宇治抹茶
Kyoto is the home of the famous Uji Matcha (宇治抹茶). I asked my hotel what is their recommendation to eat Matcha desserts and they told me to try Fukujuen 福寿園 main branch in Shijo Karasuma 四条 烏丸. I had a Matcha Parfait with topped with a delicate waffle, Uji Matcha Ice cream, with an assortment of lovely fillings like fruits, Matcha cream, some unidentifiable stuff and Matcha and Houjicha jelly. I pretty much destroyed the thing, and considered having seconds.
こってりレーメン
A friend told me if I were Japanese, he would recommended me to eat at Tenkai Ippin Ramen (天下一品ラーメン). When I asked him post-trip why, he said it is a ramen for マニアック (enthusiasts). I am glad I did not heed his advice and ate Kotteri Ramen こってりラーメン with Gyoza 餃子. The Kotteri ramen is an insanely thick broth made from chicken collagen and the flavour was so intense and rich compared to a Tonkotsu broth. I have eaten at Tenkai Ippin in Tokyo, but this store tucked in the backstreets of Shijo 四条 was more delicious. I enjoyed kitschy, hole-in-the-wall vibe and the surprise message when you are about halfway done with the bowl.
喫茶店
The main city of Kyoto is home to many old-style cafes. I stumbled into one near my hotel. Enjoyed the totally random cup design a lot.
おやつ
Some snackage I had in Kyoto. After the trek from Mt. Inari, I sat on a shop to have my first Uji Matcha in tea form. Frothy and not sweet, the lady who runs the shop told me it is usually paired with desserts or sweet things, I said it was my first time to drink it and apologised profusely for not knowing, but she told me a lot of people also drink it on its own. I passed by some food stalls and saw a shop selling strawberry Matcha Daifuku 苺抹茶だいふくso I ate one while looking at the shrine grounds. While at the Philosopher’s Path, I happened to chance a shop selling Hanami Dango 花見団子, and was able to do the quintessential eating a dango while watching sakura tradition. And that didn’t stop me from having a coffee with a matcha egg tart afterwards. The shop owner was funny and told me the price of the Hanami Dango was 100,000 yen. I jokingly backed away and said, あ、いや、けっこうです。(Oh, nevermind, thanks anyway!). After strolling the grounds of Nijo Castle, I settled at the cafe inside the castle grounds to have Matcha chiffon cake with whipped cream and adzuki beans and a coffee. I am not fond of sweets but am very fond of Matcha. 当たり前じゃん (duh)。I was told the egg sandwiches were good as well, but made a mistake and got ham and egg sandwiches, which is made differently. Ah, but the cafe interior made up for it.
鰊蕎麦
My former teammate said that if I like soba (and I do) I should try the Kyoto style Nishin Soba 鰊蕎麦. A delicate broth made with dried herring topped with a grilled Herring. Passed by a shop selling it but the portion was huge and I kindly asked them if they can make a smaller bowl with less noodles (I don’t care if the price is the same, I hate wasting food). They seem curious about the request but pretty much okay with it. I am not too fond of fish, but the flavour was smokey and wonderful and not fishy at all.
PCAAAN?バー
It is slowly becoming a tradition when I travel solo around Japan is to find a bar that I like and I just go there for the whole duration of the trip. I did the same thing when I was in Beppu, Kyushu. One reason is they remember me fairly quickly, and the next is I can practice my Japanese with the bartenders. This time, I found a random bar after eating ramen and walked in. The first floor was a Kushiage 串揚げ shop and they told me if I’m not eating deep-fried things on a stick I should head up to the second floor. Here I met Ikko-san (Dear Lord, I’m so bad with names, I hope that was his name!) , and he became my pseudo-language partner since I was the only customer. The most interesting point is probably that they pair their drinks with tinned food. I was absolutely tickled by this concept. He let me try a Sake* from Mie called 作(Zaku) 穂の智(Ho no Tomo) on the first night. He placed it on the wooden drinking box for Sake. It was fruity and very easy to drink (I am not an expert of Sake but it was pleasing to my tastebuds . On the second night, I tried a Kyoto Sake called 月の桂(Tsukino Katsura) 純米(Junmai : A sake made without alcohol or sugar). It was also easy to drink. Since I always have dinner before coming here I never had a chance to try the tinned food. But it was really cute. He taught me a few words in 関西弁 Kansai-ben, the dialect of Kansai people and helped me translate the Pisuke and Usagi Line Stamps that are in Kansai-ben. I enjoyed my short time there. I saw a lot of random scribbles on the wall and asked if I could write something, he said yes and gave me a marker. You can easily find what I wrote.
