Hale
Kyoto is full of secrets, hidden gems, tiny corridors, and delicious everything!!!
My dear friends, the Otani's, decided to drive down from the mountains to see my photo shows, but unfortunately they both ended the previous day! Still, they came and we met for lunch and an afternoon of gallery hopping. They took me to Hale (pronounced 'hare,' as in shining sun - they told me the owner's name had that character 晴 in it), a treasure hidden inside Nishiki market (see previous post on this market).
We got lost trying to find it, even though the Otani's have been there many times and the restaurant also has a small gallery in front and sells their ceramics. One sharp left and down a very narrow corridor (even for Japanese standards!) and we arrived.
It was quiet, peaceful, beautiful, and they serve organic food! A sunken kitchen and bar, enclosed by large bottles of sake, shochu, and fermented rice mash (the white jar) looked out on a quaint but spacious renovated home with a lovely garden. These places are simple, beautiful, magic.
We all ordered the yuba-don lunch set. Yuba is tofu skin, and Kyoto cuisine is well known for it. The main course was a bowl of yuba strips, soft tofu, and small mushrooms came in a tasty, lightly thickened (with rice starch) broth atop rice (30% brown). Accompanying was another small portion of tofu, this kind more thick and grainy, simmered squash on a bed of seaweed and carrots, and two kinds of pickles. Hot tea as well, of course.
We smiled, ate, and chatted with their friends. I listened, for the most part. Kyoto accent is still hard to keep up with, but I understood most of it. There are several signs in the restaurant warning against taking pictures, which seemed odd to me for some reason. She explained that there has been a huge increase in Chinese tourists, and they are so picture crazy that it drives her crazy!
They must read about this place in some sort of guidebook (which also seemed odd to me, it is such a hole in the wall and the Otani's have impeccable taste), and they come to Kyoto with their hired camera people as well as their personal cameras, and fill up the restaurant. One person, or sometimes no one at all, will order food. She even said some people bring rice balls or something from the convenience store in! The rest just snap snap snap away. I cannot imagine, but then again I am neither Chinese nor a tourist nor a restaurateur nor a hired camera person. Needless to say, I was very thankful that the owner let me take photos :)
Tourism was not the only topic of conversation. In fact, it paled in comparison to the lively discourse on the Vitamix! The sturdy American blender, famed for being able to blend even an iPhone (they had all seen the video), is a great tool to make fruit and vegetable juices, sauces, soups...pretty much anything. Tetsuya and Momoko want one, as does Hare's owner, but it came down to the monstrous power consumption of the monster that is Vitamix. It takes almost twice the normal amount of appliance power in Japan! Basically, I got the sense that it would blow up the circuit breaker if people used Vitamix! Before long, frothy cups of perfectly blended kaki, mikan, and ice (persimmon and mandarin orange, autumn specialties here) were placed before us. A perfect end to a perfect meal, and a great chat.
My dear friends, the Otani's, decided to drive down from the mountains to see my photo shows, but unfortunately they both ended the previous day! Still, they came and we met for lunch and an afternoon of gallery hopping. They took me to Hale (pronounced 'hare,' as in shining sun - they told me the owner's name had that character 晴 in it), a treasure hidden inside Nishiki market (see previous post on this market).
We got lost trying to find it, even though the Otani's have been there many times and the restaurant also has a small gallery in front and sells their ceramics. One sharp left and down a very narrow corridor (even for Japanese standards!) and we arrived.It was quiet, peaceful, beautiful, and they serve organic food! A sunken kitchen and bar, enclosed by large bottles of sake, shochu, and fermented rice mash (the white jar) looked out on a quaint but spacious renovated home with a lovely garden. These places are simple, beautiful, magic.
We all ordered the yuba-don lunch set. Yuba is tofu skin, and Kyoto cuisine is well known for it. The main course was a bowl of yuba strips, soft tofu, and small mushrooms came in a tasty, lightly thickened (with rice starch) broth atop rice (30% brown). Accompanying was another small portion of tofu, this kind more thick and grainy, simmered squash on a bed of seaweed and carrots, and two kinds of pickles. Hot tea as well, of course.
We smiled, ate, and chatted with their friends. I listened, for the most part. Kyoto accent is still hard to keep up with, but I understood most of it. There are several signs in the restaurant warning against taking pictures, which seemed odd to me for some reason. She explained that there has been a huge increase in Chinese tourists, and they are so picture crazy that it drives her crazy!
They must read about this place in some sort of guidebook (which also seemed odd to me, it is such a hole in the wall and the Otani's have impeccable taste), and they come to Kyoto with their hired camera people as well as their personal cameras, and fill up the restaurant. One person, or sometimes no one at all, will order food. She even said some people bring rice balls or something from the convenience store in! The rest just snap snap snap away. I cannot imagine, but then again I am neither Chinese nor a tourist nor a restaurateur nor a hired camera person. Needless to say, I was very thankful that the owner let me take photos :)Tourism was not the only topic of conversation. In fact, it paled in comparison to the lively discourse on the Vitamix! The sturdy American blender, famed for being able to blend even an iPhone (they had all seen the video), is a great tool to make fruit and vegetable juices, sauces, soups...pretty much anything. Tetsuya and Momoko want one, as does Hare's owner, but it came down to the monstrous power consumption of the monster that is Vitamix. It takes almost twice the normal amount of appliance power in Japan! Basically, I got the sense that it would blow up the circuit breaker if people used Vitamix! Before long, frothy cups of perfectly blended kaki, mikan, and ice (persimmon and mandarin orange, autumn specialties here) were placed before us. A perfect end to a perfect meal, and a great chat.
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