Japan Restaurant Review: レストラン よねむら/Yonemura Kyoto

Yonemura
京都市東山区八坂鳥居前下ル清井町481-1
Gion, Kyoto
075-533-6699

This one Michelin star restaurant really impressed me.  Located in the heart of Gion, a very traditional and touristy area of Kyoto, Chef Yonemura serves an undefined cuisine.  He strives to stimulate the guests senses using seasonal ingredients, soul of Japanese cuisine, and Western techniques.  We sat at the counter where we were fascinated to see the cooks work so harmoniously without raising their voices at each other.  We had eight courses for 13,000 yen (no need to tip in Japan!).  The service was quite flawless (though only one server could really speak English) and the Chef greeted us. 

 

 Magurozuke (tuna marinated lightly in soy sauce) with cheese: a very surprising combination but worked very well! It was served with a nice crispy little shrimp ball.

Hamaguri　（ハマグリ）

Served with Hamaguri broth

Sea bream (鯛) sashimi

Sole (ヒラメ)with house cured ham, tapenade, ratatouille sauce (yum!) and the piece of fish you see on the bottom left is a lightly torched rim of sole.

Spring vegetable soup gratin: beautiful colors.  Not as heavy/filling as it looks.  A very gentle/やさしい dish.

Cold pasta with ホタルイカ(squid), uni, tomato gelee and 菜の花(spring vegetable similar to broccoli rabe).  We were told to try the pasta by itself first then mix in the toppings as desired.  A fun and extremely delicious dish!

Beautiful wagyu (can't remember where it was from) and タケノコ(grilled fresh bamboo shoot).  You can only eat fresh bamboo shoots during spring and they are especially good when grilled because it's so fragrant.

Very unexpected しめ(end of meal): curry! A very small portion :)

Very plain but well made roll cake.