First time having wild boar hot pot, the atmosphere was excellent, a great restaurant. The soup was delicious, with a gentle miso flavor and the daikon radish was soft and warm. The sweetfish was so delicious, I wanted to order more. Having hot pot by the hearth, just the atmosphere alone made it feel delicious, it was like art.

There was a slight issue with the reservation, so we had to wait for about 30 minutes as the charcoal grill was not prepared. However, the taste was excellent. The dish was prepared with a flavorful white miso broth, which was combined with white miso dashi and ponzu sauce. Towards the end, they also served mochi, and finishing with okayu left us satisfied. This is a restaurant I definitely want to visit at least once a year during this season.

I visited the peony hot pot restaurant, Hataku-san, which I had been curious about for a while. The atmosphere of the restaurant was nice, and the private room we were guided to had a hearth, which was warm and cozy with charcoal fire in the cold season (laughs). Nakai-san, our server, made the hot pot for us to start the meal. While I have had peony hot pots with soy sauce or miso base before, this restaurant serves it with white miso base and you dip the meat in ponzu sauce! The meat was quite lean and left me feeling a bit underwhelmed. The rice cake and porridge at the end were delicious, but as for the peony hot pot, the meat was... maybe I had set my expectations too high (sweat). I might not visit again.

Established for over 100 years, the renowned restaurant, Hata Kakusan, offers a delightful wild boar hot pot dish. They will be serving this dish until the end of March. You can enjoy it seasonally. On the second floor, there is a spacious room for parties, and the hot pot broth was delicious, so much so that I finished it all, including the porridge. I would like to visit again soon.

The restaurant I visited because I wanted to eat authentic wild boar hot pot. There is a large advertisement at Kurama-guchi Station, indicating its popularity. It took about 3 minutes on foot from the station. Since it tends to be crowded during the wild boar hot pot season in winter, I made a reservation in advance and visited on a Saturday night. It was actually fully booked on the day. When I was guided to my seat, I passed through a courtyard that was truly "The Kyoto" (vocabulary). Seeing such a lovely courtyard, my excitement grew as I proceeded further inside. The seats are all separate private rooms, with table rooms and tatami rooms available. I had reserved a room with a sunken hearth in a tatami room, which I preferred, so I made the reservation quite a while ago. The room has an atmosphere as if I had truly slipped back in time to the Taisho era, and it is wonderful. The beauty of the wild boar meat that was brought to me was truly amazing. Look at the picture. This restaurant serves white miso instead of red miso, and it has an elegant flavor. The rich and sweet white miso combines with the umami of the meat and vegetables to create a deep flavor. The cost performance is not high, but on the other hand, a place like this where the atmosphere is important, it's not bad in this price range. Fans of "Demon Slayer" and Inosuke, please visit.

I originally wanted to go at night, but couldn't get a reservation even on weekdays, so I gave up and went during the day. The restaurant is located just a short walk from Kurama-guchi subway station. Upon entering the restaurant, there is a quaint small garden, giving it a traditional Japanese inn feel. I was led to a private room with a hearth in the center. It's a rare treat to have a hot pot over a real hearth in the heart of Kyoto. We were served tea and traditional Japanese sweets first. Then came the appetizers and the hot pot ingredients. The appetizer was simmered small fish. The hot pot ingredients were beautifully arranged, like peony flowers, especially the wild boar meat. Besides the boar meat, there were leeks, burdock root, enoki mushrooms, trefoil, shiitake mushrooms, fresh wheat gluten, and rice cakes. The staff took care of preparing the hot pot. The broth was made with white miso and we enjoyed it with ponzu sauce. It's no wonder this place is so popular that it's hard to get a reservation. We ended the meal with a delicious rice porridge. The broth was so flavorful that it was the best rice porridge I've ever had. I was so full, so satisfied.

