For Kyoto that special meal was today (H & C head off to Tokyo tomorrow). We had lunch at the most amazing restaurant in Gion (Kyoto) - Gion Roiro.
Gion Roiro has 1 Michelin star, but manged to make everyone feel welcome (they only seat 12 people at a time). The food was phenominally good and reasonably priced - lunch is cheaper than dinner. I will be very surprised if they don't get another Michelin star soon (they have only been open a year, so to have 1 Michelin star in that time is very good).
Citrus course - Chinese orange, Japanese orange, grapefruit, Kyoho grape (with a tiny bit of chilli sprinkled over the top)
Foie gras with banana pudding, slice of almond and Japanese pepper; smoked quial egg with truffle juice; fresh caviar with a paste of whitebait and lemon jam
"Earth Tart" - fine brick pastry with mascapone cheese, citrus peel, smoked bacon pieces and a cauliflower chip
Spanish Mackerel - this was a work of art and delicous as well
Foie Gras soup - this had a mushroom jelly/panacotta/custard on the bottom and shaved truffle on top. Normally things like this are too rich for me, but this was perfectly balanced.
Wagyu tongue stewed for 6 hours with raw enoki mushrooms.
Today's fish - delicous
Charcoal grilled Wagyu (there was also the choice of pigeon or lamb). This was phenominally good - the meat just melted in your mouth.
We didn't lick the plate, but we were tempted
Rice cooked with seafood broth and shells, topped with salmon roe and trout roe.
Rice cooked with seafood broth and shells, topped with scallops which I think had been grilled over charcoal (yes, we had seconds)
Apple and yuzu presented several ways (this was a beautiful desert). It was my and S's birthdays, so they kindly helped us celebrate, which was lovely.
Aging Pu'er tea and freshly baked financier (which tasted a little bit like a madeline, but with more crunch and more butter - it was delicious)
Even the water was good
We were lucky to be able to share the lunch with H & C who also LOVE good food
The chef and his staff were all exceedingly welcoming and friendly - it felt like we were having lunch with friends (who are world class chefs). Many of the Michelin restaurants we've been to have not beeen friendly, so this was a pleasant surprise. I would happily come back to Kyoto just to have lunch at Gion Rioro.
After lunch we had to walk off all that delicious food - this is the "old" part of Gion in Kyoto.
How to behave signs in Gion - it is sad that these need to be put up
Elegant design
In the evening we found the Disney store in downtown Kyoto - the sign of things to come.....
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