Restaurants Archives - Page 2 of 6

Chakra Indian Restaurant

February 3, 2014 By Michael Lambe

We found another great curry place! Mewby and I stumbled across Chakra last night while out for an evening stroll, and although we hadn’t intended to eat out, we were tempted in at the thought of Bengal curry goodness…

There are a lot of choices on the menu, and everything seems pretty reasonably priced. There are also a lot of vegetarian/vegan options: 8 different veggie curries to choose from! Mewby being carnivorous chose a chicken korma (1,200 yen):

And I had a Shaee vegetable korma (1100 yen). Both of our meals were delicious.

The sweet naan (500 yen) we ordered to accompany our meals was the star attraction though. Packed with dried fruits and coconut, we both loved it.

Chakra is on the corner of Gojo and Higashioji at the bottom of the Kiyomizu slope – an area that basically shuts down in the evenings, so I think this restaurant gets most of its business at lunchtime. If you go in the evening, it’s nice and quiet, and the background ethnic music is gentle on ears the too. Bento lunch boxes (700 yen) and takeaway meals are also available. All in all, we were very happy with our Chakra experience and will definitely be back to try more items on the menu.

godfather — Godfather & Cobra Indian beers available!

Open: Monday – Sunday: 11:00 – 22:00
TEL: 075-525-1260
Email: ashishich@hotmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chakra.kyoto
Location: On the west side of Higashioji Street just north of Gojo at the bottom of Gojozaka. The Gojo Zaka bus stop is right outside. Here is a MAP.

See also:
Namaste Taj Mahal
Kerala
Thilaga

La Jolla – Californian Mexican Grill

January 30, 2014 By Michael Lambe

UPDATE! May 7th 2014: La Jolla has moved! Same great food! Different location! See below for the new address and access details!

Many thanks to Ted Taylor for introducing me to this great Californian-style Mexican restaurant yesterday afternoon.

Below is yesterday’s lunchtime menu. Pretty meaty as you can see, but you can also get vegetarian versions of all these items.

Ted went for the chicken tacos plate.

And I plumped for a veggie version of the burrito special.

I’m getting hungry just looking at these pictures again. It was really good and I really want to go back and try the evening dinner menu which has lots of fish and shrimp options.

The interior decor is bright and cheerful.

And this too is not a bad thing:

But other than the great tasting food what I really liked about this place was the owner’s cheerful smile. It really makes a difference when people are friendly. I’ll definitely be back!

La Jolla – Californian Mexican Grill
Location: Just north of Nijo-jo on the west side of Omiya street about 5 minutes walk from the Tozai line subway station Nijojomae. Here is a map.
New location: On the east side of Koromodana a short walk south of Oike. Here is a map.
New address: 〒604ー8201 京都市中京区衣棚御池下る長浜町154ー2
Open:
Tuesday – Friday 12:00 – 14:30 / 18:00 – 22:30
Saturday, Sundays & Holidays: 17:30 – 23:00
Closed on Mondays.
Tel: 075-821-4745
Check out their website http://www.lajollagrill.jp for more details in English and Japanese. The owner also speaks English.

Trattoria Dougetsu by the Ocean

November 13, 2013 By Michael Lambe

Mewby’s birthday was a couple of weeks back and to celebrate I took her to Trattoria 道月 by the Ocean. Though the name is a bit unwieldy, the restaurant itself is very welcoming and friendly, and the food was superb.

This is the outside of the building which as you can see is a lovely old (but fully renovated!) machiya townhouse. You can’t beat a bit of machiya dining when in Kyoto. This restaurant specializes in fresh seafood served with Italian pasta, which you can eat at the counter whilst watching the cook at work, or separately at your own table. We had a little room to ourselves and here are the dishes we ordered: [Read more…]

Kyoto Gion Udon Museum

November 12, 2013 By Michael Lambe

Out walking by the Kamo river one day, we encountered a happy bowl-headed mascot (pictured below) hopping about on Shijo Bridge. We took the obligatory 360 degree picture together and received in return two drinks coupons for the Udon Museum. What more of an incentive do you need to explore the magical world of thick Japanese wheat flour noodles? Our curiosity piqued, we duly paid a visit.

The first thing you need to understand about Kyoto’s Udon Museum is that its claim to be a museum is somewhat tenuous. They do have a display room along one wall of which you can see the differing sizes, shapes and colors of udon noodles from across the Japanese archipelago. In one corner there is a brief history of its origins too (but frankly you can learn more from Wikipedia). [Read more…]

Gelato @ Ristorante Strada, Kyoto

June 8, 2013 By Michael Lambe

Here’s a cool tip for the summer. Ristorante Strada has a gelato stand on Oike Street – and every flavour is intense. There are ten ever changing flavours to choose from at 200 yen a scoop. Mewby is a big fan of the rum raisin, but for me it’s a toss up between the refreshing lemon or the juicy blueberry. Not that it’s a problem if you order a double!
You can find Strada between Tominokoji and Yanaginobanba on the north side of Oike. I’ve never had a meal there, but if the ice creams are anything to go by, it’s certainly worth a try. Here is a map & opening hours.