*Sake is the English translation of 日本酒(nihonshuu) and 酒 (sake) is the Japanese word for alcohol. I am sure most bartenders who speak a little English knows what you mean by Sake, but maybe some will just look at you with confusion. So if you want to order sake in Japan, do say nihonshuu).
懐石
One of my main itineraries was to eat Kaiseki 懐石 in Kyoto, and I just googled to find a random place that was available on Saturday . It was a rainy evening and I had a hard time squinting around the little signboards looking for the place. I finally found the restaurant’s nondescript sign ごだん宮ざわ. It is a small shop that sits 7 or 8 people in front of the chefs (and a private area for a group somewhere) as they prepared one gastronomic course after the other. This was where my Japanese was sorely tested. When it comes to haute cuisine, even the English produce names, cooking methods and the background of the dish are hard to remember. So when the chefs explained the dishes to me in Japanese, I was struggling, feeling the frustration of not knowing the language well enough. The sous chef did help by explaining it to me in English, however, the story behind the food was lost (in translation). Anyway, I went there to savour the flavours of springtime (they prepare dishes based on what’s fresh on a particular season), and not to be the next Jonathan Gold, so I just relaxed and enjoyed the experience. I was (pardon my French) fucking blown away. The level of meticulous detail in each dish, the flow of flavours from the subtle to the sublime and back to the subtle, and even the ceramics and plating were carefully chosen. I got to chose my own cup for the aperitif and I was absolutely enamoured how they beautifully lined up everything for preparation and plating (see photo of Matcha preparation and the trays across from it). My favourite dish was the grilled sesame tofu with the house made egg miso (The miso was so outrageously good, I wanted to ask if I can bring some home with me) and for the last 御食事 (Goshokuji) of rice, they serve the rice first undercooked, with a variety of Japanese pickles and some variant of Furikake (?) and each time you ordered seconds (おかわり), the rice gets more cooked that lets you taste the different sweetness of the rice. I only did a second helping. I was stuffed. I was happy. For 12,000 yen, it was worth it. I talked to the sous chef most of the time, and I ask very politely if they are able to write down for me the menu for that evening, and he asked if I wanted it in English or Japanese, I asked for the Japanese version and in a few minutes, I was presented with the menu, written on a cloth-like texture that matches the look and feel of the restaurant (last photo). Again, I was just beyond words.
When I said my thanks and goodbyes, the sous chef walked with me to the door, I said to him it was my first time to eat Kaiseki like this and it is an absolutely unforgettable experience. He was beyond pleased. I asked how often does the menu change and he said, it changes everyday, especially if their regulars drop by (there were indeed regulars at that place, who were already making reservations for their next meal the following month). I told him I would definitely come back the next time I was in Kyoto and he said 是非 (zehi, a Japanese word that I would translate to By all means, please come back in this context). Post-dinner, I will know that this restaurant has a Michelin star.
てんぷら
I couldn’t leave without trying Tempura from the little shop that caught my eye near my hotel. I had grilled scallops and a Tempura Moriawase 盛り合わせ (a variety of tempura). A wonderful close to my trip.
絶対にまた京都に行く。
I will most definitely return to Kyoto.
Hello, I am D. 