Kinatei — Restaurant in Nara

This review is long overdue. My wife and I had a delightful meal at Kinatei on May 6, 2025. We had made reservations for dinner through email well ahead of time because we didn't want to miss eating here. The restaurant normally doesn't open for dinner but because we reserved ahead of time, the owner Yoshiko made an exception. She was able to correspond with us and understand our dietary preferences and what she produced was a culinary experience! I believe we had a 6 or 7 course meal, a sort of degustation consisting of small plates. They included a mixed green salad, a vegetable cutlet accompanied by a lovely sauce, breaded and fried tofu, a soup that I believe may have used a coconut milk base, just to name a few. We also carried on a great conversation with Yoshiko through the meal as her daughter kept herself busy in the kitchen whipping up the dishes! I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Yoshiko offered to pick us up from our hotel since it was raining just before our dinner appointment. In the end it was not necessary, but we inadvertently left behind the umbrellas we had borrowed from our hotel at the restaurant. Yoshiko saves us a huge embarrassment by driving over to our hotel to...

We went there for lunch and she led us to a table opposite to the open kitchen entrance. So i sat down with my back to the kitchen because i didn't want someone to watch me while eating (we were the only guests). The owner came and tried hard to persuade me to sit on the other side, but i didn't want to. After a few times i said no and that this seat is good she let me be. I felt very uncomfortable at that moment and hoped that she would just leave us alone. Unfortunately, I had the feeling from the beginning that this person was very pushy and was afraid that she might overstep boundaries. But we had the hope, that the dishes are good, so we stayed. We ordered and after she gave the order to the kitchen she came back and said to us, that we have to leave because unfortunately there is a reservation in 15 minutes and we should come back later. What? Yeah, something like that can happen. But she tried really hard to make us a reservation two hours later and wanted our contact details (what we did not because we were hungry and...

Small vegetarian eatery tucked in a residential district a few minutes walk from the Nara JR train station. Extremely friendly lady boss took the time and effort to explain the various ingredients that are commonly found in Japanese food which may not be suitable for vegans / vegetarians. Food wise, thoroughly enjoyed the soup ramen, and when the lady boss saw me pinching my friend's tofu and konnyaku jelly to try, she gave me a complimentary small dish, and it was really really good -- savoury tofu, which tastes a little like cheese, had bits of chewy konnyaku jelly, vegetables and mushroom mixed in, giving the dish this very interesting taste and texture! Based on memory, there were a few choices to choose from, including "four dishes and soup", ramen, and udon, while sets include drinks (coffee / tea) and desserts+fruits. Do note that the VAT/GST will be added to the bill...