As soon as we sat down, they brought out matcha and a sweet rice-cake-like treat called warabimochi. I guess it’s meant for us to enjoy before the food arrives.
Matcha
Judging from the so-so aroma, I don’t think they used particularly good matcha powder.
Warabimochi
We ordered the Ayame course for 3,150 yen. We’d heard it was the cheapest and the best value for money. At other kaiseki places this kind of price only gets you a bento box, but here it comes as a full course, so even though it’s over 3,000 yen it didn’t feel expensive.
The dishes come out one at a time.
A vegetable dish, but I forgot its name.
It has yuzu in it, so it’s tangy, and it does a great job as a starter. But the seasoning is strong for temple food. That’s not a bad thing, though; if anything it made it easier to eat, which I liked..
Plum wine served as an aperitif
Hmm.. this one was a bit iffy..
Fried nibbles
This is for three people. It tastes good, and it’s fried beautifully too. It pleased the eyes and the palate at the same time. The seasoning was strong again, as expected.
Assorted plate
They don’t use expensive ingredients, but every piece is made deliciously. The clear jelly-like thing on the right seemed to have alcohol in it.
Chopsticks
They were folded in an unusual way, so I took a picture.
Sesame tofu
Rich and well made. You can pick it up easily with chopsticks.
Simmered dish
Being Kyoto, there’s yuba (tofu skin) in it too. In every dish you can feel the understated character of Kyoto cuisine.
Tempura
As you’d expect from a course meal, lots of different dishes come out. The ingredients aren’t expensive, but I’m satisfied.
To finish, rice with mushrooms and pickled vegetables
The friend I went with said he could eat just the rice and pickles and be happy.
Extra rice
The extra rice is plain white rice.
Suimono (clear soup)
The fragrance of yuzu comes through. It lacks flash, but it keeps up a quiet sense of delight right to the end. Unfortunately, maybe because it’s the cheapest course, there’s no dessert, and this is where the meal ends.
They weren’t clearing away the empty bowls, which seemed odd, so I asked, and they said all the bowls nest into one another like Russian dolls. So I gave it a try.
Whoa.. what a neat trick.. I’m impressed they even set up a bit of fun like this for after the meal.
After we finished eating..
It was a satisfying meal. I can’t remember the last time I had such a proper meal at a tourist spot.. It makes me want to visit Kyoto again.
For reference, this restaurant has five locations in Kyoto and one branch in Tokyo too. It’s a chain, but with this level of taste and atmosphere, I think I could recommend it to anyone.