Preparation:
- Started booking restaurants about two months before the start of the trip. I used Tabelog, Reddit, Google Reviews, and blogs to figure out restaurants.
- I started off with broad categories of Japanese food I wanted to eat and made sure to alternate the cuisine so that it wouldn't be tiring. (Spoiler alert: There was still overeating happening) Then I identified which places were in the running and checked reservation sites like Omakase and Tablecheck to see what was available.
This post:
- Sharing thoughts based on the food, ambiance, and service (average means nothing wrong)
- I don’t have time to read this—where should I go and what should I skip
- The best: Takayama, Kojimachi Nihee, Kiyota Hanare, Torisho Ishii Hina Ryosho (note: I wouldn’t go back necessarily to Ryosho, but would want to try more kaiseki. The rest I would definitely go back to)
- The worst: Velrosier and Ichiu (Velrosier is just bad and Ichiu was weaker compared to everything else)
- Will post pics for some, there are way too many to post
Shorai An (Tabelog 3.6, 5,000JPY)
- Overall: A tofu specialist kaiseki restaurant in Arashiyama, the tofu and environment were both pleasant. For better and cheaper tofu, I would go to a tofu factory instead of which there are many in Kyoto and eat it in my hotel room.
- Food: Pleasant, I would rate it as average good food.
- Ambiance: Relaxing as you are in the forest and can see the river. The building is old and there is a lot of condensation buildup
- Service: Average
Gion Nishi (Tabelog 4.21, 16,500JPY)
- Overall: A more modern and solid kaiseki. The flavors here are more refreshing and several dishes take things a new direction.
- Food: The best bites were the roll (tuna, sardine, caviar, and takuan) and the dessert (they also run a separate dessert café during the day) which was light. fruity, and perfect end to the meal. There were a few technical flaws with some over cooked chicken and slightly dense tempura.
- Ambiance: We were at the table and it was not great…It is more casual as a kaiseki restaurant and other guests were chatty.
- Service: Average
Velrosier (Tabelog 3.89, 2 Michelin Star, 20,000 JPY)
- Overall: The worst food of the entire trip. I would say this is only good if you don’t know what good Chinese cooking should be like as it was mostly fried round things.
- Food: See above, this became known as the fried ball Michelin place. For reference 7 dishes were deep fried in the entire course. The signature monaka shell with fois gras and jam was nice for 1-2 bites but became overwhelming after eating the entire piece. It’s at the below average quality level dimsum in Hong Kong unfortunately.
- Ambiance: Very dark, quite literally. The paint is all black
- Service: Average
Hirosawa (Tabelog 4.33, 25,000 JPY)
- Overall: This is what I envisioned Japanese Chinese food to be like. If you want to eat Chinese fine dining in Kyoto would pick this over Velrosier
- Food: The congee, peking style eel, and fried fish in soup were highlights. They had lighter flavors and were delicious. The charsiu is not good, its probably at the level of supermarket charsiu and was very chewy. There is still room for improving on the wok skills side but it isn’t a deal breaker.
- Ambiance: Beautiful, it’s a counter and you look out the window at a garden
- Service: Good and responsive
Takayama (Tabelog 4.07, 30,000 JPY)
- Overall: One of the best of the entire trip. Would love to go back again and would eat there frequently if I could. Technical execution is strong, everything is delicious, and service is incredibly friendly
- Food: See above. Everything is strong and they have big portions. This place is well worth it. The team also loves dessert, so you get to see a wide range with lots of leftovers. This is easily at the 2-3 Michelin star level (it likely won’t get to 3 since is smaller and in a mall, and the menu isn’t as “set” but the technique is there) I enjoyed the parmesan ice cream and the cracker with raw shrimp on it
- Ambiance: It’s actually beside Velrosier and it reminds me of an Apple space-ship.
- Service: They are very friendly and the head chef loves to explain the food.
Rokukakutei (Tabelog 3.72, 9,800 JPY)
- Overall: A specialist kushiaage restaurant in Osaka. I think if you like kushiaage this is the place for you, but I realized that I don’t like it that much. I’ll tap out after 5-8 sticks and this place gives you 20 sticks. Note that it is very good kushiaage, crunchy and light on the outside with a perfectly cooked interior
- Food: The shrimp, peas croquette thing, and scallop were delicious. The vegetables on the side are a welcome break from fried food on a stick.
- Ambiance: More casual but seems to be popular with locals in particular
- Service: Average
Sen (Tabelog 4.10, One Michelin, 33,000 JPY)
- Overall: A decent kaiseki place, no standouts a couple of missteps but nothing egregious.
- Food: Mackerel roll was good. One piece of grilled tongue was unchewable, and I felt that the quality of the seafood was not as high as Gion Nishi and Ryosho
- Ambiance: Pleasant
- Service: Average
Ryosho (Tabelog 3.67, Two Michelin, 44,000 JPY)
- Overall: This was the best tasting kaiseki we went to and the one with the fanciest and freshest ingredients. The preparation was definitely better than Sen but slightly above Gion Nishi. The chef is friendly. Note that the Tabelog rating is a bit low because there aren't many reviews
- Food: Had a great time with the unlimited snow crab rice, was stuffed to the brim with Japanese delicacies and the taste and preparation were both excellent.
- Ambiance: Pleasant
- Service: Good! They were friendly and helpful but also felt more professional.
Other (would recommend all of these)
Menyo Naniwa
Takoriki
Hanadako
Izuu
Kashiya
Grains et Vanille
by mokoyo