Both mom and little guy passed out immediately after their shower so that allowed me some precious time to sneak out with Jelloman for a late-night bite. But as soon as we headed out the door (without our umbrella), rain started to pour heavily. Luckily for us, there are a number of bars and restaurants still open around the corner to where we stayed, including River Ramen.
Tucked away in a quiet alley in Sendocho (and not far from the legendary Kamo River 鴨川), River Ramen is a small ramen shop that ended up rescuing us from the heavy rain.
The sleek and modern chic ramen shop looked more like a dessert cafe or coffee shop at first glance.
There are four different types of ramen served at River Ramen including two ramen noodle soup and two tsukemen ramen (cold or lukewarm thick noodles served with steaming soup on the side).
Kohaku Ramen (900 yen) - The marriage of chicken and seafood broth was really nice. It's relatively light but very flavorful. This came with a marinated soft-boiled egg, two pieces of barbecued pork (one tasted like pork's neck and the other more like pork belly), bonito shaving and a lovely hint of yuzu. I like the thick noodles there working there with the flavorful broth.
Shiro Ramen (950 yen) - This was served in a white miso-spiked chicken paitan broth (white soup) so not surprisingly, a lot more creamy and milky than the broth from the previous Kohaku Ramen. While it came with deep-fried potato strings, shredded chili peppers and barbecued pork, there's no egg!
If you like a creamy and soothing ramen broth like me, Shiro Ramen would be a much better choice here. The only thing I didn't like about it were the thin noodles making it a little hard to absorb the flavors of the broth.
Now that we've finally got a full stomach, it's time to head back into the rain and back to our hotel for some sleep.
River Ramen is open Friday to Wednesday from 11:30am – 15:00pm for lunch and 18:00pm - 23:00pm for dinner.
Food Rating: 5.5/10
Price: ￥￥￥
Address: 225-3 Sendochō, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto, 600-8019, Japan
Closest Metro Station: Kawaramachi
Website: www.river-ramen.com
fyi
Despite having two Michelin-starred restaurants under his name, Chef Masato Miyazawa is never a household name in Kyoto's dining scene unless you're a real pro. He opened his first restaurant, Jiki Miyazawa (じき 宮ざわ), near buzzy Nishiki Market (錦市場) back in 2007. A 10-seater kappō restaurant (traditional counter-style Japanese restaurant) serving refined chakaiseki cuisine and it was an instant hit. Not surprisingly, it was recognized in the inaugural Michelin guide for Osaka and Kyoto in 2009 with a star which it retained ever since. In 2014, Chef Miyazawa left Jiki Miyazawa to open its fine-dining sister Godan Miyazawa in a quiet and unassuming residential area near Gojo. That too was awarded with a star soon after.
Jiki Miyazawa is virtually impossible to get in without advance booking. Like many upscale restaurants in Japan, they don't accept reservations directly from overseas customers so all bookings must come from the hotel concierge. Thanks to the quick work by my hotel concierge, I was able to secure my booking months in advance. For this meal, I have recruited Agent-I as my partner-in-crime since she was in town for a sightseeing trip.
For a restaurant of its caliber, lunch at Jiki Miyazawa is surprisingly affordable. There are three multi-course set menu offered at JPY3,500, JPY5,000 and JPY7,000 respectively. Since I wasn't particularly hungry (after my breakfast at grains de vanille), I went with the set that cost JPY5,000.
After some welcoming sake, we were presented with the first course (or sakizuke) of the meal. Grilled octopus was served underneath a pile of diced watermelon and strawberry granita. A really nice play on contrasting temperatures and textures while the perilla flowers on top brought some extra kick to the dish.
One of the nicest thing about kappō-dining is the ability to see our chef working behind the counter. The interactive dialogue with Chef Takamoto Izumi really makes this a very unique dining experience.
Our Suimono course was next. The steaming hot soup made with bonito and seaweed came with a tender piece of pike conger. Not bad.
Better was the next course of bonito sashimi, which was sprinkled with fresh green onion and seaweed. It was interestingly matched with two distinctly different sauces, a sweet soy sauce (red) and sushi rice sauce (white) for a surprisingly rounded finish.
The fourth dish was Chef Miyazawa's yaki-gomadōfu, a signature dish which has taken him three years to perfect. The grilled tofu, made with sesame, kombu and kudzu (some sort of arrowroot) was beautifully matched with a rich and gooey sesame dressing and a shower of grated sesame. A delicately balanced dish with different textures of sesame shining through brightly.
