祇園のど真ん中にある、「花見小路」を通り抜けてさらに奥の通りに行くとお店はあります。
赤い提灯の横に店の看板が出ています。お店の名前は「祇園もりわき」さんです。
カウンター席が数席とテーブル席が奥に1組座れる小さなお店です。
祇園にはまだまだ一見さんお断りで暖簾すらくぐらせて頂けない店が数多く残っています。
祇園のお店なので緊張していたのですが、お店の大将と奥さんはとっても人柄がよく快く一見の私を迎えて下さいました。
このお店は一見さんも歓迎だそうです。今日はカウンター席は初めは日本人のお客さんが2名いらっしゃいましたがその後はカウンターは外国人だけでした。
言葉が通じないですが、大将はジョークを交えて楽しく外国人のお客さんともコミュニケーションをとられてます。
お料理はコース料理になっています。豪華食材の近江牛やマツタケ、うに、トロ、のどぐろ等を使ったお料理が1品づつ出てきます。
今までに食べたこともないほど上品な味です。
味付けはもちろん盛り付けも感動する美しさです。
少しづつ量は出てくるのですがコースの終わりにはお腹がいっぱいになります。
日本酒の種類も豊富で酒処京都のお酒も多くあります。
好みを伝えると女将さんがチョイスしてくれます。
和食に日本酒はあいますね。おちょこもお好きなおちょこを選べます。
和食って本当にこんなにも上品で美味しいのですね！！
祇園なのでお安くは決してないのですが、この豪華な食材と雰囲気、食べたらその価値がわかると思います。
せっかく祇園にきたら少し奮発してみてはいかがでしょうか？
[:en]Today I am going to introduce fancy traditional dinner in Gion,Kyoto.
Gion is located on heart of Kyoto Downtown.
Especially Gion area is luxury fancy restaurants and Gaisha tea houses.
You may feel you are time slip to 1000 years ago in this district.
Many houses are same as 1000 years ago traditional Japanese architecture.
Restaurant “Gion Moriwaki“ is located on near Hanamikoji street.
It`s a tacked away small family business restaurant several seat at counter and table seat for only 1 group.
However quality is almost same as star Michelin restaurants.
In Kyoto,there are many restaurants and tea house you cannot go there without any invitation from your friends.
If new comer even Japanese we are not welcome to go those restaurants.
Especially in Gion,many restaurants still have this traditional way.
So that if you are not welcomes please do not disappointed not because you are foreigner.
Just because their culture…even for us(Japense) they are not welcoming.
However this restaurant is welcoming new comer guest unless they have seat available so if you are lucky enough please try!!
I strongly make a reserve seat in advance because they have only several people available in one night.
Owner chef is very friendly and have sense of humor.
Though they are not fluent speaking in English you can tell they are trying to welcome and host you as much as they can!
Food is coming is course…They serve dish one by one.
They use best quality ingredient such as Ohmi(Shiga) beef,Matsutake(Best mashroom in japan),Uni(Sea urchin),Toro(Fatty tuna)etc…
I had never tried this amazing fresh taste…
They decorate all food stylish (Modern and traditional)…
It`s seems very small portion food however at the end of course dinner I was totally full!!
Portion was proper too.
They also have several Sake from Kyoto and other part of area.
If you tell your favorite flavor or preference they can give choose it for you!!
It not cheap at all but It`s really worth to go!!
Why don`t you try best genuine Japanese food once is special place in Gion?
[:]