Beautiful restaurant, we had an amazing server but textures and flavours were tough. I know this is rooted in tradition but the sashimi fish courses were very chewy and the night continued down the path of very unpleasant texture and mild flavour. One of the sashimi courses was spiny lobster and the texture was so bad it was tough for us to finish’s. We both struggled so bad.
Unless you absolutely want to go here, I wouldn’t. It’s not cheap. It was our least favourite 3* experience thus far and it’s not even close. Maybe in another season it would be good but it wasn’t for us at all.
by ochief19
15 Comments
Hey, sorry you had a bad time with the textures, but that is sometimes the risk with traditional Japanese food. There tends to be more slimy, chewy, spongy foods in the cuisine, and kaiseki often has very subtle flavors, both things a more Western palate is often not accustomed to. I hope you had other experiences in Kyoto that you enjoyed more!
Never been to Kikunoi Honten but for the lobster texture, is it bad because you don’t like it or is it bad compared to what a properly prepared lobster sashimi texture should be?
That’s a shame, but I totally empathise with you. I’ve never been a big fan of sushi or sashimi in general, though at least the amberjack sashimi I had at Kiyama was firmer, almost meaty, so I did actually enjoy that bite.
I’ve heard in Kyoto the flavours and seasoning is apparently delicate even by Japanese standards. I’ll personally be more likely to stick to yakiniku, ramen, izakayas when I’m there next (unless I fancy a French/Italian meal).
I understand it’s cultural, but to me, while aesthetically beautiful, that’s food waiting to be cooked.
I had the same experience in a michelin-starred restaurant in the U.S., where the meat was barely cooked. “blue.” I couldn’t eat it.
I went there 6 years ago during the same season and you summarised my exact experience. My wife and I both struggled a lot at the sashimi course due to chewiness and it had a negative impact until the end of the course. In hindsight, maybe it was not the best choice for us to start kaiseki experience with a 3* restaurant. We were familiar with other types of Japanese food and thought we won’t struggle, but that wasn’t the case.
We dined at Kikunoi for lunch about a month ago, and we thought Kikunoi was the better of the two kaseiki places we tried (the other being Tabelog 4.3). My wife also flew JL F, which serves a kaseiki meal from 3-star chefs in Tokyo, so we felt we had a good base of comparison. Consistent theme is certainly gelatinous textures and delicate – sometimes nonexistent – flavors. Japanese comfort food hits the spot a lot better for most tourists, including us.
Our favorite place in Japan was L’Osier; we literally had the whole meal in French despite some regional touches (e.g., strawberry-based dessert).
I wouldn’t make any recommendations based on your narrow and Mac & cheese taste buds. Just say it wasn’t for you and move on.
I think with Japan becoming so popular now this is an important post for westerners to consider. Traditional Japanese kaiseki at a 3* is not going to be the same kind of meal you get in the US or Europe. It’s not for everyone (which is fine) but consider what kinds of foods are served at places like these before you drop money just because it has Michelin stars
Go to velrosier if you can. You wont regret it!
I really recommend French-Japanese for anyone following Michelin stars in Japan.
Kaiseki is not for everyone, and even as someone who loves Japanese food and has done quite a few kaiseki meals, you really have to be in the right mindset for it.
For anyone wanting to try kaiseki, I never recommend a stand alone restaurant. Instead, do a one night stay at a ryokan that offers in room dining, and experience it there!
How much in advance did you have to book please?
I think this place would be right up our alley 😳
Kaiseki sucks.
Yup, felt the same thing. While the quality was there, I imagined a person who grew up with the local cuisine would’ve been able to appreciate the meal a lot more than me. The rice at the end was one of best rice I ever had tho.
You went to a kaiseki restaurant and struggled with sashimi. I’ve been to many 1-3 star kaiseki restaurants in Japan and while there are occasionally “challenging” dishes, sashimi is never one of them. Always a highlight for me.
You probably need to become more accustomed to Japanese food before shelling out for something like this.
Tai, sansai, turtle, hamo, all the visual and ingredient incorporation of cherry blossoms,… I think I would have liked this meal, but I can see how the uninitiated might struggle here.
If the textures upset you (and it’s not even junsai season!), I recommend steering clear of much of Chinese cuisine.