Minamitei み奈美亭 (Kansai Airport Osaka Japan)

We promised ourselves to visit the onsen region near Kansai Airport again. At the end of our trip, we stayed at Minamitei – next door from the hotel we visited last time.

Rather than the full kaiseki banquet, we ordered a duck hotpot instead. The duck meat was very tender and complemented well with the vegetables. The best part of the meal for me was mixing the hot stock with duck fat at the end into the rice. Coupled with the fantastic view of the mountains from the room it was a wonderful dinner.

Details:
Minamitei み奈美亭
大阪府泉佐野市大木2236 （犬鳴山温泉）
Osaka, Japan

Ajikitcho Shinsaibashi Daimaru 味吉兆 大丸心斎橋店 (Osaka Japan)

Among the thousands of people in the famous Shinsaibashi shopping district in Osaka, we found refuge to enjoy a quiet dinner at Ajikitcho. This 1 Michelin star restaurant is situated at the top floor of the Daimaru departure store, right next to the roof top English garden.

There were a wide range of nice menu available and being a big wagyu beef fan we went for the yakiniku menu featuring the famous Omi breed. The meat was nicely marbled and tender. The entrees of prawn/egg ball soup opened up the appetite and the watermelon jelly dessert finished the meal perfectly.

Details:
Ajikitcho – at Shinsaibashi Daimaru
味吉兆・大丸心斎橋店
大阪市中央区心斎橋筋１-７-１
Osaka, Japan
http://www.ajikitcho.jp

Kawanami 川波 (Nara Japan)

We visited Kawanami for dinner during our visit in Nara, Japan. It is a 1 Michelin star restaurant reputed for growing its own vegetables.

The highlight of the night was the tempura courses consisting of broad beans, potatoes, onions and seafood. Opposed to the typical dipping sauce, we were presented with a big crystal of salt to grind for dipping. And peas must be in season and many of the sweet little things were featured in most dishes – including the rice.

It was a meal without any fanciness you expect in Japanese restaurants – yet so delicious.

Vegetarian sets are available.

Details:
Kawanami 川波
奈良県奈良市芝辻町4-6-14 沢井ビル １Ｆ
Nara, Japan
http://www.nara-kawanami.jp/

Kappou-Kitada (Nara Japan)

The Michelin guide has a page suggesting the more affordable star restaurants. We were attracted to the 1 star Kappou-Kitada in Nara which offers a bento lunch at Y2,700.

Despite the price tag, service was immaculate and we struck up a nice conversation with the head chef. To our surprise, the bento lunch included entrees and dessert, including a soup with a delicious prawn and egg ball.

The bento contained a large variety of food including sashimi and grilled meat. All were delicately presented and well seasoned. The entire bento was a nicely balanced meal and made a satisfying lunch.

Details:
Kappou-Kitada
割烹きた田
奈良県奈良市芝辻町4-5-6
Nara, Japan

Kadensho (Arashiyama Kyoto Japan)

When we travelled to the famous Arashiyama Onsen region near Kyoto, we stayed at the Kadensho ryokan. Little did we know that we were in for a feast.

Our included dinner featured a wide range of Japanese dishes, including all the traditional dishes from the Kyoto region. In addition, there was all-you-can-eat tempura that was made to order. Enough said.

If dinner was not enough, there were late night ramen noodles and dessert available. In addition, the breakfast buffet offered a wide range of Japanese and Western foods – including a chocolate fountain.

Details:
Kadensho
嵐山温泉 花伝抄
京都府京都市西京区嵐山西一川町5-4
Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan
http://www.hotespa.net/hotels/kadensho/

Unagiya Hirokawa (Arashiyama Kyoto Japan)

We had lunch at Hirokawa, a 1 Michelin star unagi (eel) specialist, during our visit in the reputed hot spring region of Arashiyama, located 15 minutes from Kyoto.

On top of the grilled eel in the traditional sauce, known as kabayaki, we also ordered the sirayaki which was the plain version and the signature kimoyaki (grilled eel liver). The texture of fresh unagi was nice and firm, definitely not mushy like the ones in typical Japanese restaurants. And experiencing the actual taste of eel served plain, only lightly dipped in soy sauce and wasabi if required, was a revelation.

Details:
Unagiya Hirokawa
うなぎ屋「廣川」
京都市右京区嵯峨天龍寺北造路町44-1
Kyoto, Japan
http://unagi-hirokawa.jp

Seike (Kyoto Japan)

When in Kyoto we decided to sample the unique Yuba cuisine which is a local specialty. Yuba is effectively the skin formed when boiling soy milk, also known as tofu skin. We went to the 1 Michelin star Seike Restaurant in the Nishijin district.

The base menu covers a large array of textures of Yuba/tofu over 7 courses. Many of which were well beyond our imaginations. The soup with yam and ‘sashimi’ were my favourites… and the ‘sashimi’ actually tasted like sashimi! The dessert tofu pudding was silky smooth – make sure to get a box of 8 when you leave.

Details:
Kyoto Yuba Zukushi Seike
京ゆば処　静家　西陣店
京都市上京区大宮通今出川下ル薬師町234
Kyoto, Japan
http://www.seike-yuba.com/nishijin.html

Setsugetsuka (Kobe Japan)

At Kobe, it was only natural for us to look for a place to sample the famous Kobe beef. We chose Setsugetsuka, a 1 Michelin star teppanyaki restaurant, in the shopping district near Sannomiya.

We thoroughly enjoyed the skills displayed by the chef at the teppan, but the steak was the star. Every bite created the melt-in-your-mouth sensation. The stir fried vegetables with the remaining fat was brilliant with rice. Foie gras teppanyaki is also worth a try – but do order an extra serve of beef if you have room!

Details:
Kobe Setsugetsuka
神戸牛ステーキ 鉄板焼雪月花
４丁目-８−１９
Kanocho
KobeChuo Ward
Hyogo Prefecture 650-0001
Japan
http://www.kobe-setsugetsuka.com/

Kinzan (Arima Japan)

One of the most anticipated events of our trip to Japan was staying at the Kinzan ryokan in the hot spring region of Arima. In this 1 Michelin star resort, we got to enjoy natural hot spring, our own ‘suite’ (the smallest in the resort) with its own breakfast room, and a wagyu kaiseki dinner using the famous Tajima cattle.

Dinner lasted 10 courses and we experienced 6 different textures of wagyu beef: jerky, sushi, grilled, soup, mini-teppanyaki, and shabu shabu. All the dishes utilised the marbling of the beef to create sensational flavours.

Details:
Arima Onsen Hotel Kinzan
1302-4 Arima-cho, Kita-ku
Kobe
Hyogo 651-1401
Japan
http://kinzan.co.jp/