Near my parents' house, I discovered a hidden gem! Visited on 09/08/2023. [Overall Rating] I would rate it 5 out of 5. Taste: ★★★★★, Presentation: ★★★★★, Cost performance: ★★★★★, Service: ★★★★★, Atmosphere: ★★★★ For just 1200 yen, you can enjoy authentic tempura soba. When I saw the price at first, I didn't have high expectations, but when it was brought to me, the glossy soba noodles with generous tempura (2 large shrimp, conger eel, horse mackerel, pumpkin, zucchini, eggplant) and sansho salt got me really excited. When I tasted it, it was like "♡♡♡!!! (loss of vocabulary)". Everything was really delicious!!! The tempura bits (hot and crispy!!) brought by the staff halfway through, when dipped in the broth and slurped with the soba, were also very tasty. Honestly, I didn't even know there was a restaurant on the second floor of the supermarket near my parents' house... I regret not knowing about it sooner because it's so delicious. I definitely want to try other dishes, so I will be visiting again soon. Just one point, the scent of the soba is quite strong, so I think I would prefer the broth to be a bit stronger. I will try asking if they can make it stronger next time I order. Thank you for the delicious meal.

Today's lunch was at "Seasonal Cuisine Kinugawa" in Kyoto, Minami-ku, near the intersection of Kujo Inokuma and Kintetsu Toji Station. It's a Japanese restaurant with a noticeable curtain at the calm entrance. However, the restaurant is actually on the 2nd floor of a supermarket. You have to go up the stairs. They are closed on Sundays and it seems they don't serve lunch on Mondays. There's a recommended menu at the entrance where the hand sanitizer is placed. It seems that eel is not available every day. Inside the restaurant, there are counter seats, table seats, and private rooms at the back. There are spacious tatami seats by the window, making the place bright and airy. The lunch menu seems to consist of sashimi, tempura, and soba combinations. While the "Ultimate Sashimi Tempura Soba Set" is tempting, I opted for the recommended menu at the entrance, the "Pickled Fish Bowl + Cold Soba Set" for 1,100 yen. They serve warm tea and provide cloth hand towels even during lunchtime, maintaining a traditional Japanese atmosphere. The tray that was brought to me was filled with more dishes than I expected. It seems to be a system where you mix the dipping sauce with egg and dip the sashimi yourself. The sashimi, which includes tuna and yellowtail, is fresh and delicious. The pickled fish bowl is made by mixing the sashimi with warm rice and the sauce is irresistible. The pickled eggplant and cucumber side dishes are also excellent. The cold soba comes with various condiments, and you can add tempura flakes according to your preference. The soba noodles are thin, firm, and authentic. They are not drained too much, similar to Togakure soba, and slide smoothly down the throat. I was able to enjoy authentic Japanese cuisine on top of a regular supermarket, which was a delightful experience.

I love this restaurant so much. I recommend the Zaru Tempura Soba Set for 2200 yen, with free rice refills. I really enjoy the food, but what I love the most is the excellent service from the middle-aged female staff. She is very efficient and attentive, and I sometimes visit this place just to see her. Overall, this restaurant is amazing in every way.

Located very close to Toji Temple, we visited this restaurant for dinner after enjoying the night cherry blossoms. The interior is bright and clean, with spacious seating. The staff, particularly the waitress, was very friendly, creating a sense of anticipation. Looking at the menu, it doesn't have a wide variety of dishes but focuses on traditional Japanese cuisine such as sashimi, tempura, and yuba. We started with sashimi, which was fresh, and tempura, which was crispy and delicious. Each dish came with plenty of condiments, which was a nice touch. The other dishes, while not elaborate, were carefully prepared. We also enjoyed the beef tongue and steak, along with some drinks, and left feeling satisfied and full. Despite eating quite a lot, the bill was surprisingly reasonable. While the restaurant may not be flashy or trendy, it exudes a sense of comfort that would satisfy anyone you bring along. For those visiting Toji Temple, I highly recommend stopping by this restaurant. I look forward to visiting again. Thank you for the meal.

☆ Kintetsu Kyoto Line - Toji Station I wanted to see the three-dimensional mandala again, so even though I had just visited in February this year, I decided to come back to Toji Temple since the state of emergency has been lifted and travel between prefectures is now allowed. The restaurant I visited had relocated from Karasuma Gojo to near Toji Station in April 2020. They had temporarily closed during the state of emergency, but have since reopened. It was a bit tricky to find as it was on the second floor of a supermarket near Toji Station, so I ended up going to Toji Temple first and then had to backtrack (^^; I arrived just before noon on a weekday and was seated in a raised tatami seating area. Other customers arrived later on. They had good virus prevention measures in place, such as hand sanitizer at the entrance. From the lunch menu, I ordered the Tempura and Sashimi Set for 1600 yen, Tempura and Sashimi Meal for 2000 yen, and Non-alcoholic beer for 450 yen (all prices before tax). The Tempura included conger eel, two shrimp, eggplant, shishito pepper, and nagaimo. The sashimi included bonito, conger eel, octopus, and myoga. The side dishes included rolled omelette, fried pumpkin, fried chicken, fried tofu and greens. The meal also came with soba noodles and pickles, with a half-size portion of zaru soba. The zaru soba was recommended to be eaten with tempura flakes and salt first, which was a unique and delicious way to enjoy soba noodles. The tempura and sashimi were both delicious, a testament to the skilled chef and quality ingredients used. The relaxed atmosphere of the restaurant and the friendly service made the dining experience even better. I will definitely return when I'm in the area. Thank you for the wonderful meal!

I wandered around looking for dinner before the Toji Temple light-up event, and luckily stumbled upon a great place to eat. The tempura was crispy and delicious, and the other dishes like hot pot and set meals that other people were ordering looked tasty too. There aren't many dining options near Toji Temple, so I was really grateful to find this place.