Showing posts with label Kyoto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kyoto. Show all posts

Il Pappalardo (Kyoto)

Posted on Sunday, November 16, 2014 by
Location: Kyoto, Japan
Address: ４５１-１ Myohoin Maekawacho, Higashiyama
Website: http://www.ilpappalardo.com/
Type of Meal: Dinner 
When you’re visiting Japan, finding freshly made pizza and pastas generally isn’t high on the list of priorities.  But, eventually you may tire of delicious fresh seafood or hearty noodles and want something different.  Enter Il Pappalardo, a quaint Italian restaurant on a quiet street a short cab ride from Kyoto Station (cost us ¥640), which was well worth it; especially if you’re tired of the bustling crowds near the station area.

Having been in Japan for a week, we missed white bread, so when a basket arrived with chewy French loaf, soft & salty focaccia that wasn’t greasy and crunchy bread sticks we were delighted. Paired with a fragrant olive oil, available for sale from the restaurant, it was heaven.

Thankfully, we shared the parma ham with buffalo mozzarella (¥2,000) as a starter because it was a surprisingly big portion. The thinly sliced prosciutto seemed “younger” than most as it wasn’t overly cured and the meat's texture less waxy than when it's been drying for long periods of time; it was nice and fresh. As you’d expect, the buffalo mozzarella was soft and delicate but had an interesting tangy taste which complimented the ham’s saltiness quite well.  All this along with the peppery arugula was a good start.

My linguini with scampi shrimp (¥2,200) was absolutely delicious and reminded me of one I had port side in Positano, Italy. The pasta was al dante and smothered in a non-tangy tomato sauce which likely was mixed with olive oil and shrimp stock to give it that depth of flavor. While the shrimp were a tad overcooked, they still retained their natural sweetness and other than this slight slipup the linguine would have been perfect.

With a variety of pizza on their menu, my husband opted for one; I forgot to jot down the name but it consisted of cheese and spicy salami (¥1,900).  The Neapolitan style crust was chewy and airy with lightly scorched air pockets, yet the bottom had been cooked long enough to allow the pizza to be picked up with one hand.  The salami added a nice heat without being over powering and the fresh mozzarella, according to Il Pappalardo’s website which is flown in from Naples three times a week, was gooey and stringy. 

All in all, I was impressed with the quality of ingredients used, the relatively affordable prices and decent portion sizes. If you’re in Kyoto and in the mood for something Italian, I’d certainly recommend checking out Il Pappalardo.

 Overall mark - 8.5 out of 10

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 ____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Menya Iroha 麺屋いろは(Kyoto)

Posted on Sunday, November 16, 2014 by
Location: Kyoto, Japan
Address: Kyoto Station (10th floor in "Ramen Alley")
Website: http://www.menya-iroha.com/
Type of Meal: Dinner  

After visiting Japan, I’ve learnt two things about the beloved bowl of ramen:
1.    In Japan, they consider these to be “Chinese” noodles as some believe it originated from China’s hand-pulled noodles, whereas in Canada, we describe ramen as “Japanese”. In reality, the more traditional Japanese noodles are soba and udon; and
2.    The different soup bases are actually linked to different regions in Japan with miso being popular in Hokkaido, tonkotsu developed in Kyushu and black (dark soy) from Toyama.
With so many regions it feels impossible to try them all. Luckily, the 10th floor of Kyoto Station consolidates eight restaurants into Ramen Koji or Ramen Alley. Most are outposts of popular ramen chains from across Japan. My husband and I ventured to the floor and found each set-up similarly – with a vending machine order system out front and a series of tables / bars seats making up the dining room.
After doing a full circle, we ended up choosing Menya Iroha as it didn’t have a line-up but still seemed busy. I’ll admit, the big poster of Iron Chef Chen also caught our eye even though we couldn’t understand what it was advertising.  Something that’s endorsed by an Iron Chef must be good right? Upon doing some research afterwards, it turns out Menya won best ramen in the Tokyo Ramen competition for the last few years with their black ramen… hence their bragging rights.

Alas, I didn’t realize this was their specialty and after purchasing a combo of ramen, rice and gyoza (¥1,150) and being asked whether I wanted “white” or “black”, I naturally went with white as I prefer salt based soup over soy.  Had I known their crown jewel was the black ramen I would have ordered it – my husband did and said it was delicious.