The grill dish was Japanese salmon with crunchy eggplant, purple onion and ginger.
Some fish roes hidden underneath provided explosiveness to the dish.
As usual, a rice dish with pickled vegetables and miso soup to close out a kaiseki meal.
Nothing smells better than freshly cooked rice!
Some Japanese Chirimen Jako or young sardines to go with our perfectly soft and tender steamed rice (We were told that the rice came from three different cooking in order to create three varying textures and degree of moisture).
Dessert was a simple combination of green and purple grape on a small pool of wine jelly.
And a peanut shaped Japanese sweet.
A kaiseki meal is not complete without a simple tea ceremony.
I thought the portion was just right.
It looked like we were the last party to finish so we quickly settled the bill and spent some time checking out some souvenirs from the nearby Nishiki Market.
Unlike my previous experience with kaiseki cuisine, Jiki Miyazawa offers a cuisine that is deeply rooted in Japanese tradition but thoughtfully infused with contemporary twist. That's what makes it so exciting and special.
Jiki Miyazawa opens 12:00pm-14:00pm for lunch and 17:30pm-21:00pm for dinner. Its scheduled holidays are Thursdays and first Wednesday of the month. So yes, they are one of the few upscale Japanese restaurants that opens on Sunday.
Food Rating: 6.5/10
Price: ￥￥￥
Address: 553-1 Yaoyacho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto, 604-8123, Japan
Closest Metro Station: Karasuma
Tel: +81 (0) 75 213-1326
Website: www.jiki-miyazawa.com
Just look up any list of top coffee shops in Kyoto on the internet and you'd be surprised how many times you come across the name, Weekenders Coffee.
The original Weekenders Coffee opened in 2005 becoming one of the first espresso shops in Japan's ancient capital. Owner Masahiro Kaneko and his wife started their own roasting in 2011 but found themselves running out of space. Thus, Weekenders Coffee Tominokoji was born in 2017. Hidden inside a parking lot near Nishiki Market (錦市場), Weekenders Coffee Tominokoji became an instant hit attracting coffee lovers from all over town.
Space is always at a premium in central Kyoto so don't expect a seating area inside this coffee oasis.
Kaneko-san actually preferred it this way - a standing bar where he and his team get to talk coffee and roasting with customers while getting instant feedback.
Like any good coffee shop, Weekenders Coffee Tominokoji doesn't have a long, boring menu. This is short and sharp, straight to the point.
I finally got my coffee fix! WOW, that's very strong.
Got me waken up instantly!
Apart from supplying beans (Kenya and Columbia) to a variety of local coffee shops, Weekenders Coffee Tominokoji also has a small counter to sell their beans in house.
OK, I was kind of lying when I said Weekenders Coffee Tominokoji's strictly a standing bar. There are actually a couple of seats just outside the shop at the back of the car park.
This popular (and secretive) coffee place is open from 7:30am to 18:00pm daily and closed every Wednesday.
As one of the first pioneers and local roasters in Kyoto, Weekenders Coffee remains highly regarded in the city's coffee scene despite all the evolution that has taken place over the past few years. It remains a must-see cafe for any traveling coffee lover to Kyoto.
Price: ￥￥￥
Address: 560 Honeyanocho, Nakagyo-ku, , Kyoto, 604-8064 Japan
Closest Metro Station: Gion-Shijo
Tel: +81 (0)7 5746-2206
Website: www.weekenderscoffee.com
Kyoto is arguably the best place to experience Japanese's long tradition of Wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets) in Japan but apart from traditional sweets, there are also a number of French patisseries in the ancient city that are worth a serious look. Since I'm free all morning, I thought I should start the day by checking one of those French pastry shops off my list.
Situated in an area near Karasuma Oike Station which is known for its home furniture stores, Grains de vanille stands out with its cozy atmosphere and modern European style decor.
Owner-chef Tsuda Reisuke (津田励祐) honed his skills in Paris working at some of the best pastry and chocolate shops including Pierre Hermé and Jean-Paul Hévin before returning to Tokyo to build up his experience at Shiseido Parlour. In 2011, he finally opened his own pastry shop, Grains de vanille in Kyoto.
Unlike some of the pastries we found in Kyoto, Chef Tsuda's creations are authentically French with a fine touch of Japanese influence.
One of Chef Tsuda's signature desserts is his classic mille-feuille topped with caramel cream. But with 20 different kinds of cakes on display, I know it's not going to be an easy choice for me (One thing for sure, I won't be picking the mille-feuille since I'm not much of a fan).
