Hostel Inn Kyoto Gion

Flowers are arranged, the ceremonial space is well appointed, serving vessels are carefully chosen. The tea ceremony spirit pervades Gion Maruyama’s graceful service. The Gion location is a ryotei but, in a modern touch, it also features counter seating. The chef has spent many years seeking out delicious flavours. He spells ‘oishii’ (good-tasting) the old-fashioned way, with the characters that mean ‘beautiful’ and ‘taste’, recalling the sensibilities of an older time. ‘Flavour, not seasoning’ is the chef’s credo. Devotion to Kyoto cuisine that reverberates in all senses.

Food that makes you appreciate the goodness of Japanese cuisine all over again; nothing pretentious, just a reminder of how delicious familiar flavours can be. One novel touch is that rice is cooked in a Nanbu iron pot, for results different from the usual clay one. The house aims for simple preparations that treasure the culture and techniques cultivated by previous generations. The cuisine, plated on antique tableware, evokes the idea of ‘onko-chishin’ — learning from the old to create something new.

The chef has made himself a master of old-school Japanese cuisine to take it to the next level. While respecting orthodoxy in wanmono and side dishes, he refers to French flameworking techniques for his grilled items and snacks. Masu salmon is served mi-cuit; beef is rested multiple times during grilling. The sukiya-style interior in a remodelled wooden townhouse is appointed with both antique and modern dishware. ‘Ryosho’ means ‘aspire to the heavens,’ and the sky’s the limit for the chef’s ambition and desire to better himself.

The ambience is still, like a mountain retreat in the heart of the city. The flicker of votive lanterns casts a tenor of rustic simplicity. While he worked to polish his cooking skills, Hitoshi Ishihara also encountered Zen teachings. Inspired by the wabicha spirit of the tea ceremony, Ishihara strives to host each dinner as a single gathering, with guests and host in close communication. Generous portions reinforce the mood of celebration. ‘Mizai’ is a Zen word meaning ‘not yet here’; for Ishihara, tireless self-improvement is a never-ending journey.

As an apprentice, while honing his skills in simmering and cooking, the chef discovered a love for grilling. The delicious taste of char-grilled boar impressed him and sparked his curiosity. Placing his grill at the centre of his kitchen, he hung out his shingle as a char-grill kappo. The bounty of mountain and ocean are roasted and slipped into the soup and dressed vegetables. Guests can choose between grilled fish or beef; game is also available in winter. Artful manipulation of the flame wreathes each item in the aroma of charcoal smoke.

Freewheeling cuisine by a chef with Japanese spirit and Western learning. Gratin of truffles and clams is reminiscent of scallop coquilles served at Western restaurants. Use of serving dishes irrespective of cuisine shows a blending of Western and Japanese styles. Lacquered wooden trays, however, change with each dish, professing a sensitivity to beauty that pervades every aspect of Shimmonzen Yonemura. Supported by a team of young workers, the cuisine of Chef Masayasu Yonemura evolves with each restaurant he opens, from Kiyacho to Yasaka to Shimmonzen.

A sushi restaurant produced by Gion Sasaki . Chefs who honed their skills in Japanese cuisine under their master now stand at the counter. The two types of sushi rice are selected according to the topping, and steamed or grilled dishes are interwoven between the nigiri in a unique touch. Fresh-cooked rice is seasoned with red vinegar; conger eel delights the eyes as it cooks over bamboo grass on an earthen brazier. The chefs work together with well-oiled precision, calculating their moves to deliver each morsel at the moment of peak flavour.