This is a Michelin two-star Japanese restaurant located in Higashiyama, Kyoto. Known for its innovative themed dishes and the chef's entertaining stories, I was very much looking forward to my lunch visit.The interior creates a traditional Japanese atmosphere with earthy tones, while the design above the counter seats and the spotlights have a modern touch. This might reflect a fusion of old and new.Once all ten counter seats were filled and drinks were served, the chef greeted everyone, and lunch began.I had made a reservation for the "Lunch Omakase Course @ JPY 12,000 (cash only)."Here’s what I enjoyed:◯ Yomogi (mugwort) with Aonori (green seaweed), fried style→ The dashi (broth) was incredibly delicious. The bitterness of the yomogi was pleasantly refreshing.◯ Duck meat with okra, corn, Kamatsu sushi, wasabi leaves, and molokhia→ The duck was juicy and flavorful. The combination of okra's taste and texture was excellent. The sweetness of the corn was impressive. I enjoyed the Kamatsu sushi while eating the wasabi leaves.◯ Grilled & fried sweetfish, nyumen in sweetfish dashi→ Both the grilled and fried sweetfish had delicate flavors. I added the grilled sweetfish to the nyumen and enjoyed the aroma and umami!◯ Suzuki (sea bass) with aged karasumi (salted mullet roe) & kinome (Japanese pepper leaves), dashi→ A surprising amount of aged karasumi was generously served. The pleasant aroma of the aged karasumi and kinome was delightful, and it paired beautifully with the dashi.◯ Asparagus→ Served hot with a nice salty flavor, it was delicious.◯ Beef, potatoes, sansho pepper, and akamejito→ A dish where beef was wrapped around potatoes. The umami of the beef, the texture of the potatoes, and the accent of sansho pepper were all great.◯ Soup, sweetfish, round eggplant, mushrooms, and assorted mountain vegetables→ Also served hot. The umami of the sweetfish dashi was very tasty!◯ Unagi (eel) over rice with egg→ A surprising twist on egg over rice with eel on top! About 3.5 eels were used. The crispy skin of the eel combined with the sweet egg over rice was incredibly delicious. After a while, I was told I could have a refill, so I added more eel! I enjoyed it as mixed rice and had two servings.◯ Ice cream with pineapple→ I enjoyed it very much.For drinks, I had half servings of the following Japanese sake:- Kurodai (Fukui)- Joyo Junmai Daiginjo (Kyoto)I was completely captivated by the chef's theatrical performance and pleasant stories unfolding right in front of me. I had a delightful and enjoyable special time that lasted over two hours.The total bill came to JPY 14,000.It was an incredible value for the quality.It was a great meal!
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