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May 03, 2024
 

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KYOTO RESTAURANTS

Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Jan 13, 2015
Jiki Miyazawa keeps the focus on the food
After the excess of the holidays, the exactitude and temperance of lunch at Jiki Miyazawa was a welcome treat.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Jan 13, 2015
The peculiarties of pizza aren't an issue at Mercato in Kyoto
I once heard that Japan is the land of milk and honey . . . on pizzas. Thankfully, this is not the case at Mercato. The only unwanted topping to feature on chef Chihiro Togo's pizzas is sweet corn, which is best served where it began — on the cob. You can't blame the Japanese for sweet corn on pizza, though, my own homeland of Ireland (another great pizza country) is awash in sweet corn-infested pizzas.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Dec 9, 2014
Aji-Zen's noodle sets are worth getting 'sauced'
'Tis the season for Christmas analogies. On the first day of December I wound my way round downtown Kyoto, hoisting and reining in my umbrella because the weather couldn't make up its mind. At the first inn I called upon there was no room; I went to a second inn and was met with the same response. I took off for another part of town. Thankfully central Kyoto is small enough that you could throw a cat and it would land in a restaurant. At the third inn, I met with the same response: "No room." Is it because I . . . hadn't made any reservations? Yes.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Dec 9, 2014
Enjoy the warmth of a soup and sandwich at Mina_Mina
I started my year of reviews in Nishioji, a suburb west of Kyoto Station, which might not stand out but for a few notable cafes. One of these is Hagi and another is Mina_Mina, where owner and baker Jiro Yamaguchi transformed an old home into a cozy cafe and bakery. The bakery is located to the back of the building, beside a narrow and minimally decorated Japanese garden.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Nov 11, 2014
Kyo no Okazu: Fresh from the vegetable garden to the plate
If you had to learn only one pair of Japanese words pertaining to food (you should probably learn more, but...), I would advocate for oishii (delicious) and okawari (a second helping).
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Nov 11, 2014
Nishitomiya Croquette Store: Crunchy snacks that are perfect for pairing
When you think of eating croquettes you don't usually picture yourself doing so over a wine cask with a glass of red, Camembert cheese, thinly sliced salted ham, figs and olives. At Nishitomiya croquettes have been gentrified, but thankfully not in the pejorative sense. Price-wise they're only a little more expensive than their street brethren, but there is a little more imagination at work here in the offerings: smoked salmon and dill, dried fruit and walnut, basil, boiled pork and ginger. And plain — just so you don't entirely lose your croquette bearings.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Oct 7, 2014
Awomb: Make your own sushi at Kyoto's experimental dining destination
Before getting into Awomb, a few observations on queues and queuing. Or, in American parlance, standing in line (or on line). 1. Nothing turns me off queuing like seeing a queue. 2. Besides staging a crash outside your new shop or restaurant, nothing generates interest quite like a queue. 3. The Japanese are such peerless and patient queuers, they should consider installing it as an Olympic sport for Tokyo 2020: the 100-meter queue; the 500-meter queue; the 10,000-meter queue.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Oct 7, 2014
Spice Chamber: curry as hot as it's meant to be
Spice Chamber is actually more like a closet, or a long coffin; I wondered while I waited for my curry if I could touch both walls at once. At kappō (counter-style) restaurants, you have to leave your guard down a little. One of the attractions of this style of dining is immediacy; you can see every movement the cook makes, and when your food is finally ready, it's simply passed over the counter. Voila.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Sep 9, 2014
Wakuden: An early lunch of budget kaiseki cuisine
Wakuden in Kyoto Station opens for lunch at 11 a.m. Who eats lunch that early? To answer I arrived minutes after 11, thinking I would be dining tout seul. Far from it: The queue was out the door. The reason: Wakuden serves pricey kaiseki (haute cuisine) — sets starts at ¥6,000 — but every day there are a set number of roughly 15 lunches (called Kuchinashi) priced at ¥2,700. Hence the early birds, many of whom were in their twilight years.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Sep 9, 2014
Soba Rojina: Noodles handmade with care
Soba Rojina opened earlier this summer, and in a few short months it has garnered a reputation for its high-quality handmade soba. It's a busy spot and food takes time to arrive — not too long, but longer than some people might want to wait during the precious lunch hour.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Aug 12, 2014
Mo-an: Lose yourself in hidden tranquility
