macour
My sister in Kyoto made a reservation for us. From Kawaramachi, head south on Shijo Street, then turn left (east) at the intersection with Matsubara Street, and turn right just before the bridge to find the entrance on your right. It may be a bit tricky to find, but once you enter the quaint alley and open the door, you'll feel a soft, gentle brightness. Be careful as the entrance door is a bit low, so watch your head. Change into slippers and store your shoes in the shoebox. As we were the first guests, we were free to choose where to sit. The restaurant is a renovated traditional house, maintaining its original atmosphere, which is quite nice. There are only 8-person table seats and 4-person counter seats (facing the wall). We made a reservation for 6 pm, and around 6:05 pm, the staff started explaining the dishes. It seems they offer courses starting at different times. They have beer, but we opted for fruit sake, which seemed to be their specialty. ⚫ Kyoto Matcha Beer (¥990) - A sip. It's matcha! The beer flavor comes afterward, but the taste is subtle, almost like a cocktail. ⚫ Seasonal Fruit Pulp Sour (¥990) - Today's dish ⚫ Handwoven Sushi "Yoh" (¥4620) - A plate of assorted side dishes was brought to us. The presentation is vibrant and beautiful! Surprisingly, each piece is cute but quite large, making it hard to finish them all. You can have seconds of the side dishes, but additional seaweed comes with an extra charge. I didn't realize until the end that the side dishes were meant to be sushi toppings, but they were incredibly delicious as appetizers with alcohol! From wood ear mushrooms and lion chili tempura to late mandarins, zunda-style white sesame tofu, wasabi leaves, watermelon, rolled yuba, thick fried tofu, and cherry tomatoes, the side dishes were all delicious even without being made into sushi. The rice is vinegared, with a tangy taste uncommon in the Kansai region. The chilled soba broth was delightful, and the sesame tofu dessert had a strong sesame flavor and was delicious! We weren't sure how long the course would take, and by the time we realized it had been 30 minutes, we were surprised when the last drink order came. After that, we couldn't savor the meal slowly, so it would be wise to do some research beforehand to know what to expect.