The warm breeze of spring is here.

This time, we visited Kiyama, a restaurant in Kyoto with one star in the Michelin Guide that is gathering a lot of attention.

The lunch ordered for the day, was the 10,000 yen lunch course.

We arrived at the restaurant and were seated according to our reservation time.

Kiyama has two areas for counter seats and one private room.

We were seated at the counter for our meal this time.

Kiyama’s special water.

Apparently when the restaurant was being made, by chance they happened to find a well that had pure water spring from it.

Ever since then, it seems this pure water has been an important element for creating their cuisine.

It is important to realize how big of a role water plays in Japanese cuisine.

The appetizer.

The refreshing ingredients such as shrimp and broad beans whet our appetite.

The start of the performance at Kiyama.

The chef started shaving the katsuobushi (dried bonito). The room started to fill with the pleasant aroma of skipjack tuna.

They let guests taste the shaved dried bonito flakes before they use it to cook the food.

These dried bonito flakes are aged for 1 year.

These are aged for 3 years.

This is the “magurobushi” or dried tuna, it is aged for 1 year.

Chef Kiyama is cutting the fish into pieces.

The delicate work of this master chef is a sight to behold.

He is now making the “dashi” or soup stock from the dried bonito made earlier.

After the soup stock was made, they quickly let us sample it.

There was no added seasoning to it and the taste was not too strong. The taste was just right.

This is the soup which was made from the soup stock.

The soup was nice and hot and the taste refreshing.

The flounder or flatfish sashimi.

It was decorated with some flowers that gave it a nice spring feel to it.

Vegetables and cherry salmon seasoned with wasabi sauce and peanut powder.

The fat of the fish went very well with the scent of the wasabi. The sweetness of peanut powder really enhanced the flavor.

The customer sitting next to me seemed to be enjoying their drink of Japanese sake so much that I decided to try it myself, and I ordered the same drink.

Although the liquor content in the drink was quite high, it had a great taste and went well with the fish we were eating.

I enjoyed the drink so much, I had to order another.

Boiled octopus and bamboo shoots with vinegar.

This dish cleansed our palate of the fish in our mouth.

The fried-dish.

The deep-fried dumpling was made from a soup stock with ingredients such as sesame tofu, ginger, and garlic. .

The batter was crispy and I enjoyed the thick inside texture very much.

Beef shabu-shabu with high-quality Kuroge Wagyu (Japanese black beef).

We enjoyed that there was plenty of juicy meat in it.

“Asamayama” sake.

We were happy to receive this recommendation from the owner, Chef Kiyama.

This was the order that the rice set was presented.

To start, the soup and pickled vegetables.

On this day, four kinds of rice were prepared, and you could choose whether to eat a serving of one of the types of rice prepared, or have smaller servings of multiple types of rice.

The four types of rice were:

“Tendon” (tempura over rice) , crab “ochazuke” (boiled rice in tea/soup), tiny whitefish/baby sardines and egg yolk over rice, and “anago”(conger eel) sushi.

We decided to try all of them.

All were very delicious! Personally, my favorite was the crab “ochazuke.”

Strawberry juice.

The innate sweetness of the strawberry was perfectly refreshing.

For dessert, a macaron and Japanese matcha green tea.

The restaurant is located in the middle of a residential area, and is a little far from the station.

However, after having the meal today, I really felt that this is a meal that people should not miss out on if they are coming to Kyoto.

Watching Chef Kiyama at work and the kind consideration and service of the staff were a big plus too.

If you like Japanese cuisine, it is definitely worth making reservations and giving it a try if visiting Kyoto.

Give it a try and find out why this restaurant is getting so much attention from gourmands across the country.

■Kiyama Restaurant Information

Address 1F, 136 Kinuyacho Nakagyo Ward Kyoto

Business hours  【Lunch】12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

【Dinner】6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Closed  Irregular Holidays

Directions        About a 5 minute walk from Marutamachi Station on the Karasuma Line of the Subway.

Seating Counter: 9 Seats

L-Shaped Counter: 7 Seats

Private Room: 1 Room (4-5 guests)

*The L-shaped counter is available for private reservation for 4 or more guests.

Children Children are welcome in the private room.

Strollers can be brought into restaurant, however no baby/high chairs are available.

Reservation: 

If you like Japanese cuisine, it is definitely worth making reservations and giving it a try if visiting Kyoto.
Give it a try and find out why this restaurant is getting so much attention from gourmands across the country.

■Kiyama Restaurant Information
Address 1F, 136 Kinuyacho Nakagyo Ward Kyoto
Business hours 【Lunch】12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
【Dinner】6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Closed Irregular Holidays
Directions About a 5 minute walk from Marutamachi Station on the Karasuma Line of the Subway.
Seating Counter: 9 Seats
L-Shaped Counter: 7 Seats
Private Room: 1 Room (4-5 guests)
*The L-shaped counter is available for private reservation for 4 or more guests.
Children Children are welcome in the private room.
Strollers can be brought into restaurant, however no baby/high chairs are available.
Reservation: https://myconciergejapan.com/restaurants/kiyama/