Category: City: Kyoto

Food at Nishiki market in Kyoto

Nishiki market is a popular shopping street in Kyoto with numerous street food vendors. Like Kuromon in Osaka or the markets in Sapporo, it is a super-touristy destination.

The visit

I entered the market from the Teramachi entrance on one side.

Deep-fried “stuff” was very popular.

There was a lot of fresh seafood.

There were the baby octopus with a quail egg inside also found in Kuromon in Osaka.

A very popular vendor was selling fresh sashimi at reasonable prices and I could not resist.

I had my tuna fix (both normal tuna and medium-fatty tuna).

Something easy to eat were these skewers with large shrimps grilled on the spot.

I tried a couple of scallops that were quite meaty.

I would NOT fancy this burger.

Above the famous sparrow skewers. I did not try them. The quail looked good though.

The famous ayu (sweet fish) on skewer was available.

These Japanese croquettes are quite good and inexpensive.

There was a shop selling kakigori (with seats), but it stopped at around 5pm to become a regular restaurant.

Not only seafood, also vegetables and even non-food was available and some locals actually shopped there.

The check

The snacks I had were pretty inexpensive, just a few hundred yen each. The sashimi was around 1,000 yen. I found it more affordable than Kuromon in Osaka (and it is true in general for Kyoto as compared to Osaka). The only problem was the big crowd and it was an afternoon during the week, away from lunch hours. Do not expect a comfortbale place where to eat if you go.

Where in Kyoto:
609 Nishidaimonjicho, Nakagyo Ward.
(It is located on a road one block north and parallel to Shijō Street and west of Teramachi Street.)

An introduction to the pleasures of kakigori in Kyoto

Korea has bingsu. Taiwan has Ice Monster. Japan has kakigori.

Kakigōri is a Japanese shaved ice dessert flavored with syrup and a sweetener, often condensed milk.

Umezono is a dessert shop in Kyoto with multiple branches. I visited one (not their largest) to try my first kakigori.

The visit

I visited the Kawaramachi branch located on a busy commercial street.

They also had other Japanese sweets, in particular sweet skewers.

I focused on the task on hand and chose a kakigori. Unfortunately this shop did not have many options in terms of flavor.

I had the green tea kakigori that came with a green tea scoop of ice cream on top, some red beans and mochi. There was also a small glad of additional green tea syrup.

The portion was big, but manageable for one person. Overall it was quite good, even if I do not crazy about matcha (green tea).

The check

I spent 930 yen (8.70 USD) for this huge dessert. Good value.

Where in Kyoto:
234-4 Yamazakichō, Nakagyō-ku.
In Japanese: 〒604-8032 京都府京都市中京区山崎町234−4.
Website: umezono-kyoto.com.
Tip: most of these kakigori places are closed on Wednesdays (do not ask me why). If you like to try Umezono, go to their main branch “Umezono Gallery and Cafe”.

Izakaya night in Kyoto: Sanji

Sanji is an izakaya in Kyoto that is serious about its fresh seafood. Here’s what I had.

The visit

I arrived at the beginning of the evening at 6pm and there was no problem to be accommodated. I was the first customer in fact!

The entrance was at the end of a private parking lot. Not unusual for izakayas and sushi bars.

I was seated at the counter.

They had a very interesting set menu reasonably priced, but I ordered from the menu instead. The menu was provided in electronic format on an Ipad and I could order directly from the device. There was enough English and pictures to make the process easy.

I started with a very attractive sashimi platter that had seven kinds of sashimi: delicious kinmedai, hirame, hamo, tai, tako, amaebi, hotate.

The grilled fish of the day was a fish head, from tai if I recall correctly.

Finally I doubled down with the sashimi with some more local fish.

I was offered some side-dishes, I think included in the cover charge.

The check

I ended up spending 6,620 yen (61.50 USD). The sushi platter was around 2,600 yen. I did not mind paying this check, the sashimi was really good.

Where in Kyoto:
Nijo Coop 1F, 40 Matsuya-cho, Nijodori, Takakura Nishi-iru , Nakagyo-ku.
In Japanese: 京都府京都市中京区二条通高倉西入松屋町40二条コーポ1F.

Your neighborhood friendly sushi bar in Kyoto: Tomisen

Tomisen is the epitome of the neighborhood sushi bar: a place where salarymen can crash after work for drinks and food and where locals can have their sushi fix. It was run by an old couple that I am sure has been keeping the place running for a long time.

The visit

I came across the place by accident as it was close to my hotel and Kyoto Station.

The classic storefront opened in a small restaurant with a counter and a few tables. It was pretty crowded, but it was the end of the evening and people were starting to leave.

They had a place for me at the counter.

Luckily they had a bilingual menu.

I started to order sushi like there was no tomorrow: prawns, tuna, scallops, crab, kanpachi (amberjack).

More kanpachi.

Sea bream (tai), tuna, kanpachi again, egg omelet.

The check

I spent 3,670 yen for 20 nigiri sushi, around 200 yent per nigiri. You can get cheaper sushi in a converyor-belt sushi restaurant for sure, but the price was good enough, except the tuna that was really expensive as compared to the rest. It was good “normal” sushi in an authentic joint. Open only at night after 5pm.

Where in Kyoto:
576-4-2 Kizuyabashi Dori Aburakoji Higashiiru Minamimachi, Shimogyo.
In Japanese: 木津屋橋通油小路東入南町576−4−2.

