Recommended by a local reviewer, this restaurant in Kyoto has been on my list for a while. Finally, during the cherry blossom season, I was able to visit with my children. The reservation process was smooth, and we opted for the a la carte menu. The small counter with 7 seats offered a live kitchen experience, where we could chat with the chef while enjoying our food and drinks. The sesame tofu was deliciously chewy and rich, and the crab served in its shell with cucumber and myoga was a delightful combination. We also requested red clam for our sashimi platter, and the charcoal-grilled bamboo shoot was fragrant and sweet. Although the final course looked tempting, we were too full to indulge. It was a delightful evening in Kyoto, toasting with my children and enjoying the food.

The playful addition of grated yam in the potato salad adds a nice touch. The seasoning of the Moroko sansho pepper simmer is delicate and gentle. The sashimi of pufferfish, Awaji squid, and Tango red clam are fresh and of high quality. The slight bitterness of the red clam's liver pairs well with sake. The sake, a Sasanishiki variety, complements the dishes perfectly. The soup with snow crab innards and the pufferfish steamed in a pot are delicious. The tuna flakes have a strong initial flavor but leave a lingering taste on the palate. The grilled Giji from Nagasaki with rich fat content is excellent. The steamed rice with icefish topping is also well-prepared. Overall, the quality is stable. The crucian carp sushi made at Lake Biwa's Okishima and the rich cloudy sake from Shiga are delightful. The owner, Mr. Tsuzuki, who honed his skills at Nanzenji Hyotei, impresses with his craftsmanship. The bill may surprise you, as it is surprisingly reasonable. You can sense the owner's sincerity. This is a place worth revisiting. If you want to enjoy high-quality Japanese cuisine in a casual setting, this is a highly recommended spot.

On Thursday night, after finding out that our weekend trip to Itoigawa was cancelled, I invited my wife to have lunch in Kyoto if we could get a reservation. We left at 8:30 in the morning and headed to "Sanjo Honke Misuya Hari," a shop known for handcrafted steel needles used for making traditional wooden dolls. Upon arriving at the quiet shop with a white noren curtain and a small entrance, we were greeted by a young chef in a crisp white apron. He welcomed us and presented a lunch course featuring the best of late summer ingredients. The meal consisted of various dishes such as simmered sweetfish with ginkgo nuts, marinated fish, soup with eel and sesame tofu, grilled mackerel, fried eggplant with crab sauce, simmered sweet potato and chestnut, and more. The flavors were delicate and well-balanced, showcasing the chef's skill honed at Nanzanji Hyoutei. Although we couldn't enjoy sake with the meal, we still had a great dining experience. After lunch, we went shopping at places like Sawai Shoyu (light soy sauce), Kameya Tomonaga (truffles), and Sanjo Honke Misuya Hari for some souvenirs.

Instagram (bottan222)ーーーーーーーーーーーー2020/01 In a gourmet book about Kyoto released by my best friend, my recommendation is featured. Despite a low rating of 3.08 on Tabelog, I trust my gourmet best friend's recommendation and make a reservation over the phone. We take a taxi and get off at the Aramikado on Kawaramachi Street, then walk to the restaurant. Upon entering, we find a cozy small eatery with 8 counter seats and 4 table seats, totaling about 12 seats. There are two groups of customers already there, so we take the counter seats right in front of the owner. The name "Tsuzuki" is quite unique, and I wonder what it means. It turns out that the owner, Tsuzuki, is from Aichi Prefecture. He is in his early 30s and trained at the prestigious ryotei "Nanzenji Hyotei" before opening Tsuzuki. We start with a toast with "Sawayamatsumoto Shuhari Gohyakuman Tsubo." The first appetizer is Biwa Lake ice fish kamayaki with grated daikon. The second appetizer is firefly squid marinated in ginger soy sauce. These appetizers alone confirm that our decision to visit was correct. We enjoy a variety of sashimi, each representing a different region, paired with "Daishinshu Junmai Ginjo Chokarakuchi" sake. The an-kake yuba with turnip sauce is delicate and elegant. The deep-fried small taro is also delicious. I switch to a Mars Whisky Three and Seven double highball, while my wife continues with sake. The sesame tofu is chewy and flavorful, reminiscent of eating fugu shirako. The potato salad with pickled turnip is unique and tasty. The sea cucumber intestines steamed with rice is a favorite of mine, and the dish is filled with delicious sea cucumber intestines. Each dish is priced around a thousand yen, making it a comfortable and affordable dining experience. It's a great option for both dinner and lunch if you make a reservation. Kyoto is truly a wonderful place with great small eateries like Tsuzuki, Harada, Muromachi Kaji, and Jitsuri. While high-end kaiseki restaurants are nice, I look forward to exploring more of these charming eateries in the future.

