Last month on the 24th, a pork miso soup specialty shop opened inside the cultural museum. You can choose between red miso and a blended version. As for the seating, there are two-person tables right at the entrance, and there is a counter further in. Each table is equipped with USB ports and power outlets. For the lunch menu, if you opt for the pork miso soup set, you can enjoy unlimited rice refills. There are four types of sets, priced between 1,600 to 2,000 yen. For an additional 200 yen, you can also order coffee, and there are many a la carte options to mix and match. The soups available include miso soup, pork miso soup, and fermented soybean paste soup. The menu has a variety of items, including 11 types of rice balls, curry, ramen, udon, pickles, side dishes, tempura rice bowls, chicken and egg rice bowl from Kyoto, pork cutlet rice bowl, domestic beef curry, and Kyoto beef sukiyaki rice bowl. I ordered the pork miso soup set for 1,600 yen, which includes rice, pork miso soup, chawanmushi (savory egg custard), a mini salad with tofu, Kyoto pickles, and today’s daily special (which was kinpira gobo, sautéed burdock root). The inclusion of the mini salad was a nice touch. The rice was cooked a bit softer than usual and was enjoyable to eat. Next, I tried the pork miso soup, which was hearty and had plenty of ingredients, but the seasoning was a bit on the salty side, so it may depend on personal preference. I personally prefer a slightly sweeter flavor, as I found it a bit salty. However, I overheard someone in the restaurant mentioning they loved the soup and had been there three times this month, so it seems to be a favorite for many. In the photo, there were two pieces of tofu, but I received only one piece. It came with wasabi, but I thought it was yuba (tofu skin); instead, it turned out to be a thinner tofu. The chawanmushi was a bit worrisome as I thought it might be too strong, but it turned out to be light and delicious with a hint of yuzu. Looking at the menu, I’m also interested in the chicken and egg rice bowl and the curry, so I plan to visit again.

In October 2024, I visited "Kyoto Cuisine Pork Soup Specialty Store Shige-chan" located inside the Kyoto Cultural Museum, close to Karasuma Oike Station, for lunch. Although Tabelog lists the opening date as November 1, they were already open by the end of October! The restaurant has a calm Japanese atmosphere with about 18 seats at the counter and tables. During lunch, there are four basic pork soup set options, which include mackerel simmered in miso and rice balls instead of white rice. Surprisingly, even though it’s a pork soup specialty shop, they also offer dishes like "oyakodon" (chicken and egg rice bowl), Kyoto pickled rice balls, curry, and ramen, so there's quite a variety to choose from! I opted for the pork soup made with "awase miso" (mixed miso). It was packed with ingredients and had a strong flavor, making it great as a side dish for white rice. The chawanmushi (savory egg custard) with shrimp and chicken was seasoned perfectly to my liking as well. I was able to get a refill on rice, and I asked for a large portion once, so I left feeling very satisfied! At dinner, they offer a reservation-only drinking course for groups of four or more, with four different course options. If you don’t add the drink option, they give a discount of 1,000 yen. Thank you for the meal!