“Restaurant UOZEN” is a 2-star modern French restaurant with an authentic Japanese look, located in a rural area a little far from the urban area of Sanjo City, Niigata Prefecture. The outside signboard with “Uozen” in kanji was the name of the Japanese restaurant which was run by the parents of the owner-chef Kazuhiro Inoue’s wife Mariko Inoue, who is also a sommelier. They took over the building and opened “Restaurant UOZEN” in November 2013.
After training at several restaurants in Tokyo and learning about Pacific Rim cuisine and French cuisine, owner-chef Kazuhiro opened “HOKU” (closed) in Ikejiri Ohashi, Tokyo in 2005. After graduating from a culinary school, Sommeliere Ms. Mariko has accumulated experience in Daikanyama’s “Les Comptoirs de la Tour d'Argent” (closed) and “HOKU”. At the peak popularity of “Hoku”, which filled up every night, they opened “Restaurant UOZEN” in Niigata, because they "want to cook in a place with nature".
Based on the concept of "Chasse in the mountains (hunting), Pêche in the sea (fishing), and Nature (nature)", the cuisine makes use of the uniqueness of Niigata. Most of the ingredients carefully-selected for food safety and sustainability are natural. Owner-chef Kazuhiro himself goes hunting in the mountains, fishing in the sea and grows vegetables in the fields. Salt and mushrooms are purchased from reliable local producers. For the specialty, "Sado Botan Shrimp Bouillabaisse" is made of high quality botan shrimp topped with consommé and sprinkled with herbs. It has a superb flavor and taste. During the hunting season, you can also enjoy wild game dishes made with mountain animals. The wines are mainly French, Italian and Japanese, and there are also natural wines such as Gran vin. The wine connoisseur will be amazed by the glass cellar with 3,000 bottles of wine.
Relaxed seating of 10 tables is available in the modern Northern European style restaurant. The dinnerware and cutlery are mainly from Niigata. The restaurant uses things made by artists and craftsmen whom they adore, including those from "Tsubame Sanjo", which is known as the street of craftsmanship. It is a perfect place for traveling and gathering with family and friends, as well as entertaining guests and with overseas guests. We hope you will enjoy the local taste of Niigata together with the culture of "Tsubame Sanjo".
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* The availability of this webpage does not guarantee that the restaurant presented provides services in English, unless otherwise stated. Please be aware that English services may also depend on staff availability at the restaurant.
Access
20 minutes by taxi from Tsubame-Sanjo Station (JR Yahiko Line)
We often use wild game in our dishes, so please refrain from eating if you are not a fan of wild game.
