Wallingford gastropub's got Seattle's sweetest soba

People from Seattle only go to Tukwila when... um... well, okay, they don't ever go to Tukwila, which means they've been missing out on A) KUBE 93's annual haunted house, and B) the apparently pretty sweet Miyabi Sushi. So, to remedy that, the owners decided to hook up with a Chez Shea vet and soba noodle master on a sushi-less version in Wallingford

Up front, the elegant dining room has so many tiles you could get, like, a dozen games of mahjong going... provided they weren't all stuck to the wall/ceiling

The eight tables seat about 24, which means an average equal to the number of people you usually eat for

Taking down that much grub requires the industrious use of chopsticks that you can rest on one of M45's collection of colorful stones made just for that purpose

During dinner you can post-up Eddy Curry style... no, not in an actual game, but in a high-backed chair that'll support your distended frame

Or, if that's not your style, hit the bar overlooked figuratively by a famous samurai, and literally by a Bisato vet.

He's making craft 'tails like a Yamazaki whiskey/satsuma shrub combo named for the Satcho alliance, which had the power to overthrow a shogun, so it will presumably work on your sobriety

All the drinks are meant to be paired with their range of mostly small plates and amusingly flavored amuse-bouche like their peanut butter tofu bite

Of course the real reason you're there is for the hand-milled soba made with Washington buckwheat, and available in more than 15 varieties like this cold version served with beef cheek, but not tongue and cheek, since that's reserved for people who say they quite enjoy going to Tukwila.