Kikunoi Honten
Many of Japan’s most famous restaurants have stood for hundreds of years. Often times built on or near historic grounds, many of these enduring eateries have helped to shape Japanese cuisine. These traditional restaurants have particularly boosted the awareness of kaiseki, the traditional Japanese take on a “tasting menu”. While there are many influential establishments across Japan, Kyoto’s Kikunoi Honten is arguably one of the most important kaiseki restaurants in the country today.
The restaurant appears like a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) on the outside. Once within Kikunoi’s walls, you’ll feel like you’re the only customer. All guests are served in private dining rooms. For my entire visit from reception to catching the taxi back to the hotel, I did not encounter another guest despite knowing that the restaurant was fully booked. Here is the menu I had during my visit on September 8, 2017:
“Walnut Tofu” - Delaware grapes, dashi en gelee, wasabi, shiso flower buds
“Hassun” - Seared barracuda sushi, hamo roe terrine, grilled hamo marinated in miso, grilled candied chestnut, salt-preserved ayu milt and roe, trout roe, sake glazed gingko nuts, pine needle-shaped green tea noodles, gingko leaf shaped sweet potato
“Sashimi” - Tai (red sea bream), sagoshi (young Spanish mackerel), ponzu jelly, mixed sprouts, vinegar chrysanthemum petals, wasabi
“Koshibi” - Young bluefin tuna, mustard, soy-marinated egg yolk sauce
“Tilefish” - Toasted rice, matsutake mushrooms, tsunura leaf, crescent egg custard, yuzu peel, deep-fried tilefish
“Sorbet” - Passion fruit and wasabi sorbet
“Ayu” - Salt-grilled roe-bearing sweetfish, waterpepper vinegar
“Steamed Rice” - Glutinous rice, uni, seaweed, wasabi
“Muscat Grapes” - Persimmon and whelk dressed with tofu, mascarpone, gorgonzola, pomegranate, black pepper
“Omi Beef” - Roasted Japanese beef, fig leaf, fig sauce, yuzu
“Rice” - Chestnuts, chicken, mitsuba herb
“Rice” - Cucumber and eggplant pickles, edamame soup
“Poached Fig” - Cocktail of poached fig, Kyoho grapes, Early Grey jelly, Ceylon tea granite
“Matcha” - Whisked tea, coffee jelly
Amazing. Thirteen courses of kaiseki-style cuisine with a few Western touches and none of them missed a beat. From the very first course of “walnut tofu” to the coffee jelly at the end, each component in every course made sense. I felt the natural progression of the meal with each bite. The insistent focus on seasonal ingredients with their seemingly simple preparations really embodied the spirit of kaiseki. With a final sip of matcha tea, I ended the evening with a reinforced appreciation for Japan, its history, and its cuisine.
Kikunoi Honten
459 Shimokawaracho, Higashiyama-ku
Kyoto, Japan
+81 075-561-0015
www.kikunoi.jp
