deep kyoto

Right then! I’m off to Bali for a week and will be resolutely offline during the interval so there’ll be no more posts for a wee while, but before I go a short word of explanation. The astute among you may have noticed the appearance of a black box on the upper right of this page which proudly bears the name “Tadg’s”.

It looks like this (only smaller):

I’m pleased to announce that Tadg Mc Loughlin has agreed to become Deep Kyoto’s first official sponsor! Fond as I am of good food and tasty beverages, I don’t think I could have found a better partner. Tadg’s Irish bar and restaurant has a phenomenal selection of craft beers on tap (just check out the list on his site! go on click it!), and a fantastic menu. As I don’t eat meat myself, I’m particularly keen on the vegan selection. Take a look at Tadg’s legendary vegan pizza :

Mediterranean veggies, cheeseless pizza with organic Ise Miso

I ate that you know – and it was gorgeous! I ate this Tuscan bean and vegetable stew too (not at the same time though – that would be silly).

Tadg & Mika

Look at those colours! That’s not just food you know, it’s a beautiful piece of art. It’s poetry – in a bowl.

So there you have it; Tadg’s has great food, great beers, beautiful views over the Kamo river and super friendly staff and (I might be courting controversy here but), it’s also the only real Irish bar in town (in the sense of you know, actually having someone Irish in the place). That’s why I’m more than happy to have Tadg as my sponsor – I’m delighted!
To find Tadg’s walk straight up Kiyamachi from Sanjo, before you get to Oike you should see the Empire building on your right. Tadg’s is on the 8th floor. Click here for a most convenient map.

Recently I heard that an old friend Philippe Goulier, had opened up his own bar. I was curious to see it. Philippe had always talked about running his own little cafe, or tea house, or restaurant… or something, but it always seemed like it was just talk. It’s awfully nice when people exceed your expectations. Philippe has created a really nice little place. The name F.S.N. stands for Frontieres San Nations. I’ll let you puzzle over what exactly that might mean yourselves…

Burgundian, Philippe Goulier – a man of many talents.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Home of Craft Beer in Kyoto

Meet the family: Jimmy, Tadg, Mika, and Ben.

Four years since it first opened, the Irish pub formerly known as Mc Loughlin’s has been renamed as Tadg’s. Not a big change really, as I think everyone was calling it that anyway. I’ve written previously about this pub; its friendly hospitality and the fantastic views over the river and city. And Tadg’s cooking is also justifiably renowned; he uses locally grown organic vegetables in his many fine creations and the menu features an impressive vegan section. All that aside though, this bar’s most impressive feature is the selection of craft beers: Rogue, Ise Kadoya, Minoh, Yeti Imperial Oak and Victory at Sea… I had a snifter of the latter last night; a fine coffee flavored porter with hints of bitter chocolate like nothing I’ve ever tasted before. Absolutely gorgeous. Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s a place I’ve been meaning to write up for the longest time. As regular readers may be aware, of a weekend my friends and I tend to gather at the wonderful music bar Joao. However, Joao tends to close relatively early (around 11 pm), so if we still have a thirst upon us (and we invariably do) the bar of choice is Alphabet Ave. on Pontocho.

Some of the regulars…

Alphabet Ave. is a pretty laid back place with chill-out music and a fine night view over the Kamogawa. This bar specializes in rum but they have plenty of other drinks too. Read the rest of this entry »

Taisho being currently indisposed (long story), his pal Koji has temporarily taken over the running of our much beloved music bar Joao. And he has put his heart and soul into the job too, creating his very own pasta menu. Whether carbonara, arrabiata, or peperoncino, Koji’s pasta has proved a hit  with the regulars – and all dishes are priced at a mere ￥700！ Last night I ordered a simple spaghetti with mushrooms in a nice cheesy cream sauce…  Here’s the cook in action.

Koji – "The Cook of Love"

And here’s the spaghetti (I ordered 大盛り so this is an unusually large serving).

"Heartfull Pasta!"

How was it? – Delizioso!

Joao is a very nice (and spacious!) bar just south of Oike Dori on Higashinotoin (one street east of Karasuma Dori). Here is a map. During Taisho’s absence it will be closed on the following dates: March 27th & 28th and April 4th. Regular opening hours are from 6:00 pm till late.
Tel: 075 223 5881

Click here for the original post on Joao.

