Honestly, there aren’t many places in Kyoto that are really worth eating at. It’s either expensive or not tasty. (Most of the time it’s both.) I guess that’s because the whole city is one big tourist attraction.
So the first place I hit on this Kyoto trip was a ramen shop, which is at least a safe bet. I went to Menya Marutake, famous for its seafood-broth ramen.
Special ramen.
The nori and the egg both carry the shop’s logo. Plenty of chashu, too. Maybe because it’s seafood-based, the broth is clean and refreshing, but it also felt a bit on the thin side. I guess the trend of the day really is the “W soup” double broth.
Regular ramen
Chahan
The fried rice skills were pretty average.
Having come all the way to Kyoto, I couldn’t skip kyo-ryori, Kyoto’s traditional cuisine, right? After looking around here and there, I went to Nishimura, which has a good reputation for the price. In peak season you won’t get a seat without a reservation, so be careful.
The entrance
Ladies in kimono give you a warm welcome.
Inside
Nice atmosphere.
A small garden they’ve set up
Lots of traditional Japanese restaurants seem to have little gardens like this.
Tea.
The house specialty: wagyu served on a leaf-shaped plate
You put it on like this and grill it yourself.
The wagyu isn’t up to the quality of a proper wagyu specialist.
Tempura
Again, it falls well short of a tempura specialist.
Today’s main: the bento box
Ordinary Japanese food. The sashimi was good, though.
Dessert
With all this plus a drink (you have to order a drink), it came to a little over 3,000 yen. I did get the feeling of being in Kyoto, but for the same price I think I’d rather have Italian or Chinese. Kyoto cuisine is all about formality, so it’s true that it’s overpriced for what it tastes like. I think I’ve already been to the places worth going to, so if I go back to Kyoto, I probably won’t be eating kyo-ryori again.