Deep Kyoto

good places - good people

Ushinohone Anaza

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Here’s another comfy, little izakaya style restaurant in an old machiya building on Sanjo. There are lots of simple but tasty Japanese dishes to choose from here. Behold the food!

Appetisers. Unusually (but happily for me) none of them contained meat!
This Crab and tomato tartare was luscious…
Potato Salad with Mentaiko (marinated roe of pollack) – a very nice mix!
”Renkon no kinpira” – stir fried slices of lotus root.
“Kumoko no ponzu” – Cod milt in a ponzu (citrus based) sauce
Shrimp and avocado baked in mayonnaise
Spring rolls with oyster and winter vegetables.
Kinako (soybean) flavored ice cream with kuromitsu (brown sugar syrup))

Ushinohone Anaza is part of a group of restaurants established in Kyoto in 1985. They specialize in hot charcoal cooked dishes and seasonal obanzai ryori. The atmosphere is relaxed, spacious and welcoming. This one sits on the north side of Sanjo in between Tominokoji and Yanaginobanba streets. You can find a map to it here and a map to the other branches here.
TEL/FAX：075-213-2822
Open every day：17:00～24:00

Asahi Suisan

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UPDATE: I am sad to say that this fine establishment has now closed.

あさひ水産: is a cheap and cheery izakaya on Kiyamachi that Mewby introduced me to not too long ago. I like this kind of place: all rough and ready with cushions strapped to packing cases for seats. We went early one evening when it was super quiet, but Mewby told me that it really fills up later on. As the place is open all night long a lot of people come here after finishing work in nearby bars and restaurants. And Asahi Suisan has all kinds of cheap nomihodai/tabehodai (all-you-can-drink/eat) deals here that make it very popular.

The specialty here is super fresh seafood straight from the market – hence the packing cases.

From top to bottom: 鰺 (“aji” ~ jack), 蛤 (“hamaguri” ~ clams) and big old 帆立 (“hotate” ~ scallops)

Each table comes with it’s very own grill, so you can have your own little barbecue. Seen below are すなずり (chicken gizzards),　はまぐり (clams), and もち (rice cakes).

It’s fun waiting for the ほたて (scallops) to pop open.

帆立 ~ Scallops

And everything, drinks included, is super cheap! A beer here will cost you 280 yen. Or if you’re a real cheapskate you can get Kirin Tanrei (a kind of happoshu or pretend beer) for 180 yen!* That’s great if you’re economizing – but personally I think life is too short for pretend beer.

Asahi Suisan is located on the east side of Kiyamachi a short walk south of Sanjo. You can find it sandwiched between the Golden Building and the Kiyamachi Building. Here is a map (and coupons!) a new map!

Open: every night, all night from 6:00 p.m till around 8:00 in the morning.
Tel: 050-5816-8872

*Prices quoted are correct at the time of writing.

Apollo

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Apollo has become one of our favorite places to eat over the last year or so. It’s an izakaya style restaurant, but the food is just a little bit nicer and the atmosphere just a little bit quieter and calmer than some of the bigger chain izakayas around the  Kiyamachi/Kawaramachi area (where you might have to scream to make yourself heard). Even so the prices are pretty reasonable. Apollo is a friendly place too. I get a strong impression when I go there, that the staff really enjoy working there and with each other. Happy staff of course means a happy atmosphere and excellent service! We usually get a seat at the counter when we go…

…but last Sunday we had a snug little second floor box room all to ourselves. [Read more…]

Omuraya

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Omuraya is a cheerful izakaya style restaurant in an old wooden machiya house just off Hyakumanben. I love it! Cooks and waiting staff bustle about behind counters piled with colourful seasonal vegetables to the background sound of the Blues. The food is simple, healthy and rustic. I recommend the “nama fu dengaku”: moist, lightly fried strips of gluten in a smoky miso sauce. I also recommend the “kani korokke” (crab croquettes) and in the winter the “kaki furai” (fried oysters). Oh, heck! I recommend everything!

There are also a couple of delicious Kyoto micro-brewed beers on offer: a light hoppy Kolsch or a darker, heavier Amber Ale. Dinner and drinks for two will cost around 5,000 yen. Here are some pictures. Just click on the arrow to move them forward or take a closer look on flickr.

Omuraya is close to the Hyakumanben junction of Higashioji and Imadegawa. It sits on the north west side just behind (eek!) MacDonald’s. Here is a most convenient map.
Open: 17：00～24：00
Tel: 075-712-1337