Machiya Dining at Cameron

February 28, 2013 By Michael Lambe

This restaurant, Cameron is, in a very good way, odd. The graceful decor, the attentive service, and the exquisite delicacies they serve you, all give the impression of expense. Yet though we ate our fill of fine things and were waited on hand and foot, after bracing ourselves for a very steep bill, we were surprised to find we had spent less than at your average rough and ready izakaya. Really. I cannot stress this enough. This place is extraordinarily REASONABLE.

Here’s the food:

A nice piece of breaded marlin and some choice veggies. How I love those snow peas. [Read more…]

Baird Beer & Oysters at Dining Room You

February 19, 2013 By Michael Lambe

Many thanks to Robert Yellin for introducing us to Dining Room You, earlier this month. Hearing that they had both oysters and Baird beer there I was eager to give the place a try. We found it casual, and relaxed with a tiny garden at the back. Snow was gently falling to set the mood.

Here’s Robert in his element with a bottle of Angry Boy Brown Ale. Realizing that the owners of You were keen to compliment their food with the very best nihonshu, Robert felt that something was missing from the menu, and was good enough to introduce them to Baird Beer. It’s a shame to drink cheap beer when you are eating good food. Now they have the very best craft brews and all are served in these lovely ceramic cups.

oysters (Medium) — This picture by Chihiro Yadokoro

We weren’t just there for the beer though, but for the oysters. Robert ordered five right off the bat – raw with just a slice of lemon. I have to agree with Robert that this is the best way to eat them. But for those who can’t stomach them raw, there are plenty of options: steamed in sake, fried, in tempura… So many tantalizing alternatives to try!

Here’s two more with yuzu ponzu.

Robert is also keen to recommend the Jikon nihonshu. He brings a little bag of sake cups with him when he goes drinking, as he feels it’s a shame to drink good sake out of mass-produced cups. He’s right too. The flavor of the nihonshu is subtly altered by the shape and texture of each individual hand-crafted cup. You are not simply drinking sake, you are experiencing it through the medium of a craftsman’s art.

IMG_5015 (Medium)

Oysters are a seasonal dish and in season now, so if you want to try them you’d best get yourself up to You pretty soon. But it’s not all oysters there of course. We had steamed clams, grilled broad beans, gyoza, and saba no kizushi (mackerel marinated in mackerel). And how better to finish the meal than with a dish of macha tea-flavored chocolate ice-cream?

Great food, great beers, great nihonshu… and most importantly great company. That’s the good life for you. We’ll definitely be going back.

Dining Room You is on the north side of Shimochoja Dori, east of Horikawa, next to a Family Mart convenience store. Here is a map from Bing.
Opening hours: 17:30 – 00:00
Closed on Tuesdays.
Tel: 075-414-0166

Bocca del Vino

February 4, 2013 By Michael Lambe

Yesterday, Mewby & I celebrated five years together with dinner at Bocca del Vino. We ate there once before, about four years ago now, and I am happy to say that the food and service remain excellent. If you like Italian and you are looking to celebrate a special occasion with something a little bit special, then I definitely recommend splashing out at Bocca del Vino.

Here are the appetizers from last night’s meal.

First the 寒サバのマリネ香草風味 – marinated mackerel with fragrant herbs.

Lots of fresh bread. I love the bread here.

ホワイトアスパラガスのサラダ仕立て – A lovely white asparagus salad.

モッツァレラチーズと自家製チャバッタのグラタン – Mozzarella and freshly baked ciabatta gratin.

They have a lot of different pasta types here. We went for the fettuccine (above) with shrimp in a cream of tomato sauce – フェットチーネ車海老のトマトクリームソース.

And this was our main dish – 赤ムツと帆立のグリル雲丹と浅利のソース – grilled gnomefish and scallops in a sea urchin and clam sauce. Actually most of the main dishes here are meat, but they made this specially for us as I don’t do flesh of beast or fowl.

Oh and I almost forgot we had this side dish of grilled welsh onions too. Very oniony.

Everything tasted great. They have a fairly decent wine list too and the waiter was very friendly indeed. Twinkly eyed, he took great pleasure in showing off his Italian skills. Our only regret was that we ate so many appetizers we had no room for dolce. Next time…

Bocca del Vino is situated on the east side of Muromachi street, a few steps south of Nishiki. Here is a map.

