Chikeiken is a “farmers’ restaurant” whose home is an old farmhouse in a "fruits village", so called because of the many fruit plantations nearby.
The people who run the place are the Chonan's. They are farmers, like everybody else in the village, and what is served at Chikeiken has all been produced on their fields.
The lady of the house is in charge of the restaurant but she is also the master of a hidden chamber where she hand-crafts some stunning artwork.
At Chikeiken they serve only local vegetables, including some vegetables that are unique to the Shonai area. Shonai is a fertile plain in Yamagata Prefecture that stretches out between the Sea of Japan and the slopes of the Dewa Sanzan mountains.
I went to Chikeiken for lunch on a cold winter day in February. The welcoming atmosphere of the restaurant and the carefully arranged delicious dishes warmed the body and the heart.
For a starter we were served konnyaju (konjac) jelly, imo mochi (dumpling made of potato) and ginan (ginkgo nut) and asatsuki (chives) leaves in miso (soybean) dressing.
This was followed by kabu (turnip) and pork meat in a ginger sauce.
We also grilled some rice balls wrapped in leaves on charcoal fire. These rice balls were very tasty and the heat from the charcoals provided some additional warmth in the room.
The main course consisted of onigiri (rice ball), goma (sesame) tofu, yama gobo (mountain burdock), miso soup and shimi tofu, a kind of tofu served by the Kamisa Noh troupe in Kurokawa Village. This type of tofu is fried, then freeze-dried and finally boiled again.
For dessert we had a delicious sweet piece of hoshi kaki (sun-dried kaki).
Mrs. Chonan comes out and chats with her guests before inviting some of them to a room behind the restaurant. If you are one of the lucky chosen ones, then you will soon find out that Mrs. Chonan is not only an experienced farmer and a skilled restaurant owner but that she is also a very talented weaver.
Being a multi-talent, Mrs. Chonan also runs farm stays at Chikeiken. An overnight stay on the farm costs yen 6,000 per person without meals or yen 8,000 to 9,000 with meals.
If you are out and about in the Tsuruoka area and you want to experience a farmers' restaurant and potentially view some hatori artwork, then Chikeiken is my recommendation for you!
Practical information:
- Phone: ++81-0235-57-2130
- A little English is spoken.
- A reservation is necessary. If you don't have reserved beforehand, then you can only order a rice ball set.
- Lunch: 11:00 am-2:00 pm
- Dinner: 5:00 pm-9:00 pm
