Uogashi Miyatake — Restaurant in Kyoto

Our Airbnb host told us about this little restaurant on a quiet street in Shimogyo-ku (5 minutes from JR Tambaguchi station) and we were so disappointed to find that it was fully booked at dinner time for every night of our stay. We decided to go for lunch and were once again disappointed to see a huge lineup (from what we gathered, they do not take reservations at lunch). On the third try, we went as soon as they opened for lunch (at 10:30) and managed to get a seat in the tatami area. It was already nearly full with business men and locals who had the same idea as us. The lunch set (higawari) was offered with three separate choices for the main dish. The daily menu was written entirely in Japanese, however our friendly server thankfully spoke a few words of English and we were able to understand sashimi platter and sashimi bowl with rice (not sure what the third choice was, but something sashimi-related). The set came with tea, rice, miso soup, Japanese pickle, and a few other plates of fish prepared in different ways. It was a huge amount of food for a surprisingly cheap price (3,300 yen for two people). Everything was fresh and flavourful. The restaurant itself is classy and sophisticated. It's a small, dimly lit space with seats at the bar/counter, and four tables in the tatami mat area (that seat 6 each). There was jazz music playing in the background. The kitchen is open format, so people seated in the bar area can watch the chefs do their work. The staff were all professional, gracious and courteous, and the service was quick (they seem to be accustomed to having a full house regularly). The bathroom was also one of the nicest I've seen in Japan (which is saying a lot considering how nice bathrooms are in general in Japan). There was a little zen garden inside. It's obvious that this restaurant puts a lot of care into every detail of their food, service, and space. This is a hidden gem and a must-visit restaurant when in Kyoto. Highly recommended if looking for a romantic lunch or...

Foreigners not welcome here even if you speak Japanese! Racist (人種差別主義者) staff who took joy in bullying us out. Felt awful after leaving.

We came in and asked if a table for two was still available. There were clearly many tables available. The elderly owner told us today is fully booked. I asked in basic Japanese, as politely as I could, if we could reserve for another day. The owner then refused to respond to any question unless I spoke to him in grammatically correct polite Japanese. He made me repeat my sentence multiple times even though it was very clear what I was asking. Staff at the counter were laughing at us.

He then told us tomorrow is full as well. I asked in Japanese when is available and he just stood there without responding. So we asked for the day after tomorrow. He said they have a holiday then, looked at his staff and laughed, who were giggling among each other.

When I asked him what day would be available, he refused to respond. I asked again and he repeated my sentence twice, ending it with "ですか", implying I had to end my sentence like that for him to respond. I did and then he opened his calendar, moved ahead by two months and said "from here" and grinned to his staff. He could've said this from the beginning but he clearly took joy from treating us this way.

I asked him how we can make a reservation and he stopped responding, just rolling his eyes towards his staff who were constantly looking over with a mocking expression. I asked multiple times if it was only by phone and he eventually said yes, no longer looking at us. As we thanked him he was already walking away to the back without saying anything.

We later found out that of course the restaurant had tables available over the next week. They just didn't want...

Uogashi Miyatake is a hidden world of flavor, nestled into the back of a small street. Had we not been on a mission to go there, we would not have found it.

Make a reservation for dinner. The owner was nice enough to let us in without one.

Bring someone who knows Japanese, or study the menu ad nauseam.

I am providing tips, as the restaurant is worthy of it. Had I known prior how exquisite this place was, I would done my legwork.

We had a few dishes, all of which were surprising.

An amusebouche came to us. A lovely pickled cherry leaf at the bottom of a napoleon featuring tofu, shrimp, Spring-tender bamboo, and topped with dashi gelee and a pickled sakura. Truly a taste of Spring, and perfect during hanami.

I only wish I could provide such detail for the sashimi. Alas, my Japanese is not well enough to have deciphered the "sashimi 5-ways and 7-ways" courses. The octopus "suckers" for lack of a better word, were tender and hinting of vinegar and daikon.

The most unique item on that plate was the little red leaf called benitate. It has a lightly bitter taste, but causes everything else to taste sweet for about 15 minutes.

My last course was sumashi-jiru, a light suimono with yuba skin and a fish I could not put my finger on for a name, nor find on the menu. It was tender, subtle, and a wonderful coup de grace to my hunger.

I will be back, and well...