This is what I call a perfect (and hearty) breakfast with sweets and floral tea.
It's almost the tail end of the Japanese white peach season so perhaps one of my last chance to taste their best crop of white peach.
Momo (580 yen) - The delicate white peach mousse cake is nicely garnished with pieces of white peach and raspberry on top.
Underneath the rich white peach mousse are layers of light raspberry mousse, raspberry jam and buttery sponge cake. A real impressive pastry with different textures of raspberry balancing the sweetness of white peach nicely.
Amabilite (580 yen) - With Chef Tsuda's background working for Jean-Paul Hévin, I know I have to at least check out one of his chocolate cakes.
What makes this cake so delicious apart from the light and delectable chocolate mousse are the runny jasmine tea ganache, apricot compote and chocolate sponge lying underneath. A lovely creation with a wonderful symphony of rich, light and fruity flavors. It was finished elegantly with a piece of gold leave on top.
I guess the rumor about Pierre Hermé visiting this place twice is true. I can really see it happening.
Food Rating: 7/10
Price: ￥￥￥
Address: 486 Kagiyachō, Nakagyō-ku, Kyoto, 604-0832, Japan
Closest Metro Station: Karasuma Oike
Tel: +81 (0)75 241-7726
Website: www.grainsdevanille.com
There are not a whole lot of French restaurants in Kyoto (most of Japan for all that matters!) that allow kids to enter their dining room. Nakatsuka is one of the few outliers out there who is kids friendly and that's where we have decided to have dinner tonight.
Young chef-owner Takayuki Nakatsuka (中塚貴之) has a pretty strong pedigree which caught my eyes when I was doing my research of this trip on the internet. He started his career working under Yoshihiro Narisawa, one of the greatest Japanese chefs who ever took on French cooking. Following 5 years of training under Chef Narisawa at La Napoule in Kanagawa Prefecture, Chef Nakatsuka took off for Europe to further hone his skills. After stops at Michelin starred Le Pre Catelan, Le Grand Vefour (Paris, France), Arzak (San Sebastian, Spain) and Pastorale (Reet, Belgium), he returned to Japan in 2011 working on various projects, including a brief stint at Narisawa in Tokyo. In 2017, his passion guided him back to his hometown Kyoto where he opened his first solo venture, an eponymous restaurant in the heart of Kyoto.
Restaurant Nakatsuka is housed inside a beautifully restored machiya (traditional Kyoto townhouse).
I love restaurants heavy with work furniture and decorations. It really gives us a great sense of comfort and the warm, homey feeling that we're actually dining at a friend's house.
Restaurant Nakatsuka has a very simple food menu comprising of around 10 to 12 dishes so it didn't take very long for us to decide on what we wanted. Before dinner officially started, there was a small amuse bouche, watermelon and beetroot gazpacho with lime leaf foam to get our palates ready.
After the small nibble, we kicked off tonight's meal with our first dish, chilled corn soup with coffee powder, olive oil and popcorn. This was the perfect way to start off a meal in a hot summer night like this. Interesting how they match the sweetness of the sweet corn with some bitterness from the coffee powder and a bit of savory flavor from what I thought was a bacon foam.
Next we had a langoustine salad with diced asparagus, beans and mixed green. A lemony dressing provided some lovely acidity to whet our appetite.
Special thanks to the chef for cooking up a special off-menu pasta for our little one.
It was one of the few times I had the chance to experience a Sendai wagyu beef. I thought it's flavorful and pretty juicy like most wagyu but it didn't have the same marbling as the ones from say, Miyazaki or Kobe.
It was running a little late so instead of dipping into their dessert menu, we reluctantly went for the bill instead.
I had the impression coming in that Restaurant Nakatsuka was a bona-fide French restaurant (because every website said so!) but that was pretty far from the truth. Well, the truth is, it serves up a modern European cuisine based on the chef's extensive travel in Europe and his clever use of local ingredients. It's not as innovative as I once thought it was and it's definitely a work in progress.
PS. I was very impressed with the service, especially our server's fluency in English. That's always a big plus in Japan.
Food Rating: 5.5/10
Price: ￥￥￥
Address: 299 Kinoshitacho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto, 604-8104 Japan
Closest Metro Station: Karasuma Oike
Tel: +81 (0)7 5223-0015
Website: www.nakatsuka-kyoto.com
