Yosuke Yamaji — Restaurant in Kyoto

This is my mom and my second visit to Kyoto in about 15 years. I wanted to have a lovely and special time at a nice, sophisticated restaurant. After reading so many reviews and many hours of research, I chose chef Yamaji’s namesake restaurant in Gion district. And I am very happy that our lunch was superb cross the board: food, service and atmosphere. In keeping with Gion’s enduring and unwavering effort to maintain its old charm, the restaurant may not be perceived as a French restaurant from outside, but my kind taxi driver knocked on its front door and verified it was the French restaurant we were going. We had lunch with four glasses of Bordeaux wine (, which has become one of my fav red wines). I absolutely believe that this restaurant deserves star status by Michelin. What we experienced today was absolutely amazing: creative dishes from the first to the end all served by attentive, kind and professional staff and sommelier. We sat at the counter, so we enjoyed the pleasure of watching the action of Chef Yamaji and his crew cooking and plating each dish on gorgeous plates. We loved the harmony and synergy among the high quality ingredients from diverse areas of Japan and the explanations of dishes and how to enjoy them best were well communicated too. The pace was pleasant and well sequenced. We loved his use of fresh and flavorful fruits, especially because it was nice that they add such a wonderful layer to the taste with its cold temperature and fresh juice. The octopus was so tender, and the squid carbonara was brilliant, so creative. White fish caught near Awaji island topped with grilled cauliflower and pork dish were very tasty. ( although my mom was not a big fan of pork in general, so I finished hers, she was pleased with the whole meal and the service 😊). As we were leaving , we thanked the team and the chef and staff expressed gratitude so kindly and humbly. This lunch was one of those ones that you can’t wait to rave about it. My family will absolutely come back to try his...

Excellent French cuisine in Gion. Creative, well- planned menu and perfectly calibrated ingredients with nice ambience. One of the best menus of the year. Would be 5 stars if the chef/owner was more pleasant considering it was an open kitchen and he had his back to us the entire time. No smile, no hello, no thank you, or anything. All other staff were very attentive and much nicer. Drink menu is great, but tap water...

Michelin, where is the star? Honestly it was an absolute pleasure being hosted at Yosuke Yamaji, the food was breathtaking, inspired, creative and french/Asian fusion perfectly mastered, but staff and atmosphere was also 10/10. I couldn't recommend this place enough, it was a very special evening and we will be back. Gochisoo...