On this day when the first snowfall arrived late in the town of Kyoto, we celebrated our big boss's 60th birthday by visiting Kyoto. After taking commemorative photos with Kyoto Tower lit up in celebration colors, we took a taxi to this restaurant. It was my second time having Botan-nabe (peony hot pot) this season! Unlike the usual gas stove, this restaurant had an irori (sunken hearth)! Just the sight of an irori was enough to elevate the mood, and on top of that, it was Botan-nabe. When the colorful dishes appeared, our excitement rose even higher. Vegetables and meat were thrown into the pot boiling over charcoal fire. Then we closed the lid and waited for a while. Well, we waited. Hmm, we waited quite a bit. Maybe it was an issue with the charcoal fire, as it took a while to cook. When we finally tried it, the green onions were still crunchy and spicy... So, we decided to start with rebuilding the charcoal fire. We blew on it to heat up the charcoal. Finally, it started to cook. But this was quite challenging... Unlike the Botan-nabe I had before, where we could enjoy one slice of meat after another in a shabu-shabu style, this one felt more like a stew. Although the meat got slightly tough, it was delicious to eat the miso-flavored meat and vegetables with refreshing ponzu sauce. We could keep enjoying it one after another, but the difficulty lies in controlling the charcoal fire properly from the beginning to keep eating smoothly. Finally, we poured the broth over rice, like a neko-manma style rice. It was a good way to finish the meal. It was a night where we felt like we understood the challenge of cooking with a sunken hearth. Thank you for the feast.

Located in Kurama-cho in Kyoto, this restaurant, Hataku, is a charming traditional inn where you can enjoy a leisurely meal. The peony meat in the peony hot pot is neatly arranged, which is impressive. The delicious miso-based hot pot is exquisite. Thank you for the wonderful meal. [Today's Notes] Restaurant Name: Hataku Order: Peony Hot Pot Smoking: Allowed (Smoking Room) Payment: Cash

Botan-nabe is usually associated with red miso, but at Hatakaku, I tried it with white miso. It was light and I actually prefer the white miso flavor. It was delicious, but I wish they had informed me beforehand that the zosui (rice soup) would be an additional charge. You can find more details in the blog (https://bishokuclub.info/2019/12/25/hatakaku/). Please check it out for reference.

Upon recommendation from an acquaintance, I visited this place and it was truly delicious. When I asked the staff, they mentioned that they use "Uri-bo" (milk-fed veal). No wonder there was no gaminess! Uri-bo only drinks milk, so the meat is tender and there's no strange taste. Sitting around the irori fireplace increased my appetite, and I truly had a luxurious time. Thank you for the wonderful meal!

It's been a year since my last visit. Dining around the hearth creates a warm and nostalgic atmosphere. The elegant white miso-based broth with burdock and daikon simmering slowly was delightful. While enjoying the appetizer and drinks, the stunning peony flower main dish arrived. It was a bit disappointing that the early season wild boar had less fat, but this year's wild boar hot pot was delicious. The wild boar meat eaten with celery was a perfect pairing. For the finale, we had white miso porridge, a dish not commonly eaten even by Kyoto locals. It was creamy and harmoniously blended all the ingredients, making it a superb dish.

I visited for the first time during cherry blossom season. I was told that the boar meat was only available for this season. The restaurant's interior was incredibly beautiful, and I enjoyed a peony hot pot in a private room. The portion size and taste were both excellent. I chose zosui as the finishing dish, and it was delicious. I would like to revisit in winter.

First of all, the atmosphere of the welcoming gentleman is really nice. I felt like a VIP princess. The restaurant has private rooms where you sit on cushions around a sunken hearth. Since I have trouble with my legs, it was very difficult for me to reach the hot pot while sitting on the cushion. Elderly people or those with leg problems like me may find it a bit challenging to eat. (My companion helped serve the food for me, so I could relax and enjoy the meal as if I were at a ryokan.) I had the Botan Nabe for ¥9,000. I was surprised when yokan (sweet bean jelly) came out first. It was my first time eating boar, but it tasted like pork! (Of course it does.) The pork had some fat but was firm. The white miso broth in this hot pot was very delicious! The vegetables, including burdock root and shepherd's purse, were also very tasty! The best part was the zosui (rice porridge) at the end, made with a blend of the delicious broth from various ingredients and the original broth. It was so good~ (Drizzling a bit of ponzu made it even more delicious!) The oranges that came out at the end were incredibly sweet. The Botan Nabe is available until March 20, after which it will be changed to a kaiseki course. Lastly, a wonderful gentleman saw us off at the end!!!