Open most days, unless otherwise announced on the top page of their website: http://bocca-del-vino.com/
Lunch: 12:00～14:00 （last orders）
Dinner: 18:00～22:00（last orders）
Tel: 075・211・7053

Wayang Bali

July 25, 2012 By Michael Lambe

This is going to be my last post here for the next couple of weeks as Mewby and I are finally off on our trip to Borneo. However, I promised the owner of Wayang Bali weeks ago that I would post something about his wonderful restaurant, so I really must do so before I leave!

If you have been to Bali and you liked it, you will like Wayang Bali. They have really good authentic Balinese dishes and the owner Kadek and his staff are super, super friendly. I cannot recommend this place enough.

Here are some dishes Mewby and I have taken a shine to on our frequent visits.

Vegatable salad with peanuts sauce; how we love that peanuts sauce! [Read more…]

Namaste Taj Mahal

February 9, 2012 By Michael Lambe

The quest for good Indian curry continues! Namaste Taj Mahal in Fushimi is certainly a contender; lovely creamy curries, giant naan breads, super friendly staff and some of the tastiest samosas I have ever devoured.

And devour them I did. I’m not kidding about those samosas. You might think, “Oh come on! It’s just a bit of pastry with potato, onion and peas in it.” However, these deep-fried tetrahedral delights really do surpass expectation! Seriously. It is worth visiting this restaurant just to order their samosas.

They don’t mess about with their naan bread either. Below is a cheese naan (left), and Mewby cradling a plain naan. As you can see, it’s massive.

And here are their wonderful curries, in order; Butter Chicken, Vegetable Curry, Mutton Korma, Fish Masala and Prawn Palak.

To give you an idea of the price range, on our last visit we had two curries, a plain & cheese naan, samosas, two lassis and three beers and it came to 6,290 yen. I think that’s a pretty good deal for top quality (and plentiful!) Indian food. If you go at lunchtime it’s even cheaper with a variety of lunchtime sets from 650 yen up.

Namaste Taj Mahal is a short walk west of the Keihan Fushimi Inari station. Here is a map. They are open seven days a week.

Lunchtime opening: 11:00 – 14:30 (last orders)
Dinner: 17:00 – 22:30 (last orders)

Tel: 075-643-2530

See also:
Kerala
Thilaga

Jajouka

February 2, 2012 By Michael Lambe

UPDATE: Jajouka closed in 2016, but K-san has opened two new restaurants serving French and Thai cuisine at Le Bistrot Belleville and Tolbiac. For details check the old Jajouka website.

Jajouka is a Moroccan/French style restaurant and bar on Yanaginobanba that I pop into from time to time. It’s a little bit pricey but the food is good and the owner K-san keeps the place stocked with a very nice range of international beers. K-san was previously co-owner and cook at the diner MoSO in Gion, but after that closed, he traveled some more in Morocco honing up his culinary skills. Finally last August he went independent, opened Jajouka and as far as I can tell he has been doing very nicely since.

Fish tajine — tajine des sardines aux légumes

If you come here to eat, you must try a Moroccan style tajine. This dish is named after the heavy clay cone-capped tajine pots in which they are stewed. A typical tajine dish consists of slowly simmered stews of tender meat (or fish) with aromatic vegetables. Above you can see the sardine tajine and below is the lamb:

lambe tajine — tajine d’agneau aux legumes

You can also get a chicken or beef tajine and they all come in three sizes:

S – (for 1 person but actually quite large) – 1,700 yen
M – (for 2 people) – 3,400 yen
L – (for 3, people) – 5,100 yen

Here are some more items on the menu; in order we have appetizers, a Basque style maguro steak, a couscous salad, a Moroccan style omelette and the Belgian beer Chapeau Exotic.

There are ten more Belgian beers on offer plus beers from Spain, France, Portugal, Malta, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Nepal, Thailand, Laos and of course the Moroccan beer Casablanca. Most of them go for 800 yen a bottle, but the Belgian beers will cost you more. Check out the Jajouka website for more details of the food and drinks menus.

Jajouka is small, most of the seats are at the counter and it fills up fast, so you may want to call ahead and book your seats in advance. It’s a bright spot though, K-san can speak a smattering of English and French and is clearly internationally minded so if your Japanese is a bit rough he can help you. Most importantly this restaurant has a strict no tobacco smoking policy which K-san himself adheres to by smoking a cigarette outside during quiet periods. The only exception to this rule are the fragrant Shisha water pipes which you can smoke for 1,200 yen. Here are some more shots of the interior.

Jajouka is on the west side of Yanaginobanba, north of Gojo and south of Matsubara. Here is a map.