The top kaiseki lunch menu at Shuhaku in Kyoto (Summer 2019)

During my summer 2019 trip to Kyoto I was intrigued by the cuisine of Shuhaku, a kaiseki restaurant that boasts one Michelin star and was supposed to combine French and Japanese elements. Actually I found it a pretty regular Japanese kaiseki (which is good), apart from the dessert final moment that was pretty epic.

The visit

I booked and prepaid the meal through an online concierge service. There were three menus for lunch and I chose the most expensive.

The restaurant is located in a historic district near some major shrines. It has 8 seats at the counter, plus a table for 4 in a corner. During my visit the table was taken, only a couple of other diners sat at the counter.

The lunch started with a composition featuring 20 different local vegetables. It is a pretty common dish for this kind of course meals.

The second dish was a nice soup with a sizable piece of hamo and omelette with asparagus in tofu skin. Hamo (pike conger) was one of the main features of the kaiseki, as it may be expected as it is a seasonal fish popular during the summer in Kyoto.

The third dish was three kinds of sashimi: hirame (a flat fish), hamo, and tuna. It came with plum sauce with sake for the hirame, soy plum sauce for the hamo, and soy sauce for the tuna. The presentation with a plate resembling a drainpipe was pretty original.

The fourth dish combined ayu and hamo sushi. Ayu (sweet fish) is also a summer favorite and was grilled in a way that made everything edible, including the bones. Quite delicious.

The fifth dish was a marinated asparagus in vinegar.

The sixth dish was tairagai seared and presented on a hot stone.

The seventh dish was strips of Kyoto beef in broth with eggplant, plus steamed rice and pickles. This dish was a let down. I was hoping something more substantial that could help me appreciate Kyoto beef.

The dessert moment added some surprise as I was presented all the desserts available and I could choose all I wanted. The desserts mixed Western and Japanese techniques.

I picked up three.

The first was a banana mousse topped with red beans.

The second was a pastry with walnut and cream.

Finally, I had their sweet soup with matcha sorbet that was the chef’s favorite.

All the desserts were excellent.

The check

Using the online concierge service, for this menu I paid 11,180 yen. The cheaper menu was around 50,000 and there was a mid-range option for around 70,000.

This was a well executed kaiseki. I appreciated the seasonal ingredients (even if they overshoot with the hamo) and the dessert moment was great. A couple of dishes were a bif of a softball (like the Kyoto beef strips). I was just disappointed that I did not see the French influences apart from the cakes. I asked if the dinner kaisekis were different and the chef answered that they were not that different.

In the cheapest menu the most expensive seafood like hamo was replaced with mackerel and I would not recommend it. If you make the trip to Kyoto, treat yourself for something better. There was a party that I believe had the mid-range menu and I think the only major difference was that they did not get the Kyoto beef dish. If so, the mid-range menu was the best choice as the Kyoto beef dish was nothing special.

Where in Kyoto:
392 Kinencho, Higashiyama Ward.

Trying Kyoto traditional sushi at Izuju

Kyoto is an inland city. You can imagine that when modern refrigeration was unknown dealing with seafood safely in an area far from the sea was extremely difficult. As a result, chefs in Kyoto developed their own approach to sushi, using mostly fish with longer shelf-life and/or marinated to make it last longer. This style is called Kyozushi.

I tried this kind of traditional sushi at Izuju, one of the most popular sushi restaurants in located in Gion district. The restaurant faces the entrance to the Yasaka Shrine.

The visit

I arrived at the restaurant quite early and at that time there was no line. In fact, I was the first customer of the day.

The door is easy to miss…

Inside they have a small dining room with wooden furniture.

I had one of their hako sets (the deluxe one), a sort of checkered sushi composition. It included prawns (cooked), omelette, anago (sweet sea-water eel), and sea bream. The dish was both pleasant for the eye and the palate.

Then I had a combo dish with some of their other traditional dishes: mackerel (saba), hamo and a grilled sweetfish called ayu.

They have signs everywhere explaining how to properly eat these dishes. No soy sauce and wasabi are required since the fish on the sushi is already marinated. Also, the mackerel sushi comes with a piece of kelp to protect the fish flavor and the kelp must be removed! The flavor of the mackerel is quite strong; honestly there is not much of it to taste…

Hamo is a typical Kansai fish, a type of eel called pike conger and it is usually found from summer to autumn. It is a rich flavor.

Finally, the ayu grilled in salt is a simple dish very popular in the summer.

All the sushi was great, even if the flavors were more muted than traditional Edo style sushi.

Miso soup.

Green tea.

Most of the dishes are also available for purchase as take-out. Among tourists and locals this seems a pretty big part of their business.

The check

The total was 5,103 yen (around 45 USD) for a meal that could have satisfied two people. Some of the traditional dishes such as hamo and mackerel sushi are quite expensive, but I guess they require long preparation.

While I prefer the raw flavors of Edo style sushi, this was a very interesting and satisfying culinary experience. If you are in Kyoto, be aware of their special style of sushi.

Where in Kyoto:
292-1 Gionmachi, Kitagawa, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto
Address in Japanese: 京都府京都市東山区祇園町北側292-1
Pro-tip: in Gion there are a lot of dessert places. After sushi, have a Japanese style dessert.