With cherry blossom season here, I went to Kyoto again this year. Compared with the early days, when I’d just get in the car and drive there with no plan at all, my travel skills have come a long way. This year I booked the Shinkansen in advance and decided to focus on restaurants and sights I hadn’t been to yet – though by now I’ve pretty much done all the famous ones. And given the season, the Philosopher’s Path was a must.
We got to Kyoto Station on the Shinkansen at around 11. It was an awkward time to head straight out sightseeing, and it was raining too, so we wandered around the restaurant floors of the Isetan department store attached to the station.
The entrance to the ramen theme park on the 10th floor, Kyoto Ramen Koji
Who knew Kyoto had one of these! Japanese ramen theme parks are mostly filled with very famous, proven shops. So the flavor is pretty much guaranteed, and as long as it isn’t wildly off from your own taste, it’s a far better choice than your average half-baked ramen specialist.
Inside
Nice and neat. It was fun enough that Isetan, a fairly upscale department store, opened a ramen theme park at all, but it’s impressive how clean the atmosphere is, in keeping with the store’s standing. Japan’s advanced ramen culture really is amazing.
Descriptions of the ramen shops here…
They’ve gathered from all over the country. Nearly every shop had a long line.
Kakiokaya, an Onomichi ramen specialist
I ate lunch elsewhere that day, but the next day, right before catching the Shinkansen home, I had a bowl of ramen here.
This one right here…
The flavor is classic Onomichi ramen. A rich soy-and-seafood broth loaded with pork back fat, thin noodles like the ones you’d find in tonkotsu ramen, topped with a reasonable amount of chashu and menma – there’s no way that could taste bad. The one drawback is that, since this ramen uses fat too, it gets heavier and greasier the more you eat…
Mimiu
A place famous for udon-suki. Even among the department store’s restaurants at lunchtime, it had one of the longest lines, so it must be popular. They seem to be opening branches all over lately, but I don’t really know how good it is.
Fujino, a tofu restaurant
They have a branch in Tokyo too. I haven’t been yet, but I hear it’s good. This place is also pretty
Tsukiji Sushisei
I’ve been to the main branch too, but apart from being decent value for money… it’s a middle-of-the-road place with nothing special about it. There’s no reason to go to Sushisei when I’ve come all the way to Kyoto, so I passed on this one too…
Today’s destination: Moritaya.
An old-established shop specializing in sukiyaki – something like Imahan in Tokyo. It has history and it’s popular thanks to its great location, so we decided to give it a try.
Kyoto Tower seen from the window
Well… I’ll give them the view. It was overcast that day, but I think eating here while looking out over Kyoto’s night lights on a clear evening would be nice.
The basic setting…
Well… nothing much…
The gyunabe set meal I ordered today, about 2,000 yen I think…
Department store restaurant floor or not, this is pretty meager. I guess I expected too much.
This nabe…
…you dip in this egg.
I was really unhappy with the taste. I’d say about 700 yen would be a fair price… Sukiyaki is a pricey dish to begin with, so if you want to serve it cheaply, it’s bound to be skimpy, but this just isn’t right. Putting food that tastes bad on the menu – I really can’t forgive this place.
The night view I snapped just before leaving
Still, the view from Isetan’s restaurant floors really is great, so next time I’ll drop by Fujino or Mimiu, or maybe eat at somewhere like Salvatore Cuomo’s kitchen.