Gion Mikaku (Kyoto)

December 2009

Nawate Dori, Shijo-agaru, Gion, Kyoto

Tel: 075-525-1129
http://www.mikaku.jp/

Mikaku is a beef teppanyaki restaurant in Kyoto, east of the river and close to the Shijo subway station. It is a particularly lovely area with old-style houses and cherry blossom trees lining the streets. It was a Monday night and hence business was not very brisk, in fact, throughout the evening, we were the only guests at the main dining area.

For our meal, we selected the largest Kobe beef sirloin on the menu (that's the only selection you need to make, everything else comes standard). Appetisers were served (the beef carpaccio was especially delicious), followed by a large broiled lobster, which was otherwise good if not for the fact that they drowned it in mayonnaise.

Not for the first time, we may have over-ordered. The 250g sirloin steak seemed a pretty good idea at the time, but not after the lobster course. The Kobe sirloin was nicely marbled and while this was being cooked, the chef also fried some garlic chips which were surprisingly addictive. To make sure that we didn't leave the restaurant hungry, we were served garlic rice at the end. We didn't finish the garlic rice, nor the dessert of ice-cream and cake, as we were too full by that time.

You don't get beef of this quality every day, and for the Kobe sirloin alone this meal was worth it, Everything else seemed uninspiring though.


Food: The beef here is excellent, teppanyaki is probably one of the best ways to do a Kobe beef steak justice
Wines: Decent winelist, we had 2 glasses each of a Chateauneuf-du-Pape (don't remember which though) which went nicely with the steak
Ambience: Quiet as we were the only ones there, but we were told that in peach blossom season, the view from our seat (looking out of the window) is beautiful
Service: No complaints