Mo-an is a good friend's favorite place in Kyoto. She's born and bred here, and like many a Kyotoite her enthusiasm for the old capital can be a little boorish. But with Mo-an I can see why. It advertises itself as a "quite place in a peaceful grove, close to the heart of tea." It is. But, let me try to improve on that. You could start with the cafe's kanji: a hermitage in a thick growth.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Aug 12, 2014
Tohkasaikan: Chinese food in a location that (almost) justifies the price
Let me first introduce the elevator at Tohkasaikan, a beautiful old Otis workhorse operated by levers and pulleys replete with a dial that wavers as you ascend. It is, in fact, the oldest elevator in Japan, and in a country where taking an elevator is about as quotidian as it comes, this elevator is a bit of a trip.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Jul 8, 2014
Aoi-jaya: Traditional Japanese cuisine without the traditional price tag
A combination of train delays and the restaurant I had intended to eat at closing earlier than advertised meant that I had to find a replacement on the hoof. Fortunately, I was in the Isetan department store in Kyoto Station. The top two floors are given over to restaurants: the 10th floor to mostly ramen shops, and the 11th floor a range of cuisines at more exclusive eateries. I settled on washoku (traditional Japanese) at Aoi-jaya.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Jul 8, 2014
Nakamuraken: refuge from summer in a glass of shaved ice
With months of nothing but sun, Japanese summers can sap your will to live. Be grateful, then, for the arrival of kakigōri (shaved ice). In fact, it's about the only thing to look forward to between now and November.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Jun 10, 2014
What's: Fine Matsusaka beef in a restaurant as unusual as its name
Culinary epiphanies don't happen often, but when they do, they are food for thought. I had one recently dining on prime Japanese beef and it was an experience that, on reflection, recalled a childhood event. Not that I grew up eating wagyū — far from it; rather, the portion of seared beef reminded me about the sadness of finishing something that is so gorgeous, so delicious, that you never want it to be over. Yet, every bite is a game of give and take, pleasure versus trepidation as the end draws nearer.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Jun 10, 2014
Marumo Kitchen: Bowls with soul
In the DNA of almost every Japanese building there is a gene for "renewal." And so it was inevitable that Porta, the underground mall at Kyoto Station, would close earlier this year for a revamp. When it reopened it was out with the old and in with the new — and yet another Starbucks. Among the new tenants is Marumo Kitchen, a Tokyo blow-in; after Shinjuku and Toshima, Kyoto Station is Marumo's third outpost.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
May 13, 2014
Café Indépendants
You don't have to be hip to enter Café Indépendants, but it helps. Located in the basement of the old Mainichi Shimbun Kyoto bureau, Indépendants is the kind of cafe frequented by the artsy set. There is a version of this cafe in every city all over the world. In Cork, where I grew up, that cafe was mostly populated by skaters, goths and loners working on the 50th draft of their first novel. In Kyoto, Indépendants is staffed by models and artists between jobs and frequented in the main by college students.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
May 13, 2014
Nanaezushi: Edo-kei sushi without the sticker shock
We need to talk about sushi. First, any discussion of sushi isn't worth its wasabi without a mention of the perspicacious octogenarian Jiro Ono, star of the documentary "Jiro Dreams of Sushi," about his Michelin-starred restaurant in Ginza — you know, the one that Obama took Abe to, or was it the other way round? To wit: The documentary I recommend, I haven't eaten at Sukiyabashi Jiro (although I would like to), but before that I would like to point out that there are many, many excellent sushi establishments in Japan that don't work out at roughly ¥1,000 a minute. Here's one.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Apr 8, 2014
Inakatei: Local Kyoto cuisine heavy on the fish and veg
When faced with a six-page menu allied with a supplementary page loaded with specials and all in a language that makes less sense to you than abstract art, what do you do? Get up and leave is one answer, as proven by the nearby holidaying couple, American I assumed by accent and attire, who left shortly after sitting down owing to their zero comprehension of the menu at Inakatei.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Apr 8, 2014
Elk: Who doesn't eat soup with their pancakes?
Here's an odd couple: soup and pancakes. But this is how Elk, a small but expanding chain of cafes, advertises itself. The day I ate at Elk the pancake crowd was definitely in the ascendancy; there were a few soup eaters like myself, but we were in the minority. And speaking of minorities, men were so thin on the ground that when another guy came in I thought about sidling over and hanging out with him, but he had his girlfriend with him for that.
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