Kyoto day 3- part 5- dinner in town

After hiking Fushimi Inari, I was quite tuckered out for the day and ready to retire. However, my stomach was quite vocal about the need to replenish after expending so much effort...so I made my way back into town, or at least the area I was staying in. It took a little while to find any places open and enticing at the late hour and I got turned away from one place (which was behind the artistic elevator door shown below)... Eventually I found a place that was open and serving, so I found myself a seat and ordered up a dish of yudofu, or tofu hot pot. The yudofu is pictured above, a simple dish of tofu and vegetables in a light broth, a quintessential Kyoto classic of sorts. There's no need to overcomplicate things, instead the natural flavors of the composite ingredients are allowed to meld and mingle in the gentle broth. It's really a lot more delicious and lot less bland than it may sound, believe me. 

The dish came with a couple of sides, pictured above. Potato salad, simmered items (ube, burdock root and lotus root) and fruit. 

After refueling I stopped in at Pan & Circus for a drink and to say hi to my new friends at the guest house before returning to 9Hours for the evening to crash. Since it was late I managed to snag a few photos of the more private areas, like the bathroom pictured below.

Fancy!

Check back soon for the next post.

XOXO,

NAU

Kyoto Day 2- Part 5 - Kaiseki dinner

While ambling around the many winding alleyways that connect the streets of Kyoto, I was finding myself at a loss as to where to eat. I had read about several restaurants online but my attempts to actually locate them in reality were proving fruitless. Perhaps sensing my growing hunger and rising frustration, a smiling chef approached me with a menu in hand. Though they had not officially opened for the evening just yet, the chef was kind enough to lead me to his restaurant anyway and proceeded to cook a multi-course kaiseki meal for me with his kind wife who helped him. It was an incredible experience, one I'll always be immensely grateful and thankful for. The food may look simple but that's a large part of it's allure! Without overly complicated combinations of ingredients, the attention to detail and freshness shines with the unfettered presentation. It was an exceptional meal and as I was the only diner at this early time of night it felt more personal and intimate. When I went to leave, both of them wished me safe travels and bid me well, but the wife walked me to the door and asked to take a photo together. 

Maybe not my best angle ever, but it was more about capturing the moment than trying to model. I hope they are both well and I will always be grateful that they were kind enough to start dinner prep early to feed a hungry wanderer.