight firmness. However, the black sugar syrup, or kuromitsu, on top was a bit too tangy for my liking.

After dinner, we went to the sister store next door, Kokubunji Gelateria. This gelateria offers freshly made gelato with classic flavors such as stracciatella and chocolate, but also hosts a revolving list of seasonal flavors, such as kabocha squash or Ebina strawberries.

A small cup costs 500 yen while a large cup with three flavors is 600 yen. If you’re craving a refined, but affordable, meal with a delicious dessert, make sure to check out Kokubunji Soba & Gelateria in Ebina.

Kokubunji Soba & Gelateria

Location: 1-8-35 Kokubuminami, Ebina, Kanagawa, Japan 243-0405

Hours: The restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday; the gelateria is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday

Prices: 600-2,000 yen for soba; 500-600 yen for gelato

Dress: Casual

Directions: A 15-minute drive from both Camp Zama and Naval Air Facility Atsugi.

Information: Phone: 046-231-2261; Online: kokubunji.co.jp