Wednesday, August 7, 2013

The ever-popular Tosuiro

Although there are many options when it comes to tofu restaurants in Kyoto (like hundreds). We had heard really great things about Tosuiro, and with our trusty friend H-san were able to make a reservation.

We went a few days ago, and it is definitely a pretty "Japanesey" experience. The interior is traditional floor seating on tatomi mats, with a small "sushi" bar (they don't actually serve much in the way of sushi, just a bit of sashimi (sliced, raw fish). During the summer, they also have outdoor dining on the patio, overlooking the Kamagawa (Kamo river).

The menu is set options (9-11 "courses") and a small a la carte menu. The set menus run from about $40-$60, which in Japan is pretty standard, if not on the cheap side. They do have most of the menu translated into English, but like most places the English menu is not the full menu.

Although some courses were amazing (their plain tofu is quite good, and all you can eat) others were (even by Japanese standards) not great. So although the majority rule on this place is 4/5 (tripadvisor) we would likely be more inclined to give it a 2.5/5. We are pretty sure the food is seasonal, so the time of year you go may determine how good it is? Or perhaps the menu changes every few nights -either way, our first trip was not the 4/5 we heard about.

The service and staff were, as is not surprising in Japan, exceptional. They were warm and welcoming and even attempted to speak quite a bit of English to us.

Here are a few shots of some of the food!


Octopus, yuba (tofu), and fish sashimi 



Tempura hamo (eel-like fish) and veggies. The white ball is radish for the shoyu (soy sauce)


Another Tempura option (a different menu set) that came with really yummy umeshu salt instead of shoyu. 


A tofu steak, topped with tomato, green mochi, corn, and some sort of sauce.


All-you-can-eat tofu. At your request they will come over and scoop you more of the wheel. 


The dinner finished off with a tasty ball of homemade lemon and soy sorbet and tea! 

1 comment:

  1. Wow what beautiful presentation of food! An event with all those courses.

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