Fine Tofu Dining

Kyoto was described to us as a "tofu-forward" city, and after spending a week there, our co-op-y little hearts are happy to report that it lived up to that reputation! We had the privilege of dining at two tofu kaiseki multi-course restaurants in Kyoto. We say privilege because getting a reservation at these spots is non-trivial. From what we've read, businesses in Japan heavily weigh relationships, so one cannot simply expect to get a reservation if one is available. Some sort of "in" is helpful.

One restaurant, Shoraian, only takes reservations over the phone. Since we don't speak Japanese, you see our problem. Fortunately, we used our "phone-a-friend" lifeline and asked a Japanese family friend to see if she could call on our behalf. Even though she called a week ahead of time, out of the four days we said we were free, only one was available AND apparently it made things go smoother when she claimed I was her daughter. Fortunately, no further questions were asked on that matter when we showed up for lunch. Shoraian is located inside the Arashiyama bamboo grove and only accessible by foot. We arrived very early to make sure we didn't miss our reservation and enjoyed the views of early Fall foliage close by.

The view outside our private dining area at Shoraian. We could hear live flute music from outside!

The appetizer- a scoop of local tofu served with salt and umeshu plum wine

Note that this restaurant had tatami seating, but they took us straight to one of their few western-style tables. They know what we need.

When we got to our table, we saw these two pots of yudofu or boiled tofu. It's a good thing we didn't dig in immediately because we later learned that it had to be heated for several minutes at our table first.

The main course was a dazzling array of all things tofu. Although vegan options are available, these multi-course tofu restaurants default to using small amounts of meat. Karen's favorite item was in the top-left corner. It was a chewy, cheesy, buttery block of tofu but unlike any other tofu we've tried before. Other dishes included wagyu beef stir-fried with mushrooms, a tofu skin and spinach soup, a chestnut rolled in sesame seeds, a spring roll wrapped in yuba tofu skin, a slice of wheat gluten cake, a creamy omelet slice, poached salmon, duck, and a grainy soy-mushroom sushi bite.

We saw these dishes being sold at a high-end craft department store in Tokyo... and this Kyoto restaurant uses them!!!! The clear glass windows are particularly striking.

The boiled tofu yudofu was served with the best tasting bonito fish stock we've ever had. It was rich, but not overpowering.

Our meals were garnished with these buttery wheat kernels puffed right on their stalk. Very fun to eat!!!

Agedashi tofu- Shoraian's was good but we felt their other dishes stood out more. We're not joking when we say that Karen still thinks hers is best.

Kabocha squash, radish, and greens- all pickled and served with rice.

Dessert- a soy ice cream served with a chewy garnish and syrup.

Our pretty dishes at the end of the meal.

After lunch, we spent more time enjoying the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. It was quite crowded with tourists and the weather was cloudy, but we got some good views in.

A few days after Shoraian, we were able to line up a reservation at another tofu restaurant called Tousuiro in the Gion district of Kyoto. When we originally emailed this restaurant (in English) asking for a reservation, they replied in English saying they had absolutely no availability the week we were going to be in town. We had been warned that reservations can be hard to make without a personal connection, and also got the tip that hotels can often make reservations on your behalf. This worked! When we checked into our hotel, we asked the staff there if they could try calling on our behalf and they were immediately able to get a reservation for our desired date and time. Kyoto is so flooded with tourists right now, it's easy to understand why restaurants are choosier with their clientele, and persistence paid off! The Tousuiro set meal followed a classic Japanese tradition: appetizer, followed by five dishes prepared in each of these categories: raw, boiled, grilled, steamed, and fried. Finally, rice, pickles and miso soup and then dessert. We loved this meal too! We're hoping to see if we can find similar tofu products in the US when we return home.

The appetizer course at Tousuiro was a corn-tofu, potato-tofu, and a sesame tofu. Each of these had a distinct and uniform texture unlike anything we've ever had before. And, they were all delicious. The corn one was a bit polenta-y and the sesame was very smooth and creamy.

The Raw course was "sashimi" of yuba with konjac, a traditional Japanese root jelly

The Boiled course was Yudofu with seaweed and a wheat cake. This apparatus plugged into our table to keep the soy sauce carafe and yudofu simmering.

The Grilled course included tofu, yuba, wheat gluten cake, and some seasonal produce - it was delicious!

The Steamed course was an egg custard with gingko and soy milk

The Fried course was tofu, yuba, and vegetable tempura

Rice mixed with sweet potato, pickles, and miso soup. We were also served soy ice cream which we did not photograph.

We've been seeking out and enjoying yuba, or tofu skin, a lot since our restaurant experiences. It's often served to-go in little plastic tubs with soy sauce. One yuba vendor in Nishiki Market sold yuba so soft and doughy it was more like a pudding and could be scooped with a spoon. Another vendor rolled up the yuba into a foot-long chewy log.