The restaurant is located a little off Kawaramachi Street. We visited without a reservation, but the food was fresh and very delicious. Next time, I would like to try their course menu.

It's delicious. I also think the prices are reasonable.

Celebrating the end of my wife's treatment with a trip to Kinosaki Onsen... Despite the distance, we took a lunch break in Kyoto. This place is the restaurant of the son of a local sushi shop, which I had heard about from the proprietress before but never had the chance to visit until now. He honed his skills at Nanzen-ji Piao Tei, worked at the market to train his eye, and opened his own shop in his 20s. Incorporating ingredients and seasonings from Aichi such as eel from Mikawa Isshiki, duck meat from Toyohashi, Haccho miso, Mikawa mirin, and combining them with Kyoto dashi, his dishes are said to be approved even by the discerning Kyoto locals. Due to the influence of Typhoon No. 22, it was unfortunately raining, but we took the opportunity to visit the Kyoto Imperial Palace. In the past, you needed permission to visit by postcard, but now you can visit on the same day without permission. The rainy garden in the drizzle was quite a charming sight. After about an hour of strolling, we headed to the restaurant. Located in Arakura-cho near the Kyoto Imperial Palace, it is difficult to find as it faces an alley, making it somewhat of a hidden gem. The entrance had a white curtain soaked in water and a small lantern with the name of the restaurant lit even though it was daytime. Lunch is by reservation only, with courses priced at ¥4,000 and ¥5,000. "Hello, I'm pen from Nishio." "Thank you for coming all the way here." Oh, I remember now. When he was a child, he used to run around the sushi restaurant. He has grown into a proper craftsman now. The shop, with a counter and one table seat, is of a size typical of a Kyoto machiya, but the meticulously polished interior and the young head chef in a crisp white coat give a promising impression. On this day, the place was reserved just for us. "My parents always appreciate your help." "I want to drink, but we're driving to Kinosaki so maybe I'll just have tea." "That's fine." We started with a non-alcoholic beer to quench our thirst and had the Chef's choice lunch course for ¥5,000, which included: - Appetizer (crab, fresh tofu with winter melon sauce) - Sashimi (bluefin tuna, flounder with kelp, spear squid) - Soup (pike conger and fresh wheat gluten) - Side dishes (sweetfish with roe, fig, chestnut, monkfish liver, cheese miso pickles, smoked salmon, smoked octopus, jade eggplant, sesame-dressed Kyoto vegetables) - Grilled dish (Tajima beef roast & grilled saury with sweet miso) - Rice dish (boiled bamboo shoots and chestnuts & red miso soup) - Pickles - Dessert (yuzu and matcha ice cream) The seasonal crab from Mikawa Bay was sweet. The bluefin tuna was medium fatty, the flounder was lightly kelp-cured, and the squid was sprinkled with wood sorrel. The side dishes were filled with seasonal delights, making me exclaim, "I could drink three cups of sake just with these side dishes." "What kind of sake do you like the most?" "It depends on the food, but I usually prefer sake." The chef showed me a bottle of Sado's local sake, "Shi," saying, "It's not well-known, but it's delicious." "Chef, that's not fair." We finished with boiled bamboo shoots and chestnuts & red miso soup. "It's quite an adventure to have red miso soup in Kyoto." "Yes, I wanted Kyoto people to understand the taste of red miso." I heard his wife is from Kyoto, and although he has finally gotten used to the Kyoto dialect, he often gets scolded by local customers. The young chef who decided to root himself in Kyoto deserves applause for his determination. It may have been a slightly biased review due to my local bias, but I was very satisfied with the perfect fusion of Mikawa's flavors and Kyoto's flavors... I definitely want to visit again at night next time. Thank you for the feast! (Taken with k-1 & Carl Zeiss)

I heard a rumor about this familiar Italian restaurant. It seems that a young chef with a solid foundation has recently opened a new restaurant serving a la carte Japanese cuisine. It is located just west of the Arakaricho intersection on Kawaramachi Street. The exterior is modest, with the main seating being an L-shaped counter. There is also one table. I visited at 5:30 pm and there was one group of customers already there. More regulars arrived later on. Despite being a place where you can order a la carte, they also offer a variety of dishes like soup and rice, unlike typical izakayas. I was surprised that the hamo (pike conger) was delicious even though it's still early in the season. It was enjoyable to see the whole process from deboning to grilling with sauce. I originally planned to just have a few dishes, but everything was so delicious that I ended up ordering more and ended up feeling full by the end. I'll have to be more careful with my orders next time! lol