Sean Roe invited me out to this place ages ago. “￥380 a beer,” he said. Very hard to resist. So I went. And here’s what I found:

Kanso is a bar, and an art installation combined. Its concept can be roughly summarized as

drink x cans = fun

The art here is nothing precious,  consisting as it does of cans. Big cans that you sit at like tables and walls of cans to dazzle your eye. Read the rest of this entry »

Last Thursday Nick Coldicott, was in town and invited me out to sake bar Yoramu.  Nick is the editor of Time Out Shortlist Kyoto and also writes a drinks column for the Japan Times, so when he said that Yoramu was his favorite bar, I was naturally intrigued. Yoramu lived up to his promise. The master, Yoram, a quietly spoken Israeli perfectly fluent in English and Japanese, gently guides his customers through an impressive variety of flavors and happily explains how each fine beverage is made. Speaking honestly, I know nothing about sake – or I didn’t until I visited this bar – but one evening there is an education and a tasty one at that! I felt like a whole new fascinating world of booze had been opened up to me and Nick himself admitted “I never cared about nihonshu until I came here”. Many thanks are due to the calm yet charismatic master, Yoram. His passion for nihonshu and his enthusiasm is infectious. Read the rest of this entry »

A couple of weeks ago, jazz singer Allison Adams Tucker invited me to Blue Note to see her live performance there. It was a great show but also an excellent opportunity to check out this legendary live music venue. I spoke to the current master Ohigashi-san. A mild-mannered chap, he goes by the nickname of  Chooper-san (after blues musician Al Kooper), and is as Allison put it “a very cool cat”. Blue Note has been open for 47 years now and has seen a fair number of famous musicians walk through its doors, either to perform or to kick back after performing elsewhere. Read the rest of this entry »

One Night – Eight Bars.

A few weeks ago, my old drinking buddy David Ewen and I set out to explore some of the bar culture in the Kiyamachi area armed with my copy of 京都穴BAR (a Japanese pocket guide to Kyoto’s hole-in-the-wall bars). Actually I really recommend this book and others in the らくたび文庫 series (I have the cafe guide too). For less than 500 yen you get a guide to 33 different bars and a very easy to use map to help you find them. Though it’s in Japanese, even if you can’t read it you can still get an idea of the atmosphere of each location just by checking out the pictures.

Before I take you through the tour I should say though that most of the people in these bars whether owners, staff or regulars speak little or no English. If you can’t speak Japanese at all, you might want to stop reading now. However, if you do want to speak Japanese, meet some locals in a friendly atmosphere, or if you are just tired of the usual foreigner hang-outs – read on! Read the rest of this entry »

I originally wrote about Kisui on this blog in 2007.  Two months ago I sat down with Setsuko for a proper interview and took some fresh pictures  for this month’s edition of Kyoto Visitors Guide.  As always and inevitably, quite a lot got left by the wayside during the editing process. However, this time I somehow felt more than a little dissatisfied with what finally went to press. I understand fully why those cuts were made. But the edited article seemed so average, and as this is one of my favorite places in Kyoto, I want to do it justice. Here for your reading pleasure are my original words, complete and uncut, and a few extra piccies too.

Here’s an idea for a pleasant afternoon in deep Kyoto. Take a stroll through the Gion district to Kenninji; Kyoto’s oldest Zen temple. Walk about the beautiful gardens and view the gorgeous artworks on display. Feel your jaw drop at the awesome beauty of the Junsaku Koizumi’s Twin Dragons installation. Then head south to Ebisu shrine. Say a prayer here to the guardian spirit of business and prosperity. Camera in hand, walk back up through Miyagawa-cho. This charming machiya lined street will give you a flavor of old Kyoto and is prime territory for Maiko spotting. Around six in the evening you will see many of the beautiful apprentice geisha hurrying off to their various engagements. By now it is evening, dusk has fallen, and your feet are tired after all that walking. Perhaps you fancy a bite to eat or maybe just a drink? I know just the place for you! This month Deep Kyoto recommends the bar Kisui and the izakaya style casual restaurant Mamoriya. Read the rest of this entry »