Kyoto eats (sweet treats)

For Japan and Kyoto in particular, it is really helpful to have the names of the shops you’re looking for written down in Japanese, as a lot of signboards do not have English words!  Better still is to have photographs of the storefronts, so that you can show them to friendly passers-by who will help you locate the stores.

1.     Kyo Kinana (京きなな)

This shop is located just off Hanami-koji, which is probably Gion’s most famous street. 

Kinana serves six traditional Japanese flavours: kinako (roast soybean flour), azuki (sweet red bean), kurogoma (black sesame), kuromitsu (black sugar syrup), maccha (powdered green tea) and yomogi (mugwort).  When I was there, they were serving up a white chocolate too.

Every order for dining in is accompanied by a pot of houjicha.

They are most famous for their dekitate ice cream (600¥), which is freshly made ice cream (not frozen).  To order this, you’ll have to get a seat on the second floor, as they don’t offer this for takeaways.  

  

Such deliciousness deserves an extreme close-up!

The dekitate ice cream is usually kinako, but they occasionally do other flavours too.  When I checked, I was told that the chefs usually just decide what flavor to make each morning haha.  I tried to persuade the chef to do a maccha and he agreed to do it in two days, but when I went back the queue was devastatingly long so I had to skip it sadly.  The first two times I went, I’d nipped in near closing time and there weren’t any queues, but on the third day I’d gone in the afternoon and the queue was snaking!

I also tried their three flavour ice cream combination (800¥).  In addition to these, they also had some delicious looking parfaits (1100¥).

I had read that the chestnut autumn parfait (1300¥) in particular was amazing, but there are only 20 of these available each day (and surprisingly, it only makes an appearance on the Japanese and not the English menu), and I was too late to get one! Ah well, there is always next time.  This is a seasonal delights, and arrives only in autumn.

Photo from the Kinana website.

Kinana also stocks some food souvenirs (including, kinako candy, milk jam and biscotti) that you can buy home.

Hours: 11am – 7pm (6:30 pm last order)

English menu: Yes (but less extensive than the Japanese menu)

Service: Excellent! Some staff speak good English too.

Address: Kyoto-shi, Higashiyama-ku, Gion-machi Minami-gawa 570-119 (京都市東山区祇園町南側570-119)

Telephone: +81 75-525-8300

Website: http://www.kyo-kinana.com/index.htm (Japanese)

Directions: Turn into Hanami-koji (the traditional/ touristy side) from Shijo-dori.

• Turn right at the second alley (after the post box) into Hatsune-koji. You'll see this sign on the floor, 

• Next, turn left into a narrow lane (you will walk past Oku Café). 
• Walk for a little while and then you'll see Kinana! 

This is what the shopfront looks like! 

The first time I was there I did a desperate search for 'Kinana' in English script. There was none, obvs. I actually kind of like it that the area preserves its tradition by its adherence to language. 

2.     Kagizen Yoshifusa (鍵善

Also located in Gion, Kagizen Yoshifusa has continued making sweets since the mid-Edo period.

I had the Kagizen signature dish: Kuzukiri (900¥) 

 These beautiful photos are from Kagizen's website. 

My attempts at phototaking didn't quite make the cut, as the translucent noodles don't quite show up well on my puny camera. 

Kuzukiri consists of translucent noodles made from kudzu (Japanese arrowroot) and a dipping sauce of kuromitsu (black sugar syrup).  The dish is made fresh, after each order is placed.  You can think of this as a kind of sweet version of dipping soba.  My cousin and I agreed that the dish was “interesting”.  I guess we weren’t much used to it, but I am glad to have tried it.

Guests at Kagizen are also served houjicha. 

Hours: Tue to Sun: 9am – 6pm

English menu: Yes

Address: 264 Gion machi Kita gawa Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto

Telephone: +81 75-561-1818

Website: http://www.kagizen.co.jp/en/about/concept/ (English)

Directions: Intersection of Hanami-koji] and Shijo-dori (across from the entrance into the traditional/touristy side)

3.     Soft serve ice cream

There are LOADS of stalls serving up soft serve ice cream, so you’ll never have to walk too far to find it.  I found that a good gauge for proximity to tourist attractions was to see how many soft serve shops there are along the street haha.  At the super touristy streets every third shop will entice you with the chubby ice cream cones.

