I was talking to my friend Yutaka one day and telling him that I couldn't find the right sort of cafe. "Of course, I know lots of nice cafes," I said, "but they don't serve my needs. They are too popular, and crowded. I want somewhere quiet, and unpopular, where I can go by myself, be anti-social and just lose myself in a book without being bothered by anyone. I can't find … [Read more...]
Vege-Cafe Kanna
Vege-Cafe Kanna is not so much a vegetarian restaurant as a restaurant that puts a big emphasis on vegetables and other healthy natural food. They do have vegetarian options though if you ask for them. I asked for the vegetarian version of the "Kanna Lunch Set". It's important that you specify that you are vegetarian so that they don't use any dashi which contains fish … [Read more...]
Blues Cafe Ball’n’Chain
Sometimes Mewby and I head back up to north Kyoto to revisit our old haunts. One Sunday afternoon we spent a pleasant afternoon up by Demachiyanagi flying the kite that I'd brought back from Bali. There's a spit of land there where the two rivers meet that's just perfect for it. Many kids (and their dads) were eyeing my paper bird with silent envy, but the two ladies in … [Read more...]
Cafe Barbatica Beer Tour Party Pics! + Videos!
One of the big events I attended while I was (interminably) offline was *La Mano Fria's Beer Tour Party* at Cafe Barbatica on July 19th. La Mano Fria is a designer, artist, performer, record label owner and (most importantly) amateur brewer who came all the way from Miami just to share his many splendid talents with us. I was very happy to meet him. Though son of Costa … [Read more...]
Ha-Ha apartment + cafe
UPDATE October 2010: Sad to say but this place has now closed. Ha-Ha apartment + cafe specialises in burgers and sandwiches served with really good fresh bread baked on the premises. Everything is reasonably priced, the food tastes great and the portions are extremely generous. Their most popular dish is the "88" (in Japanese "ha ha" - geddit?) sandwich plate, which is two … [Read more...]
Vanilla
Vanilla is a stylish location for lunch, dinner or just a simple coffee. They do a very good coffee. The interior is decorated with cool, mellow Scandinavian furnishings. Presumably there is some connection with the "Nordic Countries" store downstairs. … [Read more...]
Quarirengue
Here's a nice quiet place for coffee and cake. Mewby and I found this cafe last Saturday and spent a pleasant afternoon there enjoying the tasty fare and the cosy mood and burying ourselves in our books. Tucked away down an old residential machiya alleyway it's not a place you'd find by chance. It's word of mouth that gets you there, and Quarirengue has clearly earned its … [Read more...]
Oggi
On Boxing Day we had lunch at Oggi on Kawaramachi (not to be confused with Kei's Cafe Oggi). Oggi is an Italian/Spanish influenced cafe & dining bar in an machiya building full of comfy sofas. They do a pretty good lunch set. For 1000 yen you get a plate of tasty hors d'oeuvres... ...good bread and (on this occasion pumpkin) soup... … [Read more...]
Blue Note
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 … [Read more...]
Cafe Millet
Ted Taylor writes... On a warm autumn afternoon, during a north Kyoto hike from Ohara over to Kurama, we came across a group of young people building a wood burning oven out of stone. Standing in front of this ishigama, we made small talk with the young couple in charge of the project. The young woman told us that the bread that this oven would bake would be a centerpiece of … [Read more...]
Dish of the Day
Lately I've been eating at Cafe Bibliotic Hello. They do some pretty awesome sandwiches, but the other night I treated myself to the day's special. It was pleasing both to the eye and tongue. The main building is a renovated machiya. Sitting here, surrounded by lights and books and old wood is a balm to the soul. … [Read more...]
Kei’s Cafe Oggi
Our Mewby was very pleased with her lunch yesterday. We ate at Kei's Cafe Oggi on Gojozaka. It's famous for its antique furniture and for its light and fluffy rice-filled omelettes. Neither of us was in an オムライス mood though. I went for the vegan option and got myself a fantastic vegetable sandwich instead. Just look at the way the colours of those fresh vegetables leap … [Read more...]
Citron Salé
Last week Mewby discovered this wonderful Japanese blog: せっかく京都に住んでるし. It's worth a look. There are hundreds of Kyoto cafes, bakeries and sweet shops listed there and plenty of pictures, so even if your Japanese isn't up to scratch, you can still make some nice new discoveries. Our nice new discovery was Citron Salé. … [Read more...]
efish
Since moving to a more central location last March, efish has become my favorite place to hang out. The location is wonderful. On one side, window seats give prime views over the Kamo River. On the other side you have a more intimate perspective on the tree-lined Takasegawa Canal. When the weather is good, they open up the windows and a fresh breeze washes over you as you sip … [Read more...]
