Sushi Dining 大八 — Restaurant in Kyoto

Had an amazing time here with my fiancée after being turned away from Miki restaurant.

I was a bit bummed after being refused service, and then this place salved my spirit. The hostess let us know when we entered, it would be a long wait, but it was well worth it.

The appetizer was very solid, tuna, omelet single piece roll, and one single tuna roll piece.

This was followed by an assortment of sashimi, including tuna, flounder, shrimp, and scallop.

The last serving of appetizers was a light seafood salad.

For mains, we each got 8 pieces of nigiri. Chef will ask if you want wasabi before rolling, as is the proper form, as I understand it.

The nigiri included fatty tuna, tuna, sea bream, unagi, salmon, salmon roe, flounder, and one other. Each piece was delicious, even though it was late in the evening when you could potentially expect lower quality.

Lastly, the chef and waitress were increcibly friendly and kind. He immediately mentioned he spoke no english but was always communicative and upbeat and cheerful. He had me learning phrases in japanese just so I could return the respect and kindness. If that's not a good owner, I'm not sure what is.

It's 6000 yen a head, and there's gratuity, so expect 7,250 yen a person for the experience described above. There is also a slight time commitment as there's just one chef serving the masses. But if you have the time and money, this was...

This was a homely sushi diner run by a middle aged Japanese couple. For tourists, they only offer a set menu costing 6900 yen per person. They are upfront about their prices and try their best to accommodate guests in English.

The price included an appetizer, a plate of sashimi, a salad bowl, and 8 pieces of sushi. Given a the steep cost, we were expecting a pretty decent quality of sushi to be served. Unfortunately, the quality of the sushi did not match up - the slices of fish were slightly on the small or thin side. Usually, one might expect a tongue of fish covering the rice in a well presented nigiri sushi, the fish slices were small and stopped abruptly at the edge of the rice. The biggest letdown was the salmon, which was sliced as thin as prosciutto, which left a very unsatisfying feel in the mouth. If you look closely at the plate of nigiri sushi, you can see the rice peeking through the slice of the salmon, which is testament to how thin it was.

I include two pictures here for you to see and decide for yourself if patronising this shop is worth it. For us, this would be the first and last time we eat at...

The food was really good. The Taisho was very polite and so was the waitress. Yes they do not speak English but they are willing to accommodate you to the best of their ability.

The reason I am unable to give them a 5 star is because they only offer a set menu to tourists. It is by no means a cheap one, but the quality is there. I would have loved to eat more variety but it's their call. It is a shame but I have seen this in more than one restaurant in Kyoto so I have the hunch that if you are a tourist you won't have the same variety as a local.

For this reason I give this place a 3.5/5 in my book. Definitely an intimate place, and if you are a local or japanese speaker then please by all means visit the restaurant. For tourists I cannot...