Day Four in Kyoto: Kaiseki dinner at Kikokuso Ryokan
On Sunday night, we stayed at Kikokuso ryokan in Kyoto. Ryokans are traditional Japanese inns where dinner and breakfast are often included, and the food can be simple or extravagent. Here are some photos from our dinner, so you can decide for yourself...
Tea and a red bean sweet at check-in.
The first course - incredibly delicate fish in ponzu with grated radish.
Autumn kaiseki: green tea mousse, incredible ham, a candied chestnut, delicate fish wrapped in a transparent leaf, steamed fish wrapped in bamboo leaf, tiny potatoes with a hint of salt, candied persimmon...I think...
The teeny potatoes up close.
Sashimi course with shiso flowers, shiso sprouts, and shiso leaf.
Miso grilled fish with pickled ginger.
Soft, poofy tofu.
Eel and cucumber in a delicate creamy sauce.
Lotus root, pepper, and kabocha squash tempura.
Tsukemono - the pickle course.
Absolutely incredible woodsy, smoky matsutake mushroom soup.
Toothpick course - this seems to be a requirement in Japan.
A single, huge, perfect peeled grape and slices of juicy melon for dessert.
After dinner, we went for a walk. The futons were laid out for us while we were out.
Tea and a red bean sweet at check-in.
The first course - incredibly delicate fish in ponzu with grated radish.
Autumn kaiseki: green tea mousse, incredible ham, a candied chestnut, delicate fish wrapped in a transparent leaf, steamed fish wrapped in bamboo leaf, tiny potatoes with a hint of salt, candied persimmon...I think...
The teeny potatoes up close.
Sashimi course with shiso flowers, shiso sprouts, and shiso leaf.
Miso grilled fish with pickled ginger.
Soft, poofy tofu.
Eel and cucumber in a delicate creamy sauce.
Lotus root, pepper, and kabocha squash tempura.
Tsukemono - the pickle course.
Absolutely incredible woodsy, smoky matsutake mushroom soup.
Toothpick course - this seems to be a requirement in Japan.
A single, huge, perfect peeled grape and slices of juicy melon for dessert.
After dinner, we went for a walk. The futons were laid out for us while we were out.
posted by cindym at 12:24 AM
6 Comments:
When I was in Kyoto a few years ago, I was looking for an English-friendly ryokan serving kaiseki. Good to know about another one (for the next trip!). Their website doesn't list prices for the meal. Can I ask how much your kaiseki dinner was?
wow..looks beautiful. hope you're enjoying Japan--and the toilets, too!
(And make sure you go to one of those 100Yen shops, those places are great...)
Hi gnuf - I'm not sure how they broke it down. The end cost was about $240 a person for the kaiseki, a huge breakfast, and the room for one night, plus the bath. It seemed steep to us at first, but it was well worth it. Probably the best meal we had on the trip, and we had many, many great meals.
Hi David - we are, and the toilets are fabulous. I especially love the ones that emit a flushing sound through a little speaker. Not sure if that's only for the ladies, though...
cindym... u never fail to make me feel jealous, impressed, and hungry with every post. :D
but i still like u. lol
thanks chocopanda! i'll try to keep it up... ;)
This a meal I die for. I wish I was in Kyoto now!
Happy week!
Claudia
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