Bandai Kadomise — Restaurant in Takayama

The chef has some attitude, when some noisy customers or noticeably annoying customers enter the shop, he will say the shop is full. They do not like foreigners that don’t know Japanese. But as I only know few keywords in Japanese, and we behaved quite polite and silent, the chef was very nice to us. The food was super delicious, Sashimi and Crab was on point! Fresh and Delicious. The Sukiyaki was delicious, The steamed egg, perfection! The braised raffish and yellow tail fish soaked every flavour into the broth and was the perfect match for the bowl of rice. The Grilled Hida Beef was also amazing, a little strong on the Miso Sauce, but acceptable for my taste, first timers for miso may find it too strong and salty, but if you love Miso, it’s delicious. Don’t believe in those comments saying that the service is bad, the service was very nice, but you have to be nice first, in order for a return of nice service. The price a little bit on the high end,...

NOT FOR FOREIGNERS. After we finished eating we were asked to leave because other customers were waiting for the table. We left without argument but then realized that we’d been sitting for less than an hour and also that no other customers were waiting. It felt like we were kicked out but had no idea why. We were corrected by the waitress when we stuck our chopsticks in the rice (later we read up on it and realized why it was taboo) and thought maybe it was due to this. We would have really appreciated a polite request or explanation rather than the passive aggressive removal. We’ve been trying so hard to respect the people and the culture in Japan and honestly these kinds of interactions just leave a sour taste...

I had set dinner on first night and decided to book its omakase dinner the next day, after realising the restaurant has that option. Ingredients were fresh and nicely prepared. Though the main chef (who is in-charged of omakase) speaks little English (and I can’t speak Japanese), I learnt he is already the 4th generation running the family business, with his dad and brother cooking behind the kitchen. His mum helps to sit guests and making people feel welcomed. The gigantic clock facing the entrance is an antique! Do check out the restaurant if you are in Takayama. Go earlier if possible, they seemed to reject guests if they are...