Sakurada is really one of the best restaurants I’ve been to. Since I posted a long and loving review of my initial lunch there, here’s a capsule view of dinner. Highlights from my perspective were: The daikon with the tsukuri (2nd row center, next to the tuna). Instead of cutting the daikon into a long […]
washoku
- Kyoto
- ...
Shoraian, Kyoto (松籟庵,嵐山)
Ahhhh, the whispering bamboo forests of Arashiyama. Strangely, it was quiet here despite it being the Saturday of a long weekend, and the one of the forced exodus from Tokyo. And it was quieter after we walked through the forests, along the river, and up the rough rock steps to the entrance to Shoraian. Down […]
- Kyoto
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Nishinotoin Shokudo, Kyoto (京 小町食堂 西洞院店)
I’ve been accused of excessive blogging, but only once or twice. (I’ve also been accused of a few other things in relation to this blog, but mostly they were inspired by Canadia and her denizens.) Anyway, For the 3 minutes it’ll take to upload and type, I think it’s interesting and maybe useful to point […]
- izakaya
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Kyomachi, Kyoto (京町)
Pontocho. Part two for this evening. Better than part one. Contrary to all my protestations, this place faces the main alley and is bright and a little commercial-looking. Not too much though. And as soon as you get inside, it’s dauntingly old-fashioned, with a proper entrance leading up to a tatami area behind closed doors, […]
- izakaya
- ...
Kyona, Kyoto (酒と味 京菜)
The Kamogawa, at night, looking north. Learned an interesting thing about orienting yourself within the (already very sensible) street grid of Kyoto: you always have mountains on three sides, and the ’empty’ side is south. The bright lights on the west bank are the outward-facing manifestation of the much-beloved and little-penetrated Pontocho district. Maybe it’s […]
- Kanda
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Kouetsu, Kanda (旬魚 口悦)
Spring is in the airz. The tower continues to erectify. That wasn’t a word, so don’t add it to your vocabulary. Meanwhile, in a completely differential part of town (I’m Edokko, so I think Eitaibashi is light years away from northerly Kanda), Big Bird and I walked around for a long time, decided we didn’t […]
Gaga Onsen, Zao (峩々温泉,蔵王,宮城)
Snow, snow, snow. I don’t ski. I don’t snowbo. I don’t skate (on anything). Snowshoeing, icefishing, no. Truth is, I don’t like being cold. (Or hungry, as you may have noticed.) But I love seeing snow through a clear window from the comfort of a warm room. And as I learned many years ago, an […]
Nakasato, Matsushima (磯焼 なかさと)
We’ll start this trip with a cave, I think. Zuiganji is a nice enough temple, and really a must if you’re in Matsushima – there aren’t that many things to do other than cruise the bay. Unfortunately the harsh climate means it needs a lot of renovation, and right now it’s in one of those […]
Mountain, Asakusa (マウンテン)
Here we are in Asakusa on January 2nd. It’s mobbed around Thunder Gate, and the street is closed to cars. Fortunately there are also plenty of stores if you need to stop in for a snack after waiting in line or just after walking from Monnaka up to here Phew! Not as long as it […]
- Other treats
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Haruno, Omotesando (はるの)
Omotesando dining has always presents problems – everyone feels like there are tons of great restaurants mixed with the fancy shopping, but it’s not true. Today in the middle of a walk we wandered into this place; it turned out to be ‘healthy dining’, but not in a bad way, in a stylish room with […]