Hidden Kyoto: Sakuragawa

By Andy Heather

Perhaps more than in most cities, recommendations are essential when dining out in Kyoto. Faced with an infinity of anonymous, picture-less wooden frontages, most travelers have no idea where to start and therefore resort to Pizza Hut. Tiny, nondescript restaurants on Kyoto's backstreets are so numerous and so forbidding that for most foreign guests the good places are hidden in plain sight.

This is particularly true of Sakuragawa in Shijo. It's nestled among dozens of near-identical old town houses; inside, there is just the one tiny counter, with 12 seats matched up against three members of staff. You could easily walk past without having any idea of this restaurant's pedigree. It would be a vulgar display of power for Sakuragawa to advertise its Michelin star on its minimalist/wabisabi exterior, so from the outside there are no clues as to what lies within, aside from the wooden façade and the restaurant's name daubed on the noren (those half-length curtains you see at the entrance to traditional Japanese restaurants) in indecipherably stylized kanji.

In reality, though, any trepidation is unwarranted: pluck up the courage to walk in and you'll be seated at the counter, where things quickly become a lot less overbearing. Aside from being able to answer "Taberarenai mono ga arimasuka?" - "Is there anything you can't eat?" - no Japanese skills are necessary. The head chef is a rather famous and kakkoii chap called Yujiro Maeda. He will be your culinary safari guide (stick with me) leading you on the trail of taste-bud-tickling treats, shooting you down some of the rarest gastronomic big game, and depositing you safely back at base-camp with the lion's head trophy of a bulging belly to hang on the wall of your metaphorical study.

In the best of Japanese cuisine the ingredients, dishware and atmosphere are supposed to change to reflect and amplify the season. Local and seasonal foods are part of the joy of Japanese dining. As the mountains around Kyoto change color from pink in the spring to green in the summer, on to red in the autumn and finally white in winter, diners keep coming back to Sakuragawa with every change to see how the chef will respond. For example, in cherry blossom season chef Maeda-san even uses sakura petals in his dishes.

In October our course included a memorable chrysanthemum and mushroom dish. It was a small but inspired little dish in which the flower added a sour bite behind the smooth, creamy mushrooms. Our meal too was served up like a seasonal progression, starting with sweet, then savory, followed by sour, sliding into umami (aka "the fifth taste") and finally back to sweet again. If there's something you specifically want to try, you can call ahead to check on its availability. If not, you place yourself in the capable hands of Maeda-san, who will make your life richer by tinkling your taste buds like a virtuoso pianist.

There was mullet sashimi with wasabi of such quality and freshness it added to the flavor but barely had any heat to it at all. The smoky umami flavor was provided by the seared barracuda and sea bream skin crisps. The latter in particular had a deep, dark pungency that shot me into Proustian involuntary flashbacks to my childhood with every bite. I couldn't put my finger on it, but if anyone could tell me what English childhood snack these crispy skins are reminiscent of I would be eternally grateful [Smiths' Scampi Fries? - Ed].

There were daring eggplant dishes, opulent abalone dishes and mysterious amadai ("horse-head fish" in English, although literally translated from Japanese it has the far more pleasing name of "sweet sea bream"). A large proportion of the dishes contained ingredients I had never heard of in Japanese OR English. My dictionary found itself lost for words when grilled about maitake, for which it provided the following rather wordy definition: "fan shaped kinoko (mushroom) with multiple layers". [Maitake = "Hen of the Woods"; Andy has been ordered to search for a better dictionary. - Ed]

By the way, the abalone and in particular its dip are considered delicacies and a rare treat in Japan. The dip was a thick, creamy sauce that complemented the dish perfectly, though to fully enjoy it you may wish to refer to it using the Japanese word shirako ("white child") rather than translating it into English, at which point it becomes the slightly less appetizing "fish semen". Staring down a chopstick full of baby gravy is a good opportunity to find the answer to the question, Did I come to Japan to say "yes" to new experiences?

Sakuragawa offers a mystifying and bewildering array of flavors and textures you probably never knew existed. It is more of an experience than just a meal. One of the most surprising dishes of the evening was the dessert, which the chef introduced as harumaki anko (sweet red bean paste spring rolls) with kuri aisu (Japanese chestnut ice cream). The sweet bean paste was a deliberate subversion of the traditionally savory spring roll, while the nutty chestnut confounded my palate's notion that ice cream must be sweet. You may think you're full way before this beguiling mix of savory and sweet arrives, but it's so moreish that resistance is futile.

Perhaps the best way to describe the Sakuragawa experience is with a comparison. When Umberto Eco was asked why there were large passages of The Name of the Rose written entirely in Latin, he replied that readers should enjoy the sensation of not understanding everything. It's supposed to challenge you. It shouldn't be expected to stoop to please you: you should be prepared to better yourself and to take up the challenge of appreciating it. That's the kind of restaurant you should expect from Sakuragawa.

Since a service charge is included in the bill, there is no need to leave a gratuity. At traditional Japanese restaurants like Sakuragawa payment is accepted at the table - unlike at more casual places, where you are expected to take the bill to a register near the entrance.

Sakuragawa

Kiyamachi-dori Oike-agaru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
Tel.: 075-255-4477

Open: 11:30-14:00 and 17:00-21:00 (closed Sundays)  
Dinner prices: around ¥20,000 per person

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