Gion Moriwaki - Kyoto restaurant — Restaurant in Kyoto

I don’t use the expression “this is the best X I’ve ever had in my life”, but this time I just have to say it. This is the best meal I have ever had in my life. I was in tears when I had it, I’m still in tears the next day when I think about it. It’s just that good. It is pure, fresh, ethereal. It’s not in the category of gastronomic food, but more like an art form that makes you feel full and satisfied. The seafood tastes like the ocean and the land food tastes like the forests. It’s made with a totally different combination of tastes and culinary philosophy from anywhere else.

Now I would have been beyond satisfied with just the food alone, but the whole experience in itself was something surreal. The open kitchen was right in front of you, but operates in harmony and surprisingly without noise, creating a cozy, intimate, and homely relationship between the few diners and the kitchen. The attentiveness and peaceful interactions with the people running the place create a sense of calm washing over the dining experience. The whole scene oddly feels like a beautiful, lively renaissance painting in action.

I guess this how food is supposed to be. It touches your soul and purifies it instead of appealing to your gluttony. It’s truly an experience of a lifetime. Booking was hard because of limited availability but I really really hope one day I get to come back to this place. For now, I will...

I can honestly say this was the best meal I've ever had.

The setting is very intimate and you can expect a lot of direct attention from the chef. They made sure to explain to us what they made for us and the best way to eat it.

We ordered the 10000 yen dinner course (came out to about 12k with taxes). The value was great because we received a filling amount of food and every dish was of very high quality.

All dishes featured fresh microseasonal ingredients prepared with great care, excellent presentation, and interesting textures. Highlights included thinly sliced potato and roe served in a small glass (the roe popped in my mouth like champagne), omi beef with tomato sauce (the sauce had a jam-like consistency and taste), and a sushi platter (squid was fileted in a particular way to make it much more delicate and not so tough and chewy in the mouth). Every dish was delicious (including something I never imagined I'd eat, milt!) Other dishes not pictured include brown rice soup, chestnut rice, a mackerel nigiri, and beef and matsutake soup.

It was an incredible meal and if I'm ever back in Kyoto again, I will be coming back. My sincerest thanks to Mr and Mrs Moriwaki and their assistant Hara...

The restaurant is tiny and nondescript but the food is simply spectacular!! The restaurant literally can seat a total of about 8 people in all and is actually not easy to find. They offer a choice of three menus for dinner ranging from 8000+ yen to 16000+ yen. We chose the basic one which included a seven course meal with each course being prepared fresh by the chef. The food simply burst with the most delightful flavours. We couldn’t eat a morsel more than what had been served to us with immaculate presentation and a great deal of passion. You don’t need to go to a fancy Michelin star restaurant. This restaurant has just fab, authentic Japanese cuisine! Note that drinks are not included in their fixed meal price, but they offer you a liquor menu with options. It’s worth the price you pay. This wasn’t a meal, but rather a Japanese...