In winter, wild boar meat can only be eaten during the hunting season, making it a seasonal delicacy. Since there are specialty wild boar meat shops in Kyoto, it seems that many people in Kyoto are fond of wild boar meat. I had often eaten it in French cuisine, but realized that I had never tried wild boar hot pot, so I decided to visit this restaurant. When I made a reservation, I was informed, somewhat apologetically, that the irori (hearth) room was fully booked and we would be seated in a spacious room on the second floor. However, on the day of our visit, perhaps due to a cancellation, we were instead led to a room on the first floor with an alcove, which had a nice ambiance. The room was separated by sliding doors on both sides, and unfortunately, the neighboring guests were quite loud, making it difficult for us to enjoy our meal in peace. Before the meal, we were served a sweet appetizer to cleanse the palate. It was a two-layered yokan dessert with sweet bean paste and lemon, offering a refreshing taste. Due to the charcoal fire in the hearth, it took some time for the broth to boil. While it was fine to wait patiently, the noisy neighbors made it challenging for us to have a normal conversation. The beautiful dish of wild boar meat and vegetables, resembling peony flowers, was brought to us, and the server promptly added the vegetables to the pot and then the meat once the broth boiled. The vegetables included shiitake mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, Tokyo leeks (white leeks), seigoin daikon radish, shredded burdock root, celery, and nama-fu (wheat gluten). We enjoyed different cuts of meat in two rounds, starting with lean meat from the hindquarters and a cut similar to pork belly. After cooking, the server added celery and served the dish. We savored the white miso hot pot with homemade ponzu sauce. The ponzu sauce had a citrusy aroma with a slight sweetness, which we found very appealing. The sweet white miso flavor paired well with the refreshing ponzu sauce, making it easy to keep eating with chopsticks. The thinly sliced wild boar meat was tender and packed with flavor. Despite the strong impression of the richness of the meat, the lean meat was also delicious. It's quite different from pork. After finishing the pot, we waited for the vegetables to cook as it took some time for the broth to boil again. The server returned and served us the soup, which had a delicious umami flavor from the white miso and wild boar. The second round of meat was from the loin inside the flower shape. It had ample fat content, enhancing the flavor. The meat was incredibly sweet, fragrant, and the richness of the fat stood out. Serving the meat in two rounds made sense. The thinly sliced meat was easier to eat than it appeared, and the ponzu sauce added a refreshing touch. The generous amount of shredded burdock root complemented the richness of the wild boar fat. The aroma of the burdock root also enhanced the broth. Before the final course of rice porridge, we were served rice cakes. The white miso flavor made it resemble a traditional rice cake soup, but the umami of the broth was exceptional. Initially, there was no visible oil in the broth, but after finishing the pot, a layer of fat had formed on the surface. When asked for our preference between rice porridge and soup over rice for the closing dish, my companion requested both, and the server kindly accommodated our request. A small portion of rice was served in a bowl with soup poured over it, and the remaining soup was turned into rice porridge while we were eating. Surprisingly, the soup over rice was light and easy to eat. The rice porridge, with added eggs and slightly cooked, combined the umami of the broth with the creaminess of the eggs, making it our preferred choice. For dessert, we were served a single orange slice, which added a rustic touch. The alcohol prices were reasonable for a restaurant, but the 15% service charge gave a higher impression than the cost of the alcohol itself.

I'm not a fan of meat with a strong smell, but I really like the botan nabe here. I enjoy drinking the soup that has been slowly simmered and infused with the flavors of stewed daikon radish and burdock until it becomes like a potage soup. It's been a while since I last went, but I would like to go again.

I went to Hatagaki-san, a restaurant with a 100-year history, to eat the seasonal limited peony hot pot available from November 15th to around March 20th when hunting is allowed. The room I was guided to was a private room with a hearth. Since there are no chairs and you sit on the floor, it might be difficult for those with weak legs or elderly people. First, tea and tea sweets are served. The staff takes care of everything from preparing the hot pot. The meat brought to the table is arranged like flowers and looks very beautiful, making you want to take a picture. The broth is made with white miso and has a light sweetness that is delicious. It takes a little time for the hot pot to cook thoroughly over charcoal, so the wait can be tough when you're hungry (^_^;) Finally, when it's cooked and served in a bowl, you can taste it. The meat is delicious and the broth is excellent. The meat fat is so light and sweet that you can eat as much as you want. The last rice soup is also delicious because the broth is tasty. I want to come back before the season ends.

Delicious without any unpleasant smell, I was very satisfied. It was not just tasty, but the overall experience was also very good.

The botan nabe eaten with special light ponzu vinegar in a white miso soup base is not wild but delicate and rich, making it very delicious!

Every year, I come to enjoy the peony hot pot here in Kyoto in the winter.