Uemura Kobe

I visited a restaurant that taught me the joy of enjoying good ingredients prepared simply, about 15 years ago.This time, I couldn't have sweetfish, but I enjoyed dishes like akou (red sea bream) soup, hamo (pike eel) with jelly, incredibly tender salmon roe, fragrant eel, udon from Hinode Seimen, bear meat, and sanma (mackerel pike) rice, among others.It seems that the Michelin guide for Kobe is back after a pause. I heard they contacted the restaurant because members of the imperial family come incognito with a lot of security, so they can't talk about anything inappropriate... ( *´艸｀)Everything was delicious.I’ll avoid the crab season and plan to visit again.It was a great meal.Ryoriya Uemura 1-24-14 Nakayamate-dori, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo, 4F Pencil Building Less

I made an online reservation for 6:00 PM on a weekday.Located about an 8-minute walk from Sannomiya Station on the subway, this restaurant is on the 4th floor of the Pencil Building in Kitano-zaka. It is a highly regarded establishment, recognized as a Tabelog 2026 Bronze and awarded two Michelin stars in Hyogo in 2016.The interior features a calm Japanese design with a total of 11 seats, making it an intimate venue. The owner, Ryosuke Uemura, and his assistant, Mr. Imashiki, managed the kitchen with one additional staff member. *The owner wore a white chef's uniform and a necktie without a hat.This time, I ordered the "Omakase Course" for JPY 48,000.After a warm greeting of "Thank you for joining us until the end," the course began, and here are my evaluations of the dishes: [◎, ◯, △]**Appetizer** ◯ Squid and Welsh onion in a vinegar miso sauce with fried tofu.**Soup** ◎ Served in an ultra-luxurious Wajima lacquer bowl adorned with gold, the clear soup featured thickly sliced, medium-rare Akou-dai fish—delicious! The okra and sansho leaves were excellent accompaniments.**Sashimi** ◎◎ Octopus Freshly sliced from Akashi, served with freshly grated wasabi and yuzu.Conger eel Grilled over binchotan charcoal right in front of me, topped with ume paste and daidacha beans. The rich jelly and charred skin were impressive.Trout A specialty smoked with straw from Kanba in Hyogo! The lightly sweet green onion sauce was a nice touch.**Noodle Dish** ◯ Clay pot rice topped with fresh salmon roe, served just as the rice transforms from grains to fluffy rice.**Grilled Dish** ◎◎ Grilled sea eel from Amakusa in Kumamoto, served with kombu kelp tsukudani and fresh wasabi. The crispy exterior and fluffy interior created a delightful texture, accompanied by wild-textured mozuku seaweed.**Simmered Dish** ◎ Tender steamed abalone with eggplant and young ginger, offering a gentle flavor.**Hot Pot** ◎ Shabu-shabu made with bear meat sourced from a hunter in Fukui. The rich flavor was reminiscent of pork or wild boar, served with burdock, nameko mushrooms, and junsai.**Sanuki Udon** ◯ A soul food from the owner’s hometown of Kagawa, made with a custom blend of flour. Topped with butter soy sauce and black truffle for a high-class twist.**Tea** ◎ Classic hojicha.**Rice** ◎◎ Perfectly cooked sanma rice, with an irresistible aroma!**Red Miso Soup** ◯ With fu and sansho.**Pickles** ◯ A unique dish topped with shirasu and brown rice on napa cabbage.**Dessert** ◎◎◎ Absolutely amazing! Shaved ice topped with the ultimate plum syrup—one of the top three best shaved ice experiences of my life.**Green Tea** ◯ Enjoying the lingering bitterness.**Non-Alcoholic Beer, All-Free** ◎ Served in a delicate glass, as expected from a high-end restaurant.There was no background music. The clientele consisted of food enthusiasts, regulars, and couples. The restaurant was about 40% full, with approximately 30% female patrons.By the way, the Tabelog rating at the time of my visit was 4.35, ranking 2nd among 8,813 restaurants in Kobe.The commitment to exquisite ingredients and tastefully chosen tableware added to the experience.This Michelin-listed establishment truly embodies the philosophy of "providing dishes that bring joy and satisfaction to our customers."It was a great meal! Less

I visit every year during the sweetfish season. This year, they were a bit smaller since it was still June, but they were truly delicious. I heard they’ve changed the grilling method a bit this year (the tails had a smoky flavor).The exquisite and carefully crafted Japanese cuisine at Uemura was very tasty.For the finale, I enjoyed a rice dish along with udon from the chef's hometown of Kagawa, generously topped with truffles.I had a little Japanese sake, and the total came to about JPY 50,000. ^ ^ Less

I visited a building on Kitano-zaka. There was an intercom, and I wasn’t quite sure what to do, but I followed someone who pressed the intercom and entered. Once seated, the experience began. The owner came out and shared some enjoyable stories, making the time fly by. The firefly squid and sesame tofu were both delicious, but it was a shame they were served separately and not together. The crab paste from Hamasaka was outstanding. The tai sashimi was marinated in kombu, enhancing its umami flavor. The soy sauce marinated firefly squid was irresistible. The tomatoes from Awaji Island were simply delicious. The sea urchin with rice was exceptional. The grilled rockfish and a lesser-known fish were quite satisfying. Skipping ahead, the deep-fried young sweetfish was delightful. I tried bear paw, and while it tasted similar to what I had at another restaurant, it was quite rich, which left me a bit disappointed as I wondered if there was only one way to prepare it. It was tasty, nonetheless. The rice with sakura shrimp was the best. It was a great meal. I will definitely come back. Less