Yoshikawa Inn Tempura

As a family of 5 (the youngest of which was 15) visiting Japan for the first and probably last time, we wanted to have one amazing "kaiseki" meal during our stay to experience Japanese cuisine and culture at its finest. We were not disappointed. This lovely old "ryokan" inn is located down a side street south of Oike Dori near Kyoto Shiyakushomae station. The picture on the inn's website has photo-shopped out a tall drab office building next door, however once you are inside it is an oasis of calm and beauty. Despite being in the middle of the city, all you can hear in the private garden is the sound of tinkling water and cicadas. We hired a private room, which had tatami mats on the floor, a private rest room/WC and sliding doors opening out onto decking then the garden. We ate in the evening, and the gardens were beautifully illuminated. There is a lovely little pavilion at the back of the garden where you can stroll to have smoke or a change of scene during or after the meal. We ate in traditional style sitting at a low table on cushions on the floor, with back supports. Luckily there was a footwell, so even though we sat there for 2 hours during the course of the meal, it was actually very comfortable. When we booked we were offered a choice of 2 menus, either traditional kaiseki or more tempura. We opted for the traditional kaiseki, which consisted of 8/9 courses of which 2 were tempura. The food was wonderful, and beautifully presented. It was as good, if not better, than the Michelin star restaurants we have occasionally eaten at. Essentially sea food and vegetables either cooked or raw with delicious sauces and other flavouring. Throughout the meal the service was impeccable. We were served by 3 Japanese ladies all dressed in beautiful traditional yukata robes. Once they had brought each course in and explained what it was, they disappeared leaving us in peace. They magically reappeared to clear away the dishes and serve the next course. The timing was perfect - we neither felt rushed, nor that we had to wait long between courses. The lady in charge of serving us was Chisato Yoshikawa, who I guess is the daughter of the proprietor. She is charming and speaks pretty good English. She was particularly helpful in answering our questions by email when we made our reservation. When we booked, we had to choose whether to pay 13000, 15000, 18000, 20000 or 25000 Yen per head. Without investigating the differences between these price points, we opted for the middle option. On top of this you have to pay 15% service charge and 8% sales tax. Overall, with a lot of very good sake recommended by the inn, the meal came to 126,800 yen for 5 people, which we were able to pay by credit card. Expensive? Yes, but for a once in a lifetime experience it was worth every penny

Amazing. Sit bar side and watch the chef prepare your tempura and lift it straight from the fryer to your plate. After dinner you are taken to a special room to sit around a fire for desert.