Everything I ate was delicious. I was invited by a cute beckoning cat and took a seat at a splendid counter. I asked the owner for the chef's choice course. The ingredients and cooking methods were delicious, of course. The tableware and sake cups were also wonderful. The owner, who is good at chatting, explained everything carefully, which made the flavors even richer. The attention to detail in the seasoning, cooking utensils, and efficient movements was impressive. Even the wooden boxes used to store sashimi were fun to watch from the counter. The carefully prepared dishes were all elegant and paired well with Japanese sake. It's not that strong-flavored dishes like salted fish go well with sake, but rather that truly delicious food goes well with sake made from rice. It would be a waste not to enjoy these delicate flavors with water. Everything I ate was delicious. There was no time for a long-winded food review, it was just delicious. Thank you for a happy time.

Eating, getting fat, walking, and eating again. Located in the center of Kyoto, near the Kawaramachi Aragamiguchi area, there is a restaurant called "Tsuzuki". You can order a la carte dishes, but there is also an omakase course available. I made a reservation for a Saturday, September 5th, about a month in advance. There were two course options, one for 6,000 yen and the other for 8,000 yen, and I chose the latter. I want to clarify that although the course cost 8,000 yen, being a self-proclaimed heavy drinker, the total bill for my wife and I came to around 24,000 yen. The restaurant had a mix of table seating with female groups and counter seating with couples. The first dish was a cold dish with sesame tofu, fresh yuba, white zucchini, and sea urchin on top. It had a refreshing wasabi kick. The following dishes included a variety of appetizers and sashimi, all of which were delicious. The specialty dish, grilled eel, tempura of Japanese chili pepper, and eggplant with grated yam were particularly tasty. The roasted beef-like dish was actually steamed beef with a side of fish flakes. I enjoyed the meat dish and ended the meal with corn rice and ice cream for dessert. The restaurant is relatively new, with friendly staff and a comfortable atmosphere, making it a great place for both individuals and groups to enjoy quality food at a reasonable price. The location is easily accessible from the Marutamachi Station on the Keihan Electric Railway. I personally walked from Gojo Station, as the title of this blog suggests, and even stopped to buy some bread along the way. Overall, it was a satisfying and filling dining experience, and I look forward to returning to try their a la carte menu next time.

He may have a background in traditional Japanese cuisine, like a high-end restaurant, but I think he probably wants to be more like an izakaya or a small casual eatery. Kyoto has a high standard for izakayas, so he must have cleared that hurdle. His dishes may be a bit on the strong side and limited in variety, so it might be challenging to compete solely on the food. However, his grilled dishes with good quality fish and appetizers like ankimo seem to be delicious, so in that sense, he fits the izakaya style. The customer base in the area is good (with a high rate of "sensei" customers), but they can be loud and lacking in manners at drinking establishments. Especially when a group of four gets rowdy at a table, it can be unbearable. So, in that sense too, he fits the izakaya category. Given the size of the restaurant, playing some background music might help create a more relaxed atmosphere. With his skills, if he can attract people and create a "good izakaya where you can bring friends," I think he could be very successful. Let's all work together to create that kind of vibe. (Although, people like that probably aren't checking reviews on Tabelog anyway, haha)

I stopped by after a reception at the Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art. I admired the cherry blossoms near Kiyokojin before visiting. This restaurant allows you to order your favorite dishes instead of a set course, and I like the size of the place as well. I ordered dishes that my wife and I could share. The meal included: a starter of candied kumquats, octopus, and sweet and sour marinated fish; assorted sashimi of tuna, fatty tuna, flounder, ark shell, and saury; grilled eel with white sauce and plenty of Japanese pepper leaves; steamed beef (tender like roast beef); potato salad tempura with young sweetfish; grilled lotus root and various mountain vegetables; half a grilled goby with crispy skin on the side; rice with side dishes (for me) and salmon roe rice (for my wife); and a delicious clam soup made with steamed clam broth. The flavors were delicate, the ingredients well-chosen, and the presentation elaborate. The owner runs the restaurant alone, so the pace is leisurely. He is kind, which is reflected in his cooking. I look forward to visiting again during bamboo shoot season. Although the restaurant has been featured in magazines, I prefer to keep it a hidden gem. There were some loud customers, but I ignored them.

★Recommended by Tsukasa Kakuno★