As Japan's former capital and seat of the imperial court for over a thousand years, Kyoto offers a rich culinary tradition with over 100 Michelin-starred restaurants, including the outstanding Sushi-Kappa Nakaichi founded almost 50 years ago deep in Gion's famous geisha district. Recommended by the concierge at the Kyoto Hyatt Regency, Nakaichi was one of our favourite restaurants while we were in Japan, from the outstanding sushi and sashimi to the genuine warmth and welcoming hospitality of the chef. Seated at the beautiful L-shaped Japanese hinoki cypress sushi counter, this omakase gem seats only 8 people plus a traditional tatami room with shoji screens for private dining. Every morning fresh fish is brought in from several markets across Japan and prepared using the chef's expert knife skills and culinary techniques to bring out the most exquisite flavours and provide the ultimate culinary experience. Secrets are hard to keep when something is this good. The perfect combination of creative cuisine, atmosphere and omotenashi mesmerizes gourmands from around Japan, but only the luckiest can get in.
The omakase menu which ranges from ¥12,000-¥30,000 began with a gorgeous selection of sashimi followed by a symphony 20 of nigiri sushi including luscious Japanese Bonito, umami-rich Pacific Saury, delectable Uni from both Hokkaido and Kobe, succulent Otoro tuna a specialty of Kappa Nakaichi, and translucent local Ikura from Lake Biwa that were little pearls of heaven. One of the most unique flavour sensations of the night was the 2 year-old preserved fish known as 'narezushi', considered the "granddaddy" of today's sushi. Sushi was originally created as a form of preserving fish in the 8th-century and involved wrapping a piece of gutted fish in fermented rice which allowed for fish to be stored for several months, but surprisingly, the rice was thrown away. Later, the fermented fish was eaten with rice, and was called narezushi, and is one of the true tastes of ancient Japan offered at Nakaichi. A Japanese couple sitting beside us treated us to this stinky, ancient concoction to gauge our reaction, and smiled in admiration as we unflinchingly gobbled it up. A special memento of our wonderful evening, the chef took a picture of us on his polaroid camera as a partying gift. There is something about Kyoto that takes our breath away. The very name brings a flutter to our heart, as does the memory of our special evening at Nakaichi and our new 'narezushi' friends — dōmo arigatō gozaimasu.
The traditional exterior of Kappa Nakaichi in Kyoto, deep in the heart of Gion's famous Geisha district
Chopsticks on beautifully sanded Japanese hinoki cypress sushi counter
Cold Sake served in one of the chef's personal collection of antique Tokkuri
The chef slicing the sashimi for our first Omakase course
Chef's selection of sashimi: Japanese tiger prawn (kuruma obi), 'Otoro' fatty tuna,
and sea bream (tai) with wasabi and shiso blossoms
Soy with fresh made wasabi and shiso blossoms
Wood grilled prawn head with sweet tomalley
Sumi-ika (Japanese golden cuttlefish)
Japanese Horse Mackerel (Aji) with ginger, spring onion and a little sesame oil
Fatty Bluefin Tuna (Otoro)
Japanese Blackthroat Sea Perch (Nodoguro)
Uni from Hokkaido
Scallop (Hotategai)
Japanese Red Sea Bream (Madai)
Lean Bluefin Tuna (Akami)
Salmon Roe (Ikura) fro Lake Biwa
Medium Fatty Tuna (Chūtoro)
Our second Tokkuri
Japanese Bonito (Katsuo)
The chef slicing fermented fish which dates back to the 10th-century,
had been fermenting for 2 years and tasted like blue cheese
A Japanese couple saw how much we were enjoying the sashimi and ordered
this 2 year-old fermented fish and rice (Narezushi) for us and watched our reaction as we ate it
Anago (sea eel) with nitsume (sweet eel sauce)
Pacific Saucy
Warm homemade Tamagoyaki with nori
Tuna Tekkamaki
Grilled Rice (Yaki Nigiri)
Uni from Kobe
Fatty Bluefin Tuna Belly with "Snow frost Marbling" (Shimofuri Otoro)
The chef's personal collection of antique Japanese sake and tea cups
Sencha green tea
Maple Syrup Jelly
Sweet, smooth and absolutely delicious
The Polaroid the chef took of us before we left Kappo Nakaichi
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