UNOMi — Restaurant in Kyoto

truly a hidden gem!!!! i was so disappointed with the Japanese food in Kyoto for the first few days, never managed to have a satisfying meal, so whilst we were wandering around this district trying to find some good food, i stumbled on this spot in Google Maps. takes a bit of time to find it because the entrance is hidden in an alleyway, but the aroma of the food cooking in this little shop had me drooling the moment i walked in.

I will never forget Chef's omurice. It's technically not on the menu, because i mistook the Omulette and Omurice, but chef and the bartender were quick to accomodate, telling me chef is happy to make it into omurice for me. it was the most delicious omurice i"ve had in my life. The rice was cooked in a risotto style, having soaked up all the flavors of the stock base and the cream, the fluffy scrambled eggs and cream on it was so so delicious. simple, but extremely satisfying. i kind of wanted to order one more.

We ended up coming back for more on the second night, tried some of their drinks (really nice cocktails! the Passoa cocktails were my favorite), and every dish we tried was so so flavourful but not overly heavy. The Ajillo hot plate smelled amazing and the garlic oil, although a bit heavy, was bursting with garlicky goodness and went so well with the bread. Seafood used in it was also very fresh.

Chef works alone and only has a small cooking area behind the bar table, so please don't complain about the time it takes him to prepare food. Its well worth the wait. The bartender also makes sure you get drinks quickly and some appetizers to snack on whilst you wait (I learned later on they charge a seat fee, which is common in Kyoto apparently, and they provide the appetizer along with that)

Chef's style is not traditional European style cooking, so don't come here expecting authentic Italian food, but we personally loved every one of his dishes. And you can tell he takes care in preparing and presenting them. Price was also very reasonable considering Kyoto's standards, and portion was also generous. I'd honestly stop by Kyoto again just to eat...

This is a cute restaurant/bar located up a narrow set of stairs in a small alley - you might miss it if you're not looking for it. Luckily, I stumbled upon it one evening while visiting Kyoto. I had a lovely dinner here and amazing pasta. The staff consists of a chef, an assistant chef, and then there was another staff member who came in with fresh groceries every now and then. The chef and assistant made the drinks, pasta, appetizers, and took the orders and refilled the water and did everything with such speed and service as any high end restaurant. The small fridge in the corner was neatly organized. The drinks and appetizers were refreshing. I had the pike pasta with genovese. The pasta was cooked right past al dente and it came with a generous portion of pike with blistered cherry tomatos that cut through the creamy pasta sauce. I regret that I was too full to try dessert. I really loved my meal and I am thankful to have had to opportunity to eat there. I almost wanted to keep it a secret but it is too good of a restaurant and really deserves...

Literal hidden gem. Was very difficult to find. In an alleyway, go up a small hallway of stairs.

There are only four seats available and there are two workers. One chef and his helper. This made it so the chef had to multitask a lot while making our dishes.

Beef Tendon Stew Pasta: The beef was great. It was tender but had a lot of flavor. It was savory and had some chew in it so you knew it was there. The cheese and the stew that was put on the pasta as well tied it together.

Seafood Arrabiatta: Seafood was fresh and flavorful, absorbed the soups flavor into it. The soup was phenomenal, I could drink it everyday. It had a smooth tomato flavor with chunks of seafood and...