Must try: Kyoto traditional meal 🇯🇵

If you are travelling to Japan soon and need ideas on where to go, you literally have to try this place out! 🙌🏻

Located near Kiyomizu-dera temple in Kyoto, this charming little Machiya offers a truly authentic Kyoto Kaiseki experience. Kaiseki in Japanese basically means a traditional Japanese cuisine served in teahouses, they are usually based on seasonal ingredients (almost like omakase).

When I was planning for my trip, I wanted to find a place that offered affordable meals and still deliver a true authentic Japanese experience. Among all the Kaiseki restaurants in Kyoto, Hanasaki Manjiro provided a much more affordable, yet quality option.

The entrance to the restaurant is quite unassuming, so I really relied on pictures online and google maps to help me find the place. But, once I entered, it was really as if I stepped into the traditional past of Kyoto. A female staff, dressed in a yukata, greeted us in Japanese and ushered us to the second floor of the restaurant. As there were tatami mats all over the floor, we had to take off our shoes before we climbed up and enter.

I opted for its Kaiseki Murasame, which was a 9-course seasonal meal. As it was during the Summer season, they tried to incorporate all the freshest ingredients that can be found in Kyoto during the Summer. My favourite had to be the charcoal grilled hamo fish 🐉 (or daggertooth pike conger). Paired with a sweet plum sauce and shoyu, this combination really tantalised my tastebuds. In each dish, they tried to incorporate different parts of the fish into the dish. For instance, in one of the dishes, they used hamo fish eggs in a soup, paired with noodles, which gave it an interesting texture compared to the tamago. Or, they fried another part of the hamo fish into a tempura, and paired it with green tea salt.

Of course, other seasonal ingredients also added to its amazing taste. They had shishito peppers, yuba (tofu skin), eggplant, and many more.

The female staff, bless her, could not speak much english, so she tried to explain each and every dish as best as she could through google, and showing us pictures of the food.

Honestly, there’s so much to yap about the food that my hand hurts from typing. But, I would definitely recommend this place if you are around the area in Kyoto. Their menu changes every season and I’ve seen some reviews where people have gotten lobster 🦞 or other types of seafood as well. They also do have options for a more fancier meal with Kobe beef steak 🥩 and more!

Definitely would rate this place 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. So please go check out this area and support them!

💰: 7,000 yen (about $63 SGD depending on the exchange rate)

📍Hanasaki manjiro

518 Washiocho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0072, Japan