Hozumitei

At Hozumitei, Uwajima taimeshi arrives almost as a small table ritual: mix egg with a soy-and-dashi sauce, add raw sea bream, then pour the mixture over hot rice. It is not the cooked-fish rice dish found elsewhere in Ehime. The recipe reflects the Uwa coast, where fish is part of everyday cooking and the accompaniments help explain the local tradition.

There is more to the menu than taimeshi. It also features satsuma-meshi, fukumen—a celebratory dish of konnyaku topped with colourful ingredients—jakoten fish cakes and local fish preparations. The restaurant has counter seats, tables and private rooms; its official listing mentions a live-fish tank supplied with Uwa Sea fish and large rooms for groups. Diners praise the freshness, the sauce and staff who explain how to mix the dish; other comments find the setting formal and note that the menu can tempt guests to add several dishes.

The restaurant is at 2-3-8 Shinmachi, about a ten-minute walk from JR Uwajima. Lunch is served from 11:00 am to 1:20 pm and dinner from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm. It closes on Sundays and the final day of long holiday periods. The official listing shows 183 seats, private rooms and group options, so calling ahead makes sense if you want tatami seating, are travelling with children or arrive at a busy time. The restaurant publishes an online menu and accepts major credit cards.

For a first taste, order the taimeshi set and follow the staff’s instructions before adding the egg-and-dashi sauce to the rice. Jakoten or satsuma can broaden the comparison, but the meal does not need to become a parade of dishes. Hozumitei works as lunch after Uwajima Castle or dinner near the station; account for the Sunday closure and confirm last orders, which may be earlier than the room’s closing time.