Having been use to the smaller bowls of noodles served previously, we were surprised with the large size presented to us about ten minutes later. Topped with tons of Japanese scallions, bamboo shoots, a soft boiled egg, two slices of pork, three dried shrimp and a sheet of nori there was a lot of food to get through. The noodles are thinner & softer and the broth more watery than the springy noodle with thick soup combination I’ve become accustomed to in Toronto. I personally prefer the noodles to be more al dante, but enjoyed the broth as it wasn’t as heavy so I could have more of it with the ramen. The slices of pork were marbled to a bacon like consistency and so tender that it just flaked off. If only everything was hotter this would have been one of the better bowls I’ve had in my life. 
Alas, I only had a bite of the rice as I couldn’t even finish the noodles. Luckily, I wasn’t missing much as it’s pretty average - sticky rice with sprinkles of sesame seeds and very hard pieces of dried seaweed. After adding some broth into a spoon with the rice and seaweed it did help rehydrate things and make it more appetizing. 
The gyozas also needed more heat. But, I still loved the lightness of the wrapper and flavourful crust on the bottom; these wrapper didn’t get hard and rubbery as some can get once it’s been sitting out for a while. The simple pork and chive filling was pretty tame so a bit of soy sauce and chili oil was needed to give it the right flavour.
Menya Iroha’s dining space is quite small but has a fair number of counters and four top tables, each equipped with a pitcher of ice water and condiments. If you are looking for a quick and inexpensive meal, this is the place for you. We were in and out in less than half an hour and couldn't finish our meal with their hefty portion sizes. For the price it was a great quality and very satisfying. If you can’t make it to Japan, Menya also has an outpost in LA which may be a bit easier to get to.

Overall mark - 7 out of 10

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 ____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Ten-ichi 天一 (Kyoto)

Posted on Wednesday, February 05, 2014 by
Location: Kyoto, Japan
Address: Kyoto Station (11 floor in "Eat Paradise")
Website: www.tenichi.co.jp
Type of Meal: Lunch
We stumbled upon Ten-Ichi by chance, as by the time we arrived in Kyoto, I was famished and needed to refuel quickly.  Luckily, the JR Kyoto train station does not disappoint with the entire 11th floor dedicated to restaurants.  There are likely elevators somewhere, but after looking around for five minutes we couldn’t find it.  My suggestion is to go up to the pedestrian walkway on the 2nd floor and take all the endless escalators up to save some frustration.




Ten-Ichi is a tempura chain with locations across the country and their flagship store in Ginza. Although they do have tables, the best seat in the house is at the bar seats where you can see the chefs in action. Of course, you do end up smelling heavily of fried food; personally, I was thankful that they had little carts behind the chairs where you can stash jackets and bags to cover them from as much of the fumes as possible.

A good time to visit is during lunch as they offer specials, which is what we ordered (¥1,995), quite a good deal compared to their dinner combos that can be upwards of ¥5,000.

When the platter of dishes arrived, one contained a piece of cold squid with tofu skin and chives. Although it was very simply seasoned (a miso dressing?), the squid was tender and went well with the blanch chives. A great amuse I wasn’t expecting and helped tied me over until the tempura started arriving.

Unlike my experiences in Canada, Ten-ichi’s tempura is freshly battered and cooked, with the chef presenting one ingredient at a time so that each one can be enjoyed piping hot. The first to be done were two shrimp. They were not as heavily battered and “fluffy” as the North American versions, rather each shrimp was gently coated so that the crust was crispy but not overly oily. Surprisingly, the shrimp’s natural sweetness was still pretty pronounced and shone through the batter and soy sauce.

Next a shiitake stuffed with crab meat was served. The mushroom was fairly light tasting allowing the sweet flaked crab meat to permeate through. Personally, I found this went better with just a light dusting of salt. 

When I saw the eggplant I was a bit worried that it would be gross and oily – eggplant is notorious for soaking up whatever it’s cooked in. However, this certainly wasn’t the case and was in fact tender and delicious.

Following was another seafood offering, a delicate white fish fillet deboned and perfect for eating.  Juicy and just cooked through, the fish was fresh and such a good combination of flakiness and crunch. What I wouldn’t have given to have some house made tartare sauce with this!

When the chef first put down the next vegetable, I assumed it was a green bean. Upon biting into it I discovered it was actually a pepper. Interestingly, it had no heat nor was it sweet; just a pepper flavour with a slightly bitter aftertaste.

The last item brings the meal full circle – more shrimp.  This time in fritter form with tons of tiny shrimp nestled into a crispy and doughy batter.  It’s great for breaking into little pieces, dunking into the light soy, scooping up the ground daikon and eating with rice. If you were worried about not being full before, this certainly will fill you up and ensure you’re satisfied!

I absolutely love how each table gets a bowl of ground daikon (a light tasting turnip) to add to the soy sauce.  The juiciness of it cuts through the oiliness and helps the soy sauce stick better onto the tempura. Once scooped onto the rice and mixed with some crunchy pickled vegetables it complements the plain rice quite well.

Like most Japanese restaurants, Ten-Ichi includes a bowl of hot miso soup with the meal. Ten-Ichi jazzes it up a bit by adding mini clams into the soup, not the easiest thing to eat but gives it some extra depth of flavour.

Why isn’t tempura served like this all over the world? Instead of the overly battered pieces of frozen shrimp with tasteless root vegetables, in Japan chefs use fresh seasonal ingredients with each piece offering unique flavours. Of course, it also helps that you’re served piece-by-piece so that each one arrives deliciously hot.  Most pieces aren’t that large, so once you finish you can’t help but anticipate when the chef will lift their large chopsticks and place the next offering in front of you.

Overall mark - 8 out of 10

 Like the blog? You can now follow me on twitter for notifications - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog

 ____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!


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