Kikunoi Roan - Kaiseki Dinner

Tonight, Alexis and I had the pleasure of eating at Kikunoi Roan, a 2-Michelin star restaurant. There are three Kikunoi restaurants in Kyoto, and they are considered some of the better kaiseki restaurants in Kyoto. Kikunoi Roan is a small restaurant with 10 bar counter seats, 2 small tables, and 3 small private rooms. We made the dinner reservation the day before, and when we arrived, we found two seats at the bar with my name on it. We were greeted by Chef Hiroki Maruyama who prepared most of our food for the night. Below is what we were served.

****Sake Infused with Cherry Blossoms****

****Amuse****

Tai, tofu, ice fish, ponzu jelly

****Hassun (Appetizers)****

Skewer of Miso-marinated avocado, shrimp, and abalone,

Grilled squid with nori seaweed and egg yolk, mountain yam "butterflies",

Poached egg-bearing octopus, fava beans, yurine (lily root) petals,

Tai sushi with kinome (prickly ash leaf), udo stalk petals

****Sashimi****

Tai, prawn, seaweed, curled udo stalk and carrot, wasabi

And

Koshibi (baby tuna), marinated egg yolk sauce

****Steamed****

Guji (tilefish), cherry leaf, sticky rice with cherry blossom petals,

Warabi, toasted rice crackers, ginger

****Grilled****

Salmon, grated daikon (with blend of seven spices, wasabi, kinome)

And

Bamboo shoots with kinome miso, and tofu with fuki miso

****Salad****

Wasabi and strawberry sorbet

Dressed with kinome and rice vinegar jelly, udo, fuki, urui, firefly squid

****Hot pot****

Bamboo shoot, anago, kinome

****Rice****

Ochazuke-style rice with tai

****Dessert****

Almond jelly with basil seed and strawberry

Or

Cold sweet beans soup, strawberry, rice flour dumpling, white wood ear mushroom