I arrived at Youshokudou Suzuki around 12:50 for lunch, but they were already sold out and closed for the day. Many shops in Kyoto tend to close early, which can be frustrating. With limited time, I ended up visiting this restaurant nearby. When unsure about a new place, I try to be economical and since I had a heavy dinner planned, I decided to just order pasta. I believe the menu item was called "Tanba black bean and Nanbu chicken ragu sauce." The water was fine, with no strange taste. The dish consisted of tagliatelle, chicken thigh meat, white beans (not black beans, which I actually preferred), egg yolk, and Parmesan cheese sauce (was it really a ragu sauce?). The combination sounded good and it was indeed tasty. The richness of the chicken thigh meat and the umami from the cheese worked well together. However, I felt it lacked a bit of salt, so the overall flavor didn't feel very complex. It might have been because I was the only customer, but I appreciated the effort put into the dish. I would say it's better than pasta from a random Italian restaurant.

I visited around 12:20 on Sunday. It was a counter seat with a great view of the wide intersection of Horikawa Oike. The narrow staircase made the city view feel more open. There was an ashtray between the 2nd and 3rd floors, so I think the restaurant is not non-smoking. There were no other customers. I ordered the Set B with fresh pasta for 1600 yen. The assorted appetizers were beautifully arranged and delicious. I chose the octopus and zucchini Genovese pasta, which was a bit salty but tasty. The octopus had a good texture and was easy to chew. The bread was not too dense but had a nice crust. For dessert, I had a rich and delicious chocolate gateau, creamy vanilla ice cream, and excellent black tea.

I had lunch at a restaurant called "Trattoria Nudo" on the 3rd floor of a building at the north-south corner of Horikawa Oike. It's a small place with a counter seating for eight facing full-length windows. It seems like a nice place to enjoy the night view. The lunch set included soup (pumpkin), bread (2 types), and an appetizer. My pasta was a cold Genovese with seared conger eel and grilled eggplant (1,100 yen). ← I think it was my first time eating cold pasta, it was delicious with my favorite ingredients, but I still prefer regular pasta. My husband had a cold tomato sauce with prosciutto and mozzarella (1,100 yen). ← This one was also delicious.

I couldn't get into other fully booked restaurants so I casually walked into an Italian restaurant near Nijo Castle. The Kyoto vegetables were delicious and the pasta was also tasty.

Located at the northwest corner of Horikawa Oike, this small restaurant is a three-story building with a counter on the third floor. The quiet and welcoming atmosphere, along with the friendly and attentive service from the sole owner, makes this place very cozy. The menu is not extensive, but it offers a variety of options including antipasti, meat and fish dishes, pizza, pasta, wine, desserts, and cheese. The meat dishes, such as beef steak and lamb roast, are particularly delicious. The restaurant has a few counter seats, with a glass front that provides a sense of openness and a nice view of Oike Street. It's a great spot for a glass of wine after work or a casual meal with a loved one.

As a specialist in B-class cuisine, I went to a restaurant with a view of the night scenery, which is rare for me. The restaurant is located in the northwest corner of Horikawa Oike. It is on the top floor of a building where Yakitori Ichiban is on the first floor. As you climb the stairs where the Yakitori smoke silently rises, you first reach the second floor, which is a girls' bar. I love how this old building is being cleverly utilized without too much renovation. The second and third floors are operated by the same owner, and when I finally reached the third floor, the restaurant was closed. I went back to the second floor to ask, and the chef and owner were there because there were no customers (laughs), and finally made it to the third floor. The view from inside was better than from the outside, and despite thinking I had outgrown being excited about "night views," I found myself getting very excited. Since I had already eaten and drunk that day, I ordered a carafe of red wine and a plate of pasta. I had the Spaghetti Aglio e Olio, which was delicious, but I apologize, I was quite drunk so I don't remember the taste very well (^_^;) I think they poured plenty of wine into a large glass for me. The view was great, and I had so much fun that I ended up chatting a lot! They also serve lunch here, which I'm curious about, but I'd like to come back to enjoy the night view, wine, and pasta. I feel like there aren't many restaurants in this area, but if you go a little west of Horikawa Oike and head north, there's a neon bar converted from a machiya, and further north there's Akachochin (I haven't been there yet). If you go down Imadegawa Street (one street west of Horikawa), you'll find the canned bar "kanso." If you enter the Sanjo Shotengai shopping street, you'll find restaurants like Gaihan Ittendo and further down you'll find Amitatsu-ya Hiro. If you go down Omiya Street, you'll reach the Shijo-Omiya area. It's unexpectedly interesting and I think it's a recommended hidden gem area (^^).