京夏終空
Having breakfast at "Nishiki". It is Nishiki Market in Kyoto. When coming to this market, I usually walk from Karasuma to Teramachi. Last year, I visited in the afternoon and bought various things. It's been about half a year since then. Even in this half year, many things have changed. In the morning at Nishiki, how many years has it been? Among the shops in Nishiki, "Hirano" and the neighboring "Inoue" have always attracted customers steadily. I heard that "Inoue" has relocated to Shimogamo. On a weekday morning around 9 o'clock, I noticed the sign for "breakfast" at this shop as there were few customers, so I decided to stop by. I chose the "Fish Set Meal" (1,050 yen) - as shown in the photo. The fish of the day was salted mackerel. I was also tempted by the "Pork Loin Saikyo Yaki" in the "Meat Set Meal", but in the end, I chose the fish. The main dish was salted mackerel, accompanied by 8 side dishes, along with rolled omelette and smiling seaweed. Yes, both Hirano and the neighboring Inoue were particular about not calling their dishes "obanzai", but rather "side dishes" or "main dishes". Although it is less resistant now due to the changing times, in the Showa era, there were no shops shamelessly using the term "obanzai" on their signs. I have written about this in various shops before, but the image of the Kyoto people towards the word "obanzai" was more of a humble thing, yet the time has come when it can be used as a selling point. As for the content, it was breakfast. The salted mackerel was actually quite tasty, with firmer flesh than I expected. The side dishes included "Tetsuna Konnyaku", "Komatsuna", "Kinpira Gobo", "Yuba Takano", "Salted Sweet Potato", "Bamboo Shoots", "Hijiki", and "Shibazuke Pickles". Hirano's "Tetsuna Konnyaku" was particularly to my liking. It was gentle, elegant, and refined. The simmered dishes like "Komatsuna" and "Hijiki" had a gentle dashi flavor typical of Hirano. Things that I used to find unsatisfying when I was younger, I now realize have a certain charm as I have gotten older. Yes, it was delicious. Thank you for the meal. I actually had breakfast at 7 o'clock on that day. (laughs) So, I asked for less rice. When I paid, I saw the mother I remembered, so I greeted her. "Both Inoue and Hirano are doing well, but Hirano's dishes are not too salty and have a nice taste," I said. We both chuckled quietly. Ah, I shouldn't have written that so openly... (laughs) * I found a draft from May 2015 that I rated as "3.5", but I updated it by deleting it this time. (Responsibility: Kyonatsu Shuusora, July 18, 2023) (118 reviews/3.45)