Before visiting Japan, most of my experience with Japanese cuisine was sushi-based. So I was pleasantly surprised to learn that this isn’t the only traditional Japanese meal one can try in local restaurants. After sampling a multi-course kaiseki meal at our ryokan in Nara, I was happy to discover another iteration of this traditional Japanese meal at Gion Karyo in Kyoto.
The seats at Karyo all surround a central kitchen, where you can watch as the chefs prepare your meal. A prix fixe designed around the seasons, the menu offers no choice (except the price). Once you’ve settled on one of four amounts, the chefs begin serving up your multi-course extravaganza.
Ours began with sakizuke, an appetizer consisting of asparagus, mushroom, and an outstanding white miso sauce, all served on a wasabi leaf – surprisingly less pungent than one would expect, given the flavor of the root.
Next, we enjoyed a light fish soup with ultra-soft tofu and bright yuzu zest.
This was followed by a multi-part sashimi course.
First, we enjoyed a tray of tuna, flounder, and squid. The last was a pleasantly surprising standout, with a nearly creamy texture.
The next part of our sashimi came seared.
After a bit of Google translate reverse engineering, I’m fairly sure that the rich fish we enjoyed was called blackthroat seaperch. Whatever it’s called, it was quite tasty.
This photo unfortunately doesn’t capture the artistry that went into this tilefish preparation: the skin was carved into little bits that became crisp when grilled, giving a pleasant crunchy texture that emulated scales (but was happily far tastier!) The result was nearly panko-like.
This little bowl was served next…
And when opened revealed a small portion of steamed rice topped with clams. Our chef explained that they only cooked for as long as they were on the rice. With a slightly sweet marinade, this dish was one of my favorites.
This ornate assembly of dishes came next: beef, squid, octopus, fava beans, and more. While this plate was certainly beautiful, it unfortunately also contained a few of my least favorite dishes of the evening, including the squid head, which I so wanted to like but just… didn’t.
Fortunately, my favorite dish came next. (Unfortunately, it photographed terribly.) This dis of sea bream roe and bamboo shoots offered one of the most interesting textures I’ve ever come across: the roe was almost like very compact, very fine cottage cheese (a description my brother hated, but I stand by it).
Next up, we were invited to cook our very own abalone on a hot rock. While I liked the concept here, the texture was just… not great. Swing and a miss.
Next, we enjoyed hearth-cooked rice with clams. While this was tasty, it was very filling, following all of the other dishes, and we were barely able to finish our first portions, never mind the seconds we were offered.
Thankfully for our full bellies, there was just one course left: a three part dessert of mochi, fresh fruit, and sweet sake with rice.
This kaiseki meal wasn’t just a culinary experience – it was also an interactive one. As delicious as the meal was (and it was!) perhaps my favorite part of it was the proximity to and interaction with the chefs.
Their personalities are on display as much as their culinary craft, and I was especially grateful for the English language skills of many of the men (for they were all men!) stationed near us.
Gion Karyo – 570-235 Gionmachi Minamigawa, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto