Kyoto Kitchen — Restaurant in Winchester

UPDATED AGAIN: It really is hit or miss depending on which day you go, who is working and the supply of food. The most recent time we were there the food was disappointing. They definitely have an inconsistency problem.

UPDATED REVIEW: We appreciated the restaurant’s honest reply to my original review and decided to try them again. We are so glad we did because our experience this time was very different and so much better.

Service was very attentive, helpful, friendly and informative. We appreciated the menu suggestions. I had the Sakura Salmon Yuzu Koshou which is a star dish. It’s so incredible that no soy sauce is needed. The quality of fish was excellent and the the flavors were sweet like candy. It was my favorite dish — so much so that I wouldn’t share. I’d definitely recommend getting this one.

I also had the Tori Kara-Age which is basically gluten free fried chicken pieces. The chicken was tender and the corn based coating was thick so it tasted like regular fried chicken only better. They have many gluten free options and even their soy sauce is gluten free.

My spouse had the chicken goyza and really enjoyed it, so much so that he talked about getting them again for dinner.

Overall the second time was a huge success that left us wanting to return.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: Perhaps this used to be a fabulous restaurant but it’s not now. We were expecting so much more in the way of food quality and service based on older reviews but were very disappointed.

The restaurant was not crowded when we went yet service was extremely slow, not proactive or attentive which was frustrating. No one ever came over to see if everything was okay or if we needed anything despite seeing I was out of tea — the tea pots are tiny by the way, not the usual size — so they don’t hold much. I had to wave to get someone’s attention (despite the restaurant being mostly empty) and ask at least two times for water. No one ever offered me more tea despite my teapot lid being off.

The strangest thing was that they didn’t bring us soy sauce or chopsticks or a bowl in which to pour the soy sauce and mix the wasabi. We had to wait quite a long time to even get someone’s attention to ask for it. We heard them talking about how another table was asking for soy sauce and they weren’t sure if they had enough downstairs. Not great planning for a sushi restaurant. Not sure if this was an off night or the norm but it was a Friday night so it wasn’t as if it was a Monday afternoon.

The one thing we did like was how they took our coats when we entered and put them on for us when we left. Very nice touch. Wish the rest of the service was as good.

The food was the most disappointing. The salmon sashimi smelled fishy, the portions were very small and the pieces themselves were cut in half. The Agedashi tofu wasn’t prepared properly and tasted as if it has just been taken out of the package and plopped into a bowl with lukewarm gel that was supposed to be liquid. Really disappointing dish with zero flavor and not at all crispy or deep fried as it should have been. I also didn’t like that they pre make the fried rice with garlic in it (presumably powder) and they don’t make it fresh to order nor will they make it without garlic. For my meal I’d give two stars and that’s for the ginger and bowl of white rice.

My spouse had the Dragon Roll which is prawn tempura, avocado, cucumber and masago with spicy mayonnaise sauce. He said it was nothing special nor any different than what you can get at Waitrose which isn’t saying much for Kyoto Kitchen. He also got the yakitori which is grilled skewers of chicken with teriyaki sauce. He’s had amazing Yakitori at restaurants in Tokyo and London but said this one was average like the Dragon Roll, nothing horrible but nothing great either.

Overall a disappointing dining experience but the bathrooms were clean and we appreciated the...

My two favourite cuisines are Japanese and Mexican. The best Japanese restaurant in my opinion is in central London called Ikeda on Brook Street (see my review). I never thought I'd come close to the quality there but it looks like I have. Kyoto Kitchen is superb. From the moment we walked in, the ambience was refined and calm. We were sat near the kitchen and it was incredible how quietly and efficiently the chefs worked even though the restaurant was full out front. We had the opportunity to sample a large number of dishes and even one or two that weren't on the menu. If you have one dish, order the scallops in whatever variety they come in. Let's get to it.

Scallop Ume-Shisho Ae - what a way to start off the meal. These scallops have got to be close to the freshest I've ever tasted with the plum and shiso pickle providing a delicate combination of every so slightly sweet and tangy. Make sure you take off the rose petals and break up the leaves to eat with the scallops (see the picture of the rose petals in the soy sauce).

Yuzu scallops (off menu) - we were so impressed with the scallops we were offered the Yuzu scallops. A completely different experience with the sauce complementing in a completely different manner.

Black Cod Gyozas - never had this before. A different type of gyoza and recommended.

Soft Shell Crab Tempura - the crab tasted incredibly fresh, as with all the other dishes. The batter was light and didn't overpower the subtle flavour of the crab.

Tuna sashmi selection (off menu) - my friend loves tuna so instead of getting the sashimi selection we were offered three grades of tuna sashimi...which we got two portions of, of course. :-)

Chef's Omakase Nigiri Selection - a good selection of different types of fish, all to the fresh standard we had come to expect by this point in the meal.

Saikoro Wagyu A5 steak with Kim Chi - this was probably the weakest dish amongst a group of extremely strong performers. Usually when I have A5 wagyu it melts in the mouth. This didn't quite have that, but then the wagyu I've had prior has been three times the price and this was only just not in that flavour and texture league. Well worth sampling for a juxtaposed experience post sushi.

Kyoto Mochi - both the green tea and Azuki beans variants were perfect and tasted freshly made.

Dorayaki - my favourite Japanese dessert. Light and fluffy pancake with a creamy green tea filling. Sounds sweet, but it's not. That's one aspect I love about Japanese desserts, they're not that sweet at all, just a touch.

To top it off the service was efficient, friendly and they knew exactly when there was a natural break in the conversation between my friend and I to ask if there's anything else we'd like. It was those conversations that resulted in the off menu items we ordered.

I wouldn't hesitate to go back and, as my friend lives down in Winchester, I certainly will next...

I'm writing this review shortly after we left the restaurant so that I don't forget any of the details.

Our reservation was at 17:30 and we made it a point to arrive at the restaurant at 17:27 but to my amazement the entry door was still locked. Then right at 17:31 Natalie (I learned her name later) opened the door.

After Natalie confirmed our reservations, we were seated at one of the 10 tables... the restaurant's capacity is 26 people on the ground floor but I found additional seating on the underground floor.

Aidan; our waiter, promptly appeared to take our drink orders... we opted for water which was delivered promptly and at which time we placed our first order for the Grilled Dumplings.

The (4) Dumplings were delivered a short while later. The Dumplings were freshly cooked, pillow-soft and scrumptious... but with few drops of soy sauce.

We then ordered the Winchester Roll followed by the Unagi Roll. Both were flat on flavor. Both served with very little ginger and Wasabi and certainly not enough to complement all pieces.

By now we were done with Sushi Rolls and decided to try something else. We chose the Sirloin Steak.

Our empty Sushi Roll plate sat empty on the table along with the plates we used for sushi until the steak was delivered. Our water bottle sat empty as well and was never replenished.

I expected Aidan, Natalie or the Manager to remove all the empty plates and bring fresh plates, knives and forks... the set-up needed for the steak.

The steak was tender, although more flavorful than the sushi rolls, it could have been more savory.

The restaurant is quaint with a comfortable ambiance but the service needs to be polished and the flavors need to be robust to live up to the Michelin designation.

It would've been a nice touch if the manager went by each table to ensure patrons' satisfaction.

A side note: I heard the manager's phone conversation with a patron who had reservations for 6 people... apparently the customer wanted to cancel or come earlier. Any way, the manager's tone of voice was...