On Saturday (October 15), I visited Nishiiru in Miyazu. Miyazu, the center of the Sea of Kyoto, has long prospered as a gateway for exchanges with the continent. This year, a new exchange began with a chef from Portugal who came from the western end of the continent to Japan, known as Jipangu. Located just a 10-minute walk from Miyazu Station, or a 1-minute walk from the Kisenba Port Terminal by express bus, Nishiiru is a lovely space with only 6 seats at the counter. The owner, Ricardo Komori, originally from Portugal, was born in Lisbon. He became interested in Japanese cuisine while attending a local culinary school and started his career as a sushi chef at a Japanese restaurant in Lisbon. In 2015, he came to Japan to learn Japanese cuisine, sushi, and Kyoto cuisine in Kusatsu Onsen, Ito Onsen, Tokyo, and Kyoto. In April 2022, he relocated to Miyazu City and opened the counter sushi restaurant Nishiiru in June. The proprietress, Miho Komori, previously worked in student support at the Tokyo Sushi Academy for foreign students. The Portuguese chef uses local rich ingredients and vegetables from their own garden to create dishes. Towards the end of the meal, they served sushi made with pesticide-free and chemical fertilizer-free Koshihikari rice from Iio Brewery, along with their special Fuji vinegar. The meal ended with traditional Portuguese sweets and Port wine. The meal included: - Eggplant chawanmushi - A soup with Umazurahagi sake-steamed with white cabbage, Umazurahagi and bonito dashi - Sashimi of sea bream, chrysanthemum flowers, and persimmon leaves with roasted sake and wasabi - Tuna, seaweed, and wasabi - Ankimo and Nara pickles - Sweet shrimp with a sauce made from the head of the shrimp - Sesame-dressed chrysanthemum harvested from their home garden - Boiled peanuts with salt - Ginkgo nuts and warabi - Grilled beltfish - Sushi of Umazurahagi, Okiaji, squid, and other varieties - A dessert of Shine Muscat grapes - Portuguese traditional sweet Paondeloi, said to be the prototype of Castella cake - Drinks included sweet potato shochu with soda, unfiltered sake, and various other sake varieties, as well as white Port wine. The chef and regular customers talked about the World Sushi Summit held on October 1, and I may have missed or mistaken some details due to intoxication. Thank you for the wonderful meal. I hope to visit again around the time when snow falls.

A sushi restaurant run by a Portuguese chef. I had the omakase course. Started with appetizers - rock oyster and yam noodles with good dashi, bamboo shoots with fresh yuba, and delicious cherry snapper. Grilled blackthroat sea perch had some unevenness, but octopus was incredibly tasty. Fried chicken with okoze, grilled beef with apricot, and yellowtail were all great. Nigiri included grunt, sea bream, thread-sail filefish, ghost shrimp, flounder, sea bream, and pressed mackerel sushi. Finished with red miso soup with okoze's head and dessert. Appetizers were delicious, but there is room for improvement in the nigiri - they tended to fall apart and the rice size varied. I liked the seasoning of the rice and toppings though.

A sushi restaurant run by a Portuguese chef and a Japanese wife. They have been open for less than a year and are experimenting with local seasonal fish. All of their dishes are excellent! The fish, such as sea bream and octopus, are tender and melt in your mouth. You will be impressed by the unique textures you have never experienced before! The restaurant has 6 counter seats and starts serving at 6 pm. Each dish is rich in flavor and it's hard to choose the best one as they keep coming one after another. The dessert, a traditional Portuguese cake called Pão de Ló, is also delicious. It is made based on the recipe taught by a famous Portuguese confectionery shop in Kyoto, Castella do Paulo. It is a freshly baked, soft, and simple dessert that will satisfy any sweet tooth. We had a great time until the end and enjoyed the best experience.

★The head chef is Portuguese, Sushi Kappo★★Great place★A counter sushi restaurant run by a Portuguese chef who fell in love with Japanese cuisine.