Deep Kyoto

good places - good people

Asipai Curry & Hibi Coffee

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Asipai & Hibi Coffee are two wonderful businesses working together in the same shared space to bring you the very best artisanal coffee and startlingly delicious curries.

The colorful interior of this cosy little cafe/curry house.

I was really impressed with this place, with the friendly staff, with the presentation of the food and drink, and most of all with the taste. The curry was really good, and the cafe latte I ordered was one of the best I’ve had in Kyoto with a really rich, full flavor.

These people really put their heart into their work.

There are a variety of curries on offer with chicken, shrimp, and pork options and a vegetarian chickpea curry too. All are made to an original recipe, and I’m not sure what it is but it’s not your typical Japanese curry. This is good stuff.

This was a really nourishing, fulfilling chickpea curry as tasty as it looks and just spicy enough to stimulate your appetite.

This is a cozy little hideaway, ideal for a quiet lunch if you are in the mood for either curry or just a slice of cake and a cup of coffee. Take-away curry or coffee-to-go are also available, and there is free Wi-Fi in the shop.

A lovely spot for a meal or cake (Hibi Coffee does really good cake).

The Asipai & Hibi Coffee shop is tucked away down a little lane just off the north-east corner of Shichijo and Kawaramachi streets. It’s about 10 minutes walk north of Kyoto Station and 4 minutes walk west of Shichijo Station. Look out for the sign at the front of the lane. Here is a MAP of the location.

There’s plenty of signage at the intersection to show you the way.

Open: Hibi Coffee is open from 8.00 till 19.00
Asipai serves lunch from 11.30 till 15.00 (last orders at 14.45) and dinner from 18.00 – 21.00
Both businesses are closed on Tuesdays.
Address:460 Zaimoku-cho, Shichijo Doori/Kawaramachi Higashi-iru, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto 〒600-8146
Tel: 075-276-3526

Yak & Yeti – Nepalese Curry in Kyoto

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Yak and Yeti is a restaurant we go back to time and time again for two reasons. One is the super friendly staff who never fail to put a smile on our faces. And the other is their legendary Vegetable Phuraula, Nepali style spicy vegetable tempura. It’s amazing. This restaurant is super popular with vegetarians for the range of tasty vegan options they have on their menu but you don’t have to be vegan to enjoy them. They are soooo good. And of course they have plenty of carnivorous options too. We usually share one curry and a naan bread and get a range of their fantastic appetisers. Here’s what we had last time.

IMG_8844 (Medium)

Generally, they have two Nepali beers available, Mustang, which has a subtle but musky flavour, and Nepali Ice which is crisper and lighter on the tongue. The spicy papadums were a special treat from the restaurant, and went so nicely with that first beer. [Read more…]

Kerala Indian Restaurant

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Mewby and I ventured over to this fine establishment one evening when Sharma was closed and we were badly in need of a curry fix. Hands down this is the best Indian food I’ve eaten in Kyoto. The service is excellent too. The waiter (a charming, soft spoken chap) actually took the time to talk us through the various items on the menu and give his own recommendations. Here’s what we got.

Vegetable Samosas ~ I can’t eat Indian without them!
Machli Tikka – delicious grilled pieces of spicy white fish!
Mewby’s choice ~ Mutton Saagwala ~ Mutton cooked in spinach.
My choice ~ Vegetable Jalfry ~ mixed veggies cooked in onion & tomato sauce.
All served with delicious herb naan bread.

Kerala isn’t cheap, but you get what you pay for and I think it was worth every yen I spent in there. If you feel like paying a little bit extra and spoiling yourself to the very best curry in town, this is the place for it. You can check the menu and prices for yourself here. How satisfied were we? Just take a look at that happy smiling face!

Kerala is situated on the second floor of the KUS building a short walk south of Oike on the west side of Kawaramachi. Click here for a map and coupons!

Open: “almost every day” (best to call ahead to be sure) 11:30～14:00, 17:00～21:00
Tel: 075-251-0141

Text and photographs by Michael Lambe. All rights reserved.

Other Indian Restaurants in Kyoto:
Raju
Sharma
Thilaga



Sharma Indian Restaurant

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UPDATE February 2012: Sharma has now closed!

Since moving into the city centre last year, Mewby and I have been searching for an Indian curry restaurant to take the place in our culinary affections of the Raju restaurant up on Imadegawa. We had high hopes for the new branch of Raju on Shichijo that opened up late last year, until upon our second visit some twit put chicken in my Vegetarian Dinner Set and then made the worst apology ever; grinning and constantly repeating “Don’t mind”. Thilaga near Oomiya station was in the running too for a while, but eating their admittedly tasty curries is like playing a game of Indian curry roulette; sometimes disappointingly mild and on other occasions hell-fire spicy. Now perhaps, though we have only visited once so far, the Sharma restaurant on Sanjo will turn out to be a favorite.

We ordered a couple of starters to begin with. I cannot eat Indian food without eating samosas and these did not disappoint.

This Fish Tikka (made with Sea Bass) though, was really delicious.

I followed this up with a sweet tasting Shitafal, Sharma’s very own original pumpkin curry.

The Kaju Nan (with cashew nuts) accompanied it nicely.

Mewby went for a Mugal Chicken. Curiously she reported that it tasted very much like the pumpkin curry above… It kind of looks like it too, eh?

After that feast we went home and had a bit of a lie down. To sum up, after only one visit it’s hard to judge, but the food seems nice (the fish tikka being a highlight) and the staff most courteous and professional. We shall definitely be giving Sharma another try.

Sharma sits on the north side of Sanjo between Kiyamachi and Kawaramachi. Here is a handy map.

Opening hours: 11：00～15：00 & 17：00～23：00 (Last orders at 22：00）
Closed: Wednesdays.
Tel: 075-231-3677