Kanga-an Temple — Attraction in Kyoto

The worst restaurant experience in my life!

Just to make it clear up front. I’m not complaining about the food at all. Taste can be different, but about everything else at this place was not worth it at all. I would have liked to give 0 Stars if possible. Don’t waste your money on this!

We were very excited for this restaurant and we were expecting a delicious vegan kitchen. I don’t want to complain too much on the food because the taste can be different between people.

On the first look it is cozy and a nice atmosphere on the outside. On the inside it definitely is not worth the price at all.

If i pay more than a 100 Euros per person i think you could at least expect some nice tableware and not the cheapest disposable chopsticks and napkins. The Oshibori towel was also disposable and cold. In every cheep streetfood restaurant in Japan we got warm, reusable and fresh towel and chopsticks of better quality than in this place.

We had to take our shoes off at the entry, which is usual in the Japanese culture, which we knew because we experienced it a few times before. But in almost every other place, we got a pair of slippers. Here we had to walk on our socks.

The service was not really friendly and couldn’t really explain the dishes to us. They just brought dish after dish, not asking how we like it after we barely ate the first courses. They just continued bringing more and more.

The dishes and the ingredients were not fresh and tasted like they were made days before. Especially the salad, vegetables and the tofu tasted bland.

After the 6th course we told the waiter that we wanted to leave because we don’t like the food at all. He got us the bills for the drinks (the food was paid before), we paid and left. No one tried to talk to us to find a solution that could possible prove us...

Arriving at Kanga-An as night falls, its quite stunning - the path to the entrance lined with candles. Very beautiful. This was my first experience of the "shojin ryori" style of cuisine and I found it a very mixed bag. Some delicious dishes and some that seemed created more for the eye than the palette. For example a fried wheat gluten dish topped with nori and skewered, closely resembling grilled eel. Not so delicious but certainly a technical feat. Later that night after dining here, at around 3am suffered terrible vomiting and diarrhea, but I really couldn't say if this meal...

We went for a date night experience. The temple is tucked away in a side street. The gardens and mood lighting are quaint and very inviting. Each party has their own private room and a fixed menu. Ours was a 12 course menu. There are various sets.. ours was -2 course and the lower end of the selection. It still was a lot of food. It seems like small bites, but the food keeps coming out and we were totally full by the end. The presentation was out of the world. Cancellation charges apply, so ensure you definitely are going when you make...