He Ate, She Ate: Isshinkyo at Yuzuya Ryokan

One of the more unique ryokans we've come across in our travels recently was the Yuzuya ryokan in the Gion district of old Kyoto. Their in-house restaurant Isshinkyo serves local Kyoto style kaiseki meals with a slightly different flair - by using the popular yuzu, a Japanese citrus, to flavor many of their dishes and complement the meal.

The ingredients used were all top notch, fresh and seasonal. I could only imagine what a summer kaiseki set would bring to the table when the warm weather usered in an abundance of produce.

First up was a winter melon appetizer. Two tiny, perfectly round pieces of melon stewing in a hollowed shell. The fleshy melon was swimming in a bowl of melon broth flavored with bits of yuzu.

The second dish was a platter of fifteen different dishes, each an appetizer in itself. There was Japanese pickles, some marinated seafood, tofu and even rare Kyoto beef, seared to perfection.

Then there was the sashimi course, followed by the grilled butter fish.
Next we had the snapper hot pot with daikon broth and yuzu, and the egg porridge flavored with yuzu slivers. Finally, dessert came in two parts - yuzu jelly, and sweetened beans dipped in macha.

All the ingredients made for a unique and wonderful meal. I would highly recommend having dinner here, if not stay the night for the full experience. The restaurant itself is a scene of beauty and Japanese Zen-like tranquility.