“Is this a restaurant or a museum?” is a question many visitors have when stepping into Shorenin Monzeki-mae Tsukioka.
Behind the counter lies a gallery of antique plateware and other dining items, some from the Momoyama period of Japan, others from the Chinese Ming dynasty and Korea’s Joseon dynasty, and these antiques are used unsparingly to serve guests.
Chef Tsukioka’s passion has long been to spread his love of Japanese food culture to the world, and although temporarily derailed by the coronavirus pandemic, he opened Tsukioka in Kyoto in order to pursue this mission.
The chef personally procures wild ingredients from the mountains and fresh vegetables from the fields and prepares them to be served on the plateware specifically chosen for that dish. All his strictly-selected ingredients are cooked in the “okudo (traditional furnace oven)” placed in the center of the kitchen. The flavors of charcoal-cooked meat and vegetables have a richness that those cooked over gas-burners cannot imitate and their sweet aroma, together with that of the fragrant rice also cooked in a earthenware pot, fills the air.
Come and experience this artful concept of “a dining museum” which combines food, antique beauty and the true hospitality of Japan.