On a Monday back in May, I found myself with a day off and nothing to do. I ultimately decided that I wanted to travel up north, soak in a hot spring, and try a new restaurant. With that in mind, I got in my car, drove an hour on the Joban expressway, and found myself in Hitachi city.
Yura no Sato
I know this is a food blog, but please indulge me for a bit. Yura no Sato is a chain hot spring place that has a few locations around Ibaraki. There is even one in my town of Tsuchiura. Even though that one is closer and more convenient, my favorite Yura no Sato is in Hitachi city, in the Kawarago beach area.
From the entrance, it looks like any other Yura no Sato, but once you get into the outside bath area, that is where the magic is.
The View
Of course, I wasn't able to take a picture of the outside bath area. This is the outside eating area but the view is a bit similar. When you walk into the outside bathing area, there is a big open bath with a complete view of the ocean. Soaking in that bath and hearing the waves crash on the beach melted all my worries away. I highly recommend giving this place a chance whenever you are able to visit. It does get pretty crowded on the weekends though, but you won't regret the bath and the breath taking view.
Once I was done relaxing and taking in that glorious ocean view, it was time to look for a place to eat.
Groovy Pasta
Driving around looking for a place to eat in Hitachi city on a Monday, is a bit of a problem. A lot of places were closed. It seems that Monday is a holiday for a lot of cafes and restaurants in Hitachi. After seeing another closed place while driving, I was ready to give up until I saw a sign that said "Groovy." I immediately did a U-turn and parked at Groovy Pasta.
Groovy Pasta is in the Taijiri area of Hitachi. There seems to be quite a few Groovy Pastas all around Ibaraki so take your pick. I know the Groovy Pasta in Tsukuba is pretty close to Tsukuba AEON mall. So my Tsukuba people, you can go check it out.
Inside
I walked inside Groovy and noticed it was a pretty spacious restaurant. It had a vibe of being a family restaurant like Coco's. Everything seemed to be made of wood and it looked like an old building. I was taken to a table and given an electronic menu to order from.
The Menu
Ordering is all done on this machine. Unfortunately, I did not find or see an English option. If you come to Groovy, make sure you can read some Japanese or have a friend that can. The menu can be a bit difficult to navigate.
Groovy is famous for its seafood pasta so that is what I ordered.
Seafood Pasta
After waiting a while, the seafood pasta came to my table and it was piping hot. I got a fork full of pasta and gave it a try. After the burning sensation in my tongue subsided, I decided to give it a minute to cool down. Second try, still really hot. The third try was the charm. This pasta was extremely creamy. It had white Alfredo sauce (I believe) and tomato sauce all mixed together in a creamy dish of excellence. The seafood was great as well. Shrimp, scallops, and clams swirled around the spaghetti for a delicious time. It was a huge dish that filled me up and put a smile on my face.
Espresso
After my big meal, I ordered an espresso to wake me up a bit. I wasn't expecting much. Maybe just something that was passable as coffee. To my surprise, Groovy's espresso was pretty damn good. It didn't need any extra sugar or cream, and it picked me up just like an espresso should. It was a nice coffee to have at the end of a big meal.
I enjoyed my meal at Groovy and would like to go back. That being said, I have to say that Groovy is understaffed. I waited for quite a while for my food and espresso. I think I only saw three people working there and those poor three staff members kept running up and down the restaurant with everyone's orders. This was a Monday for lunch by the way. I can only imagine the chaos they deal with on a Sunday. I hope they get some more staff soon.
So if you are in Hitachi city and are craving some good pasta, why not give Groovy a try. Don't forget to check out Yura no Sato at Kawarago beach, before or after your meal. Who knows, you might see me at either place, enjoying the view at the hot spring or enjoying some seafood pasta.
Enjoy!
For more information on Yura no Sato, check out their website;
For more information on Groovy Pasta, check out their website:
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