This is the last of my Japan posts that you’ll be subjected to…
Not to be confused with Nanachome Kyoboshi in Tokyo (a former 3*** Michelin restaurant), this restaurant is in the Gion district of Kyoto. And to make things even more confusing, chef Sakakibara-San of 7-Chome Kyoboshi is the uncle of chef Sakakibara-San of the Kyoto Kyoboshi. You can see similarities in the style of cooking, the batter used, and some of the ingredients used.
The drink menu:
Decided I would go with shochu for the night, and I like the pungency of imo shochu, so selected the below (have forgotten the name):
Condiments: (lemon juice, salt, grated daikon as a palate cleanser)
Shrimp toast - This was great, but not as heavenly as I remember from my visit to 7-Chome Kyoboshi
Kisu (whiting)
Zucchini
Sakakibara-san at his craft
The first of three (what I believe to be kuruma) ebi courses
One of my favorites - fish with seaweed
Green beans (the first of three courses)
Lotus root - a highlight - the texture inside was chewy, but the outside was perfectly crispy, like the best (for me) french fries
Fish in shiso - I unfortunately did not take notes, so cannot recall a few of the types of fish in these pics
The third of the green bean courses - notable for the display; he made this by skewering all the beans with a stick, frying them, and then pulling out the stick once the batter had solidified
Hamo
Gingko
Kinki
Corn
Shochu 2 - Wow! She called this Seki Toba - I hope I got that right. This might be the best imo shochu I’ve had - just enough sweet potato flavor and pungency, but rich and smooth
Sweet potato - glazed with sugar and brandy before frying - not quite dessert; that’s sugar and not salt for dipping
Tencha - this was soothing, and the fried shrimp was softened by the tea
Fruit (the true dessert)
I had eaten at 7-Chome Kyoboshi in Tokyo, which had many of the same ingredients. This meal didn’t didn’t hit the heights of 7-Chome Kyoboshi, but I don’t know if that’s due to a difference in quality or because the former was my first ever tempura meal in Japan. The service was quite friendly - Sakakibara-san cooked, and his wife served drinks. I personally didn’t think 7-Chome Kyoboshi was worth returning to at its nosebleed price levels, but I would definitely try to go back to Kyoboshi in Kyoto at 1/3 of the price.
However, I think it’s time for me to try some of the other notable tempura restaurants in Tokyo.