4.     Sweet treats from little stalls along the road

yakimochi (grilled mochi)

http://faimouioui.wordpress.com/2013/09/20/yakimochi-gion-kyoto-japan/

Apart from these, some useful websites:

1.      http://kyotofoodie.com

http://kyotofoodie.com/wagashi-sentaro-rice-flour-kasutera-soba-and-wheat-manju/

Giro Giro Hitoshina

Fresh, modern and innovative, Giro Giro is a FANTASTIC modern take on kaiseki.  Giro Giro first opened as Giro Giro Hitoshina in Kyoto, and has gone on to open branches in Tokyo, Paris and Honolulu.

Here, reservations are necessary.  Try to sit at the counter so that you can watch the food being prepared and chat with the friendly chefs.  The chefs at Giro Giro Hitoshina are young, relaxed and occasionally reach across the counter to clink glasses of wine or sake with the customers.  Some English (though not much) is spoken, but enough friendly smiles will be thrown your way to make you feel welcomed.  

 CHEERS!

I happened to sit across from a French chef from their Paris branch, who was brought to Kyoto for a one-year work trip, and we chatted a bit.  I learnt that he'd only been in Japan for three months at that point of time and all the Japanese that he knew had been learnt in the kitchen, and was quite impressed as his Japanese was not bad!

The head chef of Giro Giro alternates his time in Japan and Paris, spending a month in each.  He leaves the head chef in Kyoto to design the menus for Kyoto and Tokyo for the alternate months when he is in Paris.  This is the spunky young head chef in Kyoto, who has been featured in a number of Japanese magazines as a chef to watch.  He sometimes also heads down to Tokyo to oversee the launch of the new menu.  I was lucky to catch him in Kyoto, as he was headed to Tokyo the next day.  When he is away, Giro Giro Hitoshina closes, which would allow the French chef his first day to explore the city haha.  They work pretty long hours but seem to genuinely enjoy what they do, which is a real blessing.

The head chef of Giro Giro Hitoshina

Here's the menu at Giro Giro Hitoshina (though, by the time you go, the menu will have changed).  Lest you think that I have such sensitive and fantastic tastebuds to source out all these complex flavours, sorry, nope.  The French chef had very kindly explained all these to me haha.  The other diners were friendly too and even though I was by myself I still managed to have some good dinner conversation.  The Japanese man next to me told me that for a traditional kaiseki, people usually spend around 20,000Y (as I am not an atas eater, I must admit I was super shocked).  By contrast, a meal at Giro Giro Hitoshina costs 3,800Y (not including drinks).  I had this fantastic yuzu beer which was DELIGHTFUL, and most other diners had wine or sake.

1.      Eel and eggplant soup

2.      Starter: popped rice, tofu, salmon, potato ball with sauce made from mushroom and pepper, pumpkin mas with ham chips and coffee sauce, ginko seeds, octopus, egg and foie gras and shimeji mushroom

3.      Squid with miso and Japanese pear

4.      Soup with daisy flowers, crab and egg tofu, mocha rice, wasabi topping

5.      Sweet potato jelly, aburi saba, sauce of liver of fish with sugar

6.      Fig, dashi jelly, mushroom sauce

[Unphotographed, I proceeded to spill this beautiful dish all over my legs and bag. The chefs sprung into action, offering me warm wet towels to mop up the mess, and a new dish promptly appeared before me. Most embarrassing.]

7.      Yellow tail smoked with straw and miso

8.      Cheesecake with chestnut and grape jelly 

Hours: Dinner only. 530pm – 11pm (closed on the last Monday of the month)

Reservations: Necessary
English menu: Yes, for drinks. No food menu, as the food is kaiseki

Price: 3,800 for the set dinner,  drinks additional (no credit cards,  cash only)

Service: Excellent; friendly and relaxed. Some English may be spoken. 

Address: 420-7 Nambacho Nishikiyamachidori Matsubara Sagaru, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 600-8027, Japan

Telephone: +81 75-343-7070

Website:  guiloguilo.com (Japanese)

Directions: 
1. Go to the Keihan Railway Kiyomizu-gojo train station.  Take Exit 3 onto Gojo Ohashi Bridge and cross the bridge

2. After crossing the bridge, take a right turn into the first street (Shimogyo-ku).

3. Walk down Shimogo-ku until you see a small bridge on your left 

 

4. Turn onto that little bridge and walk down, then turn right. Walk for a tiny bit more, and you'll see Giro Giro Hitoshina! 

5. This is what Giro Giro Hitoshina looks like on the other side 

Cosy right! ENJOY your meal!