Kuwaya

Artistic appearance, local feel welcoming restaurant and shop

Kuwaya has featured on a couple of programmes on TV and is often in travel magazines, but its presence online is severely lacking. Even the big gourmet ranking sites have minimal information about this quaint casual eatery and shop in the tourist area of Minakami. And maybe they want it this way as the restaurant's website is a casual and friendly blog with little information about what they sell and more information about their events. It seems that the restaurant hosts some music events, although I have yet to attend one myself. We came across this aesthetically pleasing shop on a walk in the area and stopped for some ice-cream. We were lucky to get one of the tables outside due to good timing, because the restaurant had a steady flow of customers and all the other tables were taken. One of their dishes that was featured on TV is their Ishiyaki Curry. Ishiyaki is hot stone cooking, a type of specialized stone used for cooking on a burner. As it uses no or less oil it is seen as a healthier alternative to frying. Their menu in general seems quite healthy. One of their specialty ingredients is konyaku, or Devil's Tongue as it is known in English. The ice-cream is delicious. The restaurant is open 11 am to 7 pm on weekdays and until 6 pm on weekends. They don't have a fixed day of the week they take off, but I believe it does close sometimes, so please check the blog before you visit. They don't take reservations.