Our cruise ship was planning on an overnight stay in Osaka, which is the closest port to Kyoto. This meant we had the opporunity to spend an entire day in Kyoto plus have time for dinner at one of the best restaurants in Japan. Kyoto is the cultural home of Japan, with the old Nijo Castle, hundreds of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, the geisha district, and kaiseki (Japanese fine dining).
Kyo-Kaiseki is the dining equivalent of the Japanese tea ceremony. As much built around the environment, the service, the performance and of course, the food. While there are many lists of the top ten kaiseki restaurants in Kyoto, we chose one that is steeped in history – Takeshigero. It was founded in 1716 and currently the 12th generation chef Yoji Satake and his wife (Takako Satake) are the purveyors.
The restaurant is set on the outskirts of Kyoto, very close to the Gion District (geisha area). Each dinner party has their own private room. All are modern Japanese style, with tatami mats, minimalist decor, and seemingly soundproof. Some of the rooms have western-styled tables and chairs, while others are the traditional floor seating with magnificant wooden tables. Ours had cushions and seating with backs, and the added convenience of a hole under the table to stick your legs. There as also a glass wall that looks out into a private bamboo garden with a water feature – so that when the glass was opened you could hear the water. The only thing that would have been nicer is if there was a light for the garden as in the dark it wasn’t easily seen.
The Culinary Adventure
A kaiseki meal really should be considered as a whole – with the environment, service, performance, and food all as one unit. Each course is artfully prepared and presented, with care thought to each item, how it is placed, what dish or plate is used and its history, how it is served. For instance, the apertif was served in a very shallow ceramic dish, each one having a unique kanji character written in gold. It was served by our kimono clad waitress on her knees, poured from a special pot.
A kaiseki meal also has 10 courses in a prescribed order. The dishes will vary day to day, week to week and season to season. All based on having the absolutely freshest ingredients picked at the perfect time for the optimum taste. The food is light on seasoning and sauces, so the highlight is the flavor and/or combination of flavors in the ingredients, along with the artfully presentation. Savor each mouthful, contemplate the environment, enjoy the company that you share this experience with.
Shokuzen-shu (aperitif)
It started with an apertif of an exquisite sake. Very light, smooth and mildly sweet. We toasted each other, toasted the room, and so the 2 hour dining adventure began.
Saki-zuke (starter)
The starter had a small piece of barracuda sushi and a triangle of foie-gras topped with a soft white turtle jelly. In a separate vessel was squid with salted sea cucumber guts and celery. And a third ceramic had persimmon encrusted with tofu. All very delicately flavored. Each a single mouthful. No specific order to eat. I love foie-gras and this was quite good, with the jelly adding a little more consistency to it, the foie-gras melting in your mouth while the jelly could be bitten.
Ko-suimono (Little Soup course)
Next up was what is refered to as the little soup course. It was another bowl (saucer) the only slightly larger than the apertif. It was an incredibly mild clear broth with half a dozen small roasted pine nuts. Very nice interlude before some more substantial fare.
Mushi-mono (steamed food course)
For the steamed food course we had a Matutake mushroom, Pike conger eel, Japanese parsley, and citrus. It was served in an earthenware pot that steam-boiled everything. The pot had a lid that because a small bowl so you could also drink the broth which was very rich. The liquid seemed to have concentrated all of the flavors.
Muko-zuke (sashimi course)
Next up a few pieces of fresh mackerel and fatty tuna, served with Tosa soy sauce.
Yaki-mono (grilled fish course)
For the grilled fish course we had a small slice of local salmon with the skin paired with kabosu citrus. The kabosu citrus is similar to yuzu but with more of a tangy taste. It went surprisingly well with the salmon.
Atsu-mono (hot dish) –
Then for the substantial part of the meal, with all of the previous being the lead-in, we had the chef’s presentation. First the server comes in to present the platter of meat and vegetables that will be part of this meal. Then the sliding doors open and chef Satake-san is sitting there with the small portable stove and lovingly prepared the dish so that everything was cooked exactly the right length of time. Since it was Tajima beef, it is critical to get the flavor just right while leaving the beef as tender, as “melt in your mouth”, as possible. We had Tajima beef, matutake mushroom, burdock, kujo green onion, pepper cooked in a white miso broth. I just say this was divine. Individually each was flavorful, and the broth was excellent. Every drop was consumed.
Shii-zakana (side dish) and Gohan (rice)
A specialty of Takeshigero is eel – which is why it showed up twice in this meal. Here we had it grilled eel on top of the rice dish. Served on the side were a collection of Japanese pickles.
Mizu-mono (dessert)
Finally, after we were all full, we had some of the seasonal fruits – persimmon, green grape, on top of azuka beans with a scoop of Earl Grey Tea ice. This last item was a surprise and we struggled to identify the flavor. It was delightful and added to the whimsey that you are also supposed to have with a true kaiseki experience.
I should mention that the wife sat down with us to have a polite conversation. Her English was reasonable. I just wish that I spoke Japanese because I’m sure there would have been a much more lively conversation and set of stories we could have heard about this restaurant with 300 years of family history.
Summary
Definitely this is one of the finest restaurants in the world. The kaiseki experience is worth doing at least once in your life. Very different than a tasting menu that you get in western restaurants – here the ingredients are meant to speak for themselves. You don’t get the sauces and spices that you expect elsewhere. Here simplicity is the king – less is more. Selecting the perfect mushroom to go with the beef, the correct citrus that will enhance the salmon flavor in an unexpected way, picking the right combinations of the dishes to suit the season – that is the art. And being able to enjoy it in a setting that focuses on the experience of tasting, no, savoring, each bite. Worth every penny (and it was a lot of pennies!).
Takeshigero restaurant where you can make reservations. The staff does speak enough English for foreigners.
65 Toriicho Awataguchi, Sanyo-Ku, Kyoto, Japan +81 (075) 771-4185
Check out our other entries of things to do while in Kyoto.