My first visit was just three minutes before opening on a weekday last month. The location is a short walk from Exit 5 of Keihan Electric Railway's Kiyomizu Gojo Station. After heading east along Route 1, I turned south at the third traffic light, then east at the fourth alley, and continued south and east until I found the restaurant on my left. It took just over 10 minutes from the station.Upon arrival, I waited outside until my reservation was confirmed, and then I was guided inside. There were already some guests who had ordered drinks. I requested the Elegant Apple for JPY 1,200. Around 12:05, the chef lined up, and the owner greeted us to start the lunch course priced at JPY 12,000.The operation consists of five staff members, with ten seats at the main counter and one private room called "Hanare." The meal began with abalone and sesame tofu. On this day, there were three new guests, including myself, which was quite rare as the restaurant usually serves regular customers. I was informed that a new membership-based teppan-yaki restaurant had opened in Miyakawacho.Next, I enjoyed sushi with a large wasabi leaf, corn tempura, followed by sweetfish from Lake Biwa, and then a dish of sliced sea bass topped with green beans and karasumi, served with a separate dashi broth for each dish.Next, I was served a whole grilled asparagus. Following that, there was a dish of red shiso wrapped meat, and a soup with golden eye snapper, accompanied by duck eggplant, kudzu, and new burdock, which was delicious.Finally, we had shirasu (whitebait) and kombu clay pot rice, and finished with homemade aged 100% pineapple ice cream. I paid in cash and left the restaurant. The lunch course lasted exactly two hours.The owner is quite chatty and has a great way of presenting the dishes. It's clear that a lot of care goes into the preparation.I happened to see the restaurant's reservation page on Ikkyu.com and found availability on a day I could visit, so I made an immediate reservation. At the end, the owner informed me about the next reservation, mentioning that they are fully booked for the rest of the year, but if I wrote my mobile number in the reservation notebook, I would receive a call around August for next year's bookings, which I did.This restaurant is always packed with regulars. I've heard that some customers even travel from Sendai just for the lunch course. It's a very popular place.
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