A kaiseki meal in Kyoto,Japan
What’s a Kaiseki meal?
It’s a traditional Japanese multi-course meal that’s prepared by the chef and usually reserved for special occasions (like celebrations!). The chef chooses the dishes based on the season. So, if you decide to eat here in the winter or the summer, they’ll probably severe a different set of dishes. What is consistent, however, is the vibrant, well-plated, and delicious dishes that you can expect.
What better place than Kyoto to experience traditional Japanese fine dining?
We were fortunate enough to visit Kyoto in September of 2019. We chose Otaya for our Kaiseki experience and it did NOT disappoint! If you happen to be in Kyoto, I would strongly consider this restaurant. Keep in mind that the flavors can be subtle initially. But, if you give it a chance, expect to taste fresh and unique flavors that harmonize together to achieve umami.
Otaya business card:
Address: 456-2 Tenmacho, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto, 600-8024, Japan
We chose to have the omakase course (chef’s choice). There were two options the 6,000 yen and 8,000 yen one. We elected for the latter one since it came with a wagyu beef course. If you are a beef lover, it’s easily worth the extra $.
Sashimi salad: super fresh tomato and greens
Sashimi plater : horse mackerel, clam, snapper, garnished with fresh herbs and fresh wasabi root
Wagyu beef: Cooked to perfection to be sampled with house soy sauce & pureed radish. wasabi, lime or salt,
This was by far my favorite dish at this restaurant. If you can’t tell already, I’m a huge beef fan. Keep in mind that this is not the most marbled cut of beef that one can find but it more than makes up with the playfulness of this dish. All the different options allow the beefy flavor of the meat to come through in a whole different way. Mixing and matching keeps the experience new from the first to the last bite. My favorite combination was a dash of wasabi with a sprinkle of salt!
Salad dish with 20 unique veggies
Pumpkin puree in a seafood sauce accompanied by pieces of shrimp
Honestly, I did not expect this dish to be any good. Not much happened when I first took a bite, but after 5 seconds my impression took a 180. The initial heaviness of the starch started to evolve into a much lighter balanced flavor as my taste buds took in the umami of the sauce. It must have taken the chef a decent amount of trial and error to finally achieved this balance. I was impressed and surprised to find myself finishing the entire bowl!
If your still hungry after the first few dishes, this one will fill you up. They give you rice with house pickled veggies and miso soup w/ mushrooms.
This creme brûlée did NO wrong. The perfect crunch of a lightly burnt surface with the rich cream that sits directly beneath = bliss.
Thank you so much for spending time to read our review. We definitely enjoyed our evening at this small restaurant and feel that anyone with an adventurous and open palate will have an amazing experience. Every dish came out beautifully arranged, and they tasted as good as they looked.
Overall rating: 5/5
Food: 5/5
Service: 4.5/5. They were very friendly and helpful. They even try to explain things in english. Only remark was that sometimes it was hard getting their attention.
Environment: Small, quiet, serene
Dress code: business casual
Reservations: Highly recommended. There are only a few seats and they fill up quickly. We saw some walk-ins get turned away.