Ohya's Zou-no-ie Restaurant

The restaurant is housed in a lovely building made of Ohya-ishi, the famous stone mined in this town

Every time I have visited Zou-no-ie, my meal has been accompanied by lovely carved vegetables

A tasty main dish of rolled cabbage, vegetables, and rice in a delicious curry sauce

The interior shows the beauty of Ohya-ishi and is decorated with lovely Southeast Asian art and artifacts

Zou-no-ie translates into the 'Elephant's House'.  Take a close look at the decorations around the restaurant, they are really charming!

On one occasion, our dessert was this uniquely textured ice cream (yummy!) and an even more impressive pumpkin pudding

Mr. Saito, his wife, and the others who work at Zou-no-ie are wonderful hosts!  English is spoken and special requests can be accommodated if you contact them in advance

I highly recommend that you have the set menu.  On one of my visits, for two or more people, the cost was 1550 per person and included a spring roll, soup, choice of side dish, curry, rice, the dessert of the day, and hot tea

The Tom Yum Kung soup. Although some of the dishes have a little 'kick' to them, they are milder than you would find in Thailand, for example. However, the flavors really stand out. And, if you want something really spicy, just ask the chef!