Chef Noriyuki Hashinaga's new outpost — Tai no Tai — opened less than a year ago and it is close to his eponymous restaurant in many senses of the word.
Both restaurants are on Takoyakushi-dori avenue in central Kyoto, near enough that Hashinaga could conceivably run back and forth between the two, were it not for the constant stream of cars, bicycles, shoppers and tourists. Besides their proximity, the menus at both restaurants are drawn from the kaiseki canon (the traditional multicourse meal). At Tai no Tai, Hashinaga continues his modus operandi, serving kaiseki cuisine that is reasonably priced.
At Tai no Tai, Hashinaga has foregone counter seating, but that's understandable given the small size of the space. In some restaurants, the kitchen alone is the same size as Tai no Tai, but for its size, Hashinaga has been both clever and artful with the design. Wallpaper with Japanese design motifs covers the ceiling and the walls, and the seating is divided between Western-style tables and chairs and, on a slightly-raised level, Japanese-style tables. It's a bright and airy restaurant for what could easily have been a dimly-lit, tavern-like space.