Ryotei Yachiyo
Kyoto Garden Ryokan Yachiyo first began as a traditional gourmet restaurant caled ryotei, serviing kaiseki cuisine. The origins of kaiseki comes from the tea culture (chanoyu), where a light meal was eaten during the course of a formal ceremony. As tea ceremony culture developed in Kyoto, the meal began to develop to what we know as "kaiseki" today. What was a light meal to ward off hunger during the tea ceremony is now a lavish banquet of delicately presented seasonal foods. More often than not, kaiseki meals consist of 8-10 dishes and variety and freshness are paramounted. Variety is found is not just in food but cooking methods: raw, boiled, grilled and deep-fried. Kaiseki meals are also sure to include a soup and a rice dish at the end.
Kyo-kaiseki
Kyo-kaiseki is Kyoto's version of the Kaiseki (the "Kyo" coming from "Kyoto"). Characteristics include an emphasis on the seasoning or dashi which is used in almost all the dishes. Dashi is traditionally made from sea kelp and each ryotei has their own recipe. Kyo-kaiseki also values the presentation of dishes, and, similar to how a tea ceremony host will decorate the tea room under a particular theme, kaiseki dishes reflect the seasons in the choice of tableware and foods. Finally, as Kyoto has home-grown vegetables or kyo-yasai, these are often found in kyo-kaiseki.
Tel: 075-771-4148 / Fax: 075-771-4140
Lunch: 11am-4pm (last order 3pm)
Dinner: 5pm-9pm (last order 7pm)
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