Yonemura Gion

Tucked away in one of the quieter back streets of Gion in Kyoto, Japan is Yonemura Gion. This 1-star Michelin rated restaurant serves a tasting menu of French Japanese fusion, with a few Spanish influences here-and-there as well. The primary seating is at the chef’s counter, where diners can see all of the action as the various courses are prepared.

Here is the menu we had for dinner on September 6, 2017:

Crab & Mussels - Front: Toast topped with mussels and kelp. Back: SOBA flavor rich butter bread with crab salad and foie gras.

Mushroom Croquette - Beef tongue stew, fennel sauce

Hamo & Matsutake - Left: Matsutake mushroom consomme. Right: Steamed glutinous rice with hamo and chestnut.

Lobster & Amberjack - Front: Tomato and pear salad topped with boiled lobster. Back: Fig, young Japanese amberjack, and raw ham.

Flatfish Meuniere - Cold pumpkin sauce, grilled green pepper

Clam - Bouillabaisse of clam, croutons

Cold Pasta - Surf clam, avocado, uni, salmon roe

Wagyu beef with garlic peanut sauce

Curry rice with pickled onions

Dessert - Left: Parfait of fruit and ice cream. Right: Green perilla and blood orange sorbet.

Our meal at Yonemura Gion was a bit strange for a few reasons. First, the seating. I’m no stranger to a chef’s counter, but the one at Yonemura Gion is set an extra foot or so higher than any other I’ve seen. This means that we were looking down on the staff and it felt a bit odd. Second, the menu and plating. I wasn’t quite sure about the cohesiveness of the menu. There seemed to be a few different themes going on. Also, several dishes were paired and plated together even though in many cases they weren’t meant to be eaten together. This all left us feeling a little disjointed.

UPDATE: Since this post Yonemura has undergone a renovation and change of menu and concept. In 2019 it reopened and was awarded 2 Michelin stars.

 

Yonemura
255 Umemotocho, Higashiyama Ward
Kyoto, 605-0064, Japan
+81 75-533-6699
www.r-yonemura.jp