Our time in Kyoto provided the opportunity to sample a different side of Japanese cuisine than we had encountered elsewhere on our journey.
Kyoto’s food is much like the city itself: refined, elegantly-presented and understated. Unlike Tokyo, which has a multitude of experimental restaurants and now boasts more Michelin stars than Paris, the city takes a traditional stance when it comes to eating and menus tend to focus on subtle flavours which have been perfected over several generations.
The city has developed a particular reputation for tofu and we were keen to try one of the many yudofu (tofu hotpot) restaurants which cling to the hillside around Nanzen-ji temple. Such establishments rarely have a menu and tend to serve whatever the chef feels like cooking, so after choosing somewhere which seemed suitably popular with the locals we sat down and awaited our mystery meal with some trepidation.
Traditional Kyoto grub is served as a series of small portions, much like a Japanese version of tapas, and within a few minutes our kimono-clad waitress appeared balancing a tray stacked with more than twenty dishes.
I had never before realised just quite how many ways there are to prepare tofu; we had boiled tofu cut into flower shapes and painted with pink food dye, deep-fried tofu dipped in soy sauce, small chunks of tasty smoked tofu on skewers and slices of silky chilled tofu sprinkled with crunchy sesame seeds and tangy spring onions. We also tried the Kyoto delicacy yuba – thin sheets made from soybeans that have been ground and boiled into a milk-like liquid. It produces an unusual flavour and consistency which reminded me of fondue. With the exception of the fish-egg jelly (perhaps more of an acquired taste) and the white miso soup (sweeter and more sickly than its brown counterpart), the entire spread was delicious.
For dessert we were treated to a seasonal speciality – kushidango. Sold throughout Japan during cherry blossom season, these sweet rice dumplings are served on bamboo sticks and often coated with chocolate, cherry-flavoured icing or green tea paste. They’re mouth-wateringly good but can be very sugary; I’d caution against eating too many at once.
Despite its conservative culinary outlook, it is possible to experience a more contemporary take on Kyoto cuisine and one of our favourite finds was the stylish Iyemon Salon – a tea house for the Starbucks generation. Having experienced a traditional tea ceremony in Tokyo, it was fun to explore a menu encompassing unusual options such as matcha-flavoured ice cream and green tea cupcakes.
Finally, I can’t finish a post on Kyoto food and drink without mentioning Chez Quasimodo, a tiny bar opened by former greengrocer Sawaguchi in his garage. It’s well-hidden along a quiet residential street in the Gosho district but worth tracking down for its welcoming host and log fire-lit interior – though the European wine list and French jazz soundtrack may make you forget you’re Japan.
