Alice C.
Google
I visited Kyoto around this time last year and was lucky enough to try this century-old restaurant’s Kansai-style sukiyaki, even without a reservation. The senior hostess personally cooked at the table and explained everything so warmly — it really left an impression on me.
This year, I even asked my hotel concierge to book ahead, but unfortunately, it turned out to be a letdown. It really showed me that even with the exact same ingredients and cooking style, you can taste whether or not the person preparing it truly cares.
This time, a cheerful middle-aged lady served me, but she didn’t talk to me at all — no explanation, no warm greetings like the senior hostess at the next table. I also remembered that their lunch sukiyaki set came with two raw eggs, but I was only given one. I wondered if I had misremembered or if they had changed the set over the past year.
It wasn’t until I overheard the senior hostess ask the table next to me if they wanted their second egg that I realized it wasn’t just me — so I had to ask another staff member to bring one.
Such a shame — this is definitely one of those “better as a memory” kind of places for me now. That said, if a friend wanted to try sukiyaki in Kyoto, I’d still bring them here — but I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to plan another visit for myself.