Wagashi: Ryuen Rakuseki and Maccha Rakuseki

March 11, 2008 10 Comments

Wagashi Series: Ryuen Rakuseki and Maccha Rakuseki (柳苑: 楽石・抹茶楽石)

Wagashi: Ryuen Rakuseki and Maccha Rakuseki

Ryuen specializes in a simple and elegant wagashi that combines a center of candied kuri (chestnut) embedded in koshian (sweet azuki bean paste) with a coating of sugar and kuzu (arrow root starch), some with the addition of sugary green tea powder (maccha). Ryuen‘s wagashi is decidedly classical in…

Uichiro: Kamo Nanban, Soba Kanten Jelly — CLOSED

February 11, 2008 7 Comments

Sadly, Uichiro has closed. Uichiro: Kamo Nanban, Kisetsu-no-gozen, Soba Kanten Jelly (宇一朗へぎそば・越前そば)

Paku and I were invited to Uichiro, an elegant handmade soba and udon restaurant yesterday by one of Paku’s foodie friends. Uichiro is in a beautiful old machiya (traditional Kyoto house), has excellent food, great atmosphere and very friendly service. I had kamo nanban (鴨南蛮そば), which is…

Toriyasu: Kyoto-style Chicken Donburi Shop

January 9, 2008 13 Comments

Toriyasu: Kyoto-style Chicken Donburi Shop (とり安丼・鳥料理)

Tori Yasu - Chicken Donburi, Kyoto Chicken Cuisine

Toriyasu serves several donburi (ricebowl) dishes that are unbeatable. This tiny and charming restaurant with about 50 years of history is an offshoot of the 120 year old poulterer just next door. Toriyasu serves three classic donburi dishes and the most famous of which is karaagedon.…

Hatsumode: The First Visit to a Shrine of the New Year

January 2, 2008 No Comments

(Japanese New Year’s Celebration) Hatsumode: The First Visit to a Shrine of the New Year (初詣)

Hatsumode is usually thought of as January 1st, although it can be a few days later. People visit a shrine or sometimes temple and pray for comfort and health in the new year. It is very common to see women in kimono and quite…

Owariya — 540 Year Old Soba Restaurant

December 11, 2007 8 Comments

Owariya — 540 Year Old Soba Restaurant 本家尾張屋

Owariya, a purveyor to the Imperial Household, has a history that goes back over five hundred and forty years. It is the oldest noodle shop in Kyoto. Over the centuries, Owariya has served emperors and shoguns as well as the monks of many of the temples of Kyoto. Owariya is very popular…