I was truly impressed! Even someone as easily bored as I am wants to come back to this place. Since they use seasonal ingredients that change daily, I look forward to discovering new flavors each time.This is a private house restaurant that only allows entry at exactly 6 PM. It was renovated from the wife’s family’s Japanese restaurant, and her husband, the chef, runs it. There’s a stone oven, and only Chef Inoue and two assistants work in the spacious kitchen. The service is handled by the wife, so it makes sense that they can only manage with a simultaneous start. There were only three groups of customers, including us. The others were all speaking English and Chinese, giving off an intellectual vibe—perhaps they were from Taiwan? I wonder how they find such a niche restaurant.The interior is spacious. With bear and weasel furs hanging, it gives off a gamey feel while leading into a stylish and elegant living room. Outside the window, beautiful rice paddies just watered stretch out.First, we enjoyed appetizers on the sofa. It felt like an aperitif, savoring the evening in Niigata as it darkened. Surprisingly, the ambiance suited chanson music perfectly. The wine list was quite extensive, and they even had homemade limoncello.The first amuse-bouche was wild boar rillettes. The crust was incredibly thin, the boar meat rich in flavor, topped with beautiful green celery powder and pickled pink dogtooth violets. It was the best! I devoured it quickly, but the taste was unforgettable.We enjoyed various hand-held dishes like homemade salami made from bear and boar, and American-style duck hot dogs, before moving to the counter for the main course.We savored various wild vegetables, meats, and fish foraged by the chef, along with morels, prepared in different cooking styles with delicate sauces. Each dish was meticulously crafted, leaving me in awe! The only dish I didn’t enjoy was the ice cream made with bear fat, but that’s just because I’m sensitive to oils; it had a robust gamey flavor typical of wild cuisine.After the meal, we relaxed on the sofa with coffee and tea. The restaurant felt like home, and as night fell, it became completely dark outside. The chorus of frogs could be heard. It took us three hours to eat, so I was truly satisfied. I experienced a blissful time.On the way back, I had them call a taxi to Tsubame-Sanjo Station, catching the last Shinkansen (the dinner course definitely only allows for this timing) back to Tokyo. It was truly a magical moment. It’s far and pricey, but absolutely worth visiting this renowned establishment.
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