Eat, Drink, Sleep @Tokyo, Now in Nagasaki

Kyoto will have a city with huge diversity coming from the long history of this city...

My friend from Kyoto introduced me this fast food originally coming from Kyoto. This fast food stand was very strange for the outsider of Kyoto. We had the stereotyped image on Kyoto as sophisticated food as Tofu, Obanzai (local family foods) or Kaiseki course, old temples and shrines, beautiful gardens or beautiful Maiko. All symbol of Kyoto we reminded show the upper class, high grade or quality, patterned image on Kyoto.
My friend's introduction about Issen Yoshoku was very huge impact for me. The statues in front of the stand will not be able to be said as "graceful" a boy whose underwear was bitten by his dog show his buttocks. Several items in the restaurant show as the same direction of the statues.
Above all, the Okonomiyaki (the spell was different from the Osaka or Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki ; Japanese style Pancake) was cheap fast food as I had never imagined in Kyoto. The Okonomiyaki was served with thin sliced seaweed and brown sweet salty sauce which is stronger than Osaka in that of taste. The ingredient in the Okonomiyaki was very interesting as konnyaku(jelly made from paste of konjak flour) and chikuwa(minched fish meat shaped as bamboo) which were very traditional ingredient at our home. The half-cooked egg show the nice harmony with the brown vegetable sauce. The Konnyaku and chikuwa brought nice texture to Okonomiyaki.



http://www.issen-yosyoku.co.jp/

 The Shime Saba Zushi from Iduu was very lovely taste. Thick mackerel (Saba is mackerel in Japanese) was cooked with rice and Kombu. Shime is meaning soak some ingredient with rice vinegar and Kombu (kelp). The taste and flavour of kelp will go into the meat of mackerel. The various flavour of kelp and rice vinegar, taste of fatty mackerel and kelp Umami, and texture of the thick mackerel will show the nice harmony of the Shime Saba zushi.
You can get the half size of soaked mackerel Sushi at Isetan department store in Kyoto main station.
 
 

The classical designed modern public space in luxury hotel


The last visit article

The hotel I would like to try to staying when I visit Kyoto.

The Ritz carlton Kyoto is the newest luxary hotel in Kyoto. The hotel has very nice view and location to looking and access the Higashiyama(東山) from this hotel. I will introduce this hotel just the entrance or the loby area because I felt very beautiful and quiet time when I have been this hotel without staying or dinning.


You will find a lot of dinning spots or bar, sightseeing spots or excurtion spots around this hotel. This area the hotel located is my favourte in Kyoto
I think we do not need any word, just looking the picture.

 What I just to say is I like this Soba noodle.

The second article about the Tsujitome bento.
I have visited to Kyoto on early April, on the Sakura have fully bloomed. The Tsujitome, one of the most luxury Japanese restaurant in Kyoto produced the Hanami bento for enjoying with Sakura. The Hanami is the seasonal event for Japanese to feel spring coming. Under the right pink bloom and little cherry smell, we enjoy some alcohol and foods. From Heian era, Japanese enjoy the colour of flower or leaves and the states of falling them. Spring is Sakura, Autum is Momiji.
The Bento has a lot of flavor or ingridient to enjoy the Sakura.

 Sakura at Gion Higashiyama, Kyoto

(鯛桜葉巻寿司)
(だし巻き卵)
(鱒幽庵焼きたたき木の芽)
(海老そぼろ真蒸)
(嫁菜菊菜土筆ゴマびたし)
(竹の子旨煮空揚)
(花見団子串刺し)
(ふき旨煮)
(木の芽和え)
(イカ雲丹焼き)
(一寸豆塩茹で)
(鯛の子旨煮木の芽)
(蓬麩旨煮)
(蕨含み漬)
(湯葉山椒焼き)
(若鮎木の芽焼き)
(花弁生姜)

Febrary season version was this Article.

This Bento is seasonal. If you would like to buy this, please reserve yours at Isetan Kyoto department Store. You can get ones at Basement basement floor ot this department floor. My suggestion is enjoying this bento on the Shinkansen with Japanese sake.
The contact telephone: +81-75(342)5630

There is the easy way to taste the old classical Ryohtei dishes. Ther reservation for the Bento.

This restaurant was located in the very beautiful area in Kyoto, near the Kamo Gawa river. It was a little bit warm day in February, like the spring day I had very beautiful sunshine. After passing the Spring coming day, Japanese call Rissyun(立春), several days were warm and another several days were cold like winter.

Once I went into the restaurant, I found the drawn-arc counter around the kitchen space. The Itamae and two staffs were cooking and serving to the custamer. There were several fire area back of the kitchen and I was invited to the seat in front of the very large cutting board. The Itamae, we call the chef of Japanese food, cooked and decolated the courses with eregance.
The Japanese full course has name on each course and has meaning. The first is Sakitsuke(先付), like the starter or amuse busche. After that, the courses will start along Wanmono(椀物), Mukoutuke(向付), Yakimono(焼物), Nimono(煮物), Gohann(ご飯), Kanmi(甘味). There are several style they call the different names, but the course flow are almost same.
I like the taste basic and direction of this restaurant, light salt but it was for the Kanto people, the Kombu flaved dashi and vegitables coming from not only Kyoto.
The menu was start with the starter, boiled petasites with Japanese dashi soupstock. The dashi was thicken with Katakuriko. The dashi, the most important base of Japanese dishes, was so lovely I can smell the tangle(Kombu) and Katsuo, the soupstock in my home was based the flying fish on this season. I can realise the basic and origin of the course taste in the first starter.

After this warm starter, the forteen course are along to the desert. Each course was wonderful. On this article, I would like to introduce my favourite courses from the 15. The Wanmono, the Japanese soup, was the Shirauo, Shinjo and Nanohana, with dashi soup. They served that in the beautiful and modern Japan wan, designed the plam flower and tree.
The yakimono, broiled fish was Nodoguro. It was juicy with oil and very nice smell of the fish. This was the first time, I was able to enjoy what the Nodoguro was.

The Asparagus salad was served as the Hashiyasume. The dressed source was made from the onion but the flavor is the real Japanese style.
I found the Kutani porserin was very beautiful for the Kyoto style Japanese food. I am usually using the porserin from Arita or Imari at my home. The red was different, the Kutani red has the shadow in the red colour. And the blue, yellow, green and brown is very beautiful with the Sashimi of Maguro, white colour fishes and shellfishes.
 In fact, I would not like to write so much on this article. The restaurant does not only serve you the dishes but show and make you know what is the Japanese foods and culture as their style. If you are interested in this restaurant, Please call and make the reservation for your seat. They will entertain you.
The staff said the canal "Takase Gawa" in front of the Kappo will have very beautiful scine on the cherry brosum season. There are a lot of Sakura trees on the canal side. I hope I can come here again on April.