Sakurada, Kyoto
A few weeks ago in Japan, Rei and I headed for Kyoto to visit the country’s famous shrines and temples. While we saw beautiful gardens, old castles, and serene shinto shrines/buddhist temples, we were both really looking forward to the kaiseki meals which originated in the country’s old capital. Afterall, no trip is complete without an indulgent meal at one of the city’s best restaurants, right? Rei’s mom highly recommended Sakurada, a kaiseki restaurant which requires reservations in advance. Patrons select one of three prix fixe options which offer 9-10 courses, starting at $110usd, drinks not included. Kaiseki uses fresh ingredients of the season and are cooked in ways that enhance the original taste of the ingredients. Each dish is prepared with the utmost attention to detail, with small portions served in beautiful plates/bowls/glasses, usually alongside tree leaves or flowers. Just the presentation alone is breathtaking (ie. drool-inducing).
Upon arrival at the small, quaint restaurant we were greeted warmly by servers dressed in traditional japanese kimonos. We were seated at the six person pine wood bar in front (sanded down every night) and offered hot towels for our hands. The host (chef-owner’s wife) made small talk with us for a while before jotting down our food dislikes and hurrying to the back to start our meal. Here’s a look at what we sampled (don’t be jealous)…
Course 1: hammo & junjo fish in citrus broth gelatin served on a lotus leaf, paired w/ 100 yr old sake
Course 2: tender abalone over winter melon garnished w/ liver in a delicate soup
Course 3: o-toro, ika, and kanpachi sashimi
Course 4: eggplant sabayon (creamy, egg custard-like gravy). This dish was kind of bland, but no complaints here… it was still very good.
Course 5: hammo sushi, unagi sushi, mountain potato, etc (we called this the fantasy island plate - look at the presentation!) We even took a close-up shot of one of the items on the plate - mmm, deericious!
Course 6: grilled river fish (you eat the whole thing, including the head)
Course 7: daikon wrapped uni and nori
Course 8: hammo fish with smoked japanese vegetable (again, could have been better but still not complaining).
Course 9: salmon cooked rice w/ nori and pickled veggies (we each had 2 bowls, and I usually don’t even like rice!)
Course 10: fresh fruit (those are muscats, not grapes!), mango pudding, and fresh orange juice
Course 11: red & white bean dessert in clear gelatin mochi - fantastic!! (this could be the best desserts i’ve ever had, if you can believe that!)
At the end of the meal, we were each served a cup of traditional matcha (green tea) - the kind made w/ matcha powder at traditional tea ceremonies, not your usual tazo tea bag green tea. I’ve decided not to rate this meal because I think the pictures speak for themselves. I’m a big foodie and have been lucky enough to try some of the most celebrated restaurants, but our meal at Sakurada could be the best one yet. Rei & I got as close to licking each plate/bowl clean as possible without humiliating/embarassing ourselves. The bill came to approx. $180pp including beer (Asahi!!), and believe me when I say it was worth every penny. =)