UPDATE July 2013: Jajouka’s opening hours have recently changed! As Jajouka is now opening at lunchtime, evening opening hours have also changed accordingly. Jajouka is also now open almost every day, but will close irregularly, so please call ahead, or check the information page on K-san’s site for updates. Here are the new opening hours:

Lunch: 12:00 ~ 14:00 (Last Orders)
Dinner: 18:00 ~ 22:00 (Last Orders)
Tel: 075-341-0530

Bistro Ranman

November 22, 2011 By Michael Lambe

On Sunday, Mewby and I had booked a lunchtime table at Cafe & Osteria Siluet after seeing some tasty looking pictures online. However, on arrival we were dismayed by both the lack of choice on the menu, and the somewhat churlish manner of the waitress. Life being short, we quickly made our excuses and left. We were still in the mood for pasta though, and I was pretty sure I had seen a few nice looking Italian spots on Pontocho, so that’s where we headed and found Bistro Ranman. What a contrast! The freshest pasta you have ever tasted, a nice quiet comfortable atmosphere and lots of choice on the menu. They had a range of pasta types on offer, but on this occasion we both went for the fettuccine, Mewby with chicken and myself with the salmon. Here’s mine:

The salmon was complimented nicely by the soft taro potatoes (小芋) and the mangetout peas. And that fresh pasta really was superb! I washed it down with a nice Kyoto micro-brewed Kölsch beer.

The chicken fettuccine was very similar but came with shimeji mushrooms rather than taro potatoes. As you can see from the picture below Mewby was very happy with her meal.

Bistro Ranman seems to be very popular with young couples – at least at lunchtime. We both agreed we would like to come back and have dinner there sometime and try out some of the other pasta varieties. With great food, nice service and a lovely quiet atmosphere this restaurant definitely gets the DK seal of approval.

Open everyday for lunch (11：30～14：30) and dinner (17：00～23：00), Bistro Ranman is a short walk north of Shijo on the west side of Pontocho. Here is a map.

Tel: 075-211-8606

Épice

November 4, 2011 By Michael Lambe

Last Monday was Mewby’s birthday and every year, on her birthday, I take her out to a restaurant that must fit two criteria: it must be somewhere new (for us) and it must be super posh! This year it was Épice, a French restaurant in an old wooden machiya townhouse not far from the Imperial Palace Park.

It’s a pleasant spot, and the food could best be described as sumptuous. Épice prides itself on using local produce and the freshest vegetables from Ohara and Shiga. There is no a la carte however, so you have to choose a course menu and if you choose the more expensive dinner options you will need to book it in advanc e. Here are some pictures from our multi-course meal:

Mewby and the tower of food. — It's not a doll's house but a tower of hors d'oeuvres! Top to bottom: pond smelt roasted and then marinated in a spicy sauce, carrot mousse, and Parma ham and green tomatoes.

[Read more…]

Mund Shokudo

August 30, 2011 By Michael Lambe

UPDATE: Sadly Mund Shokudo closed in December of 2016. We wish Masuda Ryohei all the best with his new working ventures.

Among all of Japan’s muggy summer cities, Kyoto is held to be the muggiest. Sheltered as it is by mountains on 3 sides, it sits in a natural narrow basin. Come summer, the humidity rises from its plentiful crystal streams, springs and rivers – and stays there, for there are no cool breezes to blow it away. In this intense sweltering heat, the spirit droops, passions flag and one’s appetite wilters with it. Is it possible to consume anything other than crushed ice and macha ice cream in this sultriest of seasons? Fortunately, generations of canny Kyoto homemakers have devised seasonal obanzai dishes to pique your palate in any weather. Obanzai ryori is the traditional cusine of the ordinary Kyoto home kitchen. The dishes, of vegetables, seafood and soups in varied combinations may appear at first glance to be just as ordinary. However, using only the freshest seasonal ingredients and sophisticated seasonings they are highly nutritious and perfectly suited to Kyoto’s intense climes. Many restaurants in Kyoto specialize in serving this humble obanzai cuisine and one such restaurant is Mund Shokudo: a little diner in central Kyoto offering good old fashioned wholesome Kyoto dishes with a subtle creative flair.

The owner and cook, Masuda Ryohei, having worked for years in other people’s kitchens, went independent and opened up his own business last February. He’s created a nice space too. The white walls are decorated with artwork by his friends and the white counter top with colorful fresh vegetables and those traditional obanzai side dishes. As you sit at the counter and watch him prepare your meal you can see that he relishes his new found freedom and he is certainly giving free rein to his creative instincts for the menu changes every single day. Indeed, one of the reasons I love coming here is that I can learn a little something new about Kyoto cuisine every time I visit. [Read more…]