Mizai is located on the edge of the historic Maruyama Park, which is a beautifully preserved public park near the Yasaka Shrine in the Higashiyama District.  Aside from the iconic temples scattered all around, all with lanterns at night, the park holds distinct cherry blossom trees, one of which is a famed shidarezakura, a rare and tall, weeping cherry blossom that people queue to see in the Hanami (cherry blossom season in late April / early May) which I have been lucky enough to see at this time.  Incidentally, if you visit for this, you will not be alone as the visitor numbers can be insane at this period, with many Japanese families travelling to Kyoto (above the hoard of tourists) dressing up in full, traditional Kimono dress to have family photos with the iconic trees in the background.  But please trust me when I say this is an annual, spectacle of the earth and life tick to have if you can squeeze in.

Our taxi pulled up as close to the restaurant as it could, there at the top of an ancient stone staircase, a restaurant representative stood waiting to escort us to the restaurant from where we were dropped off.  With the walkway and trees lit up at night, this genuinely felt on a par with what entering Nania for the first time must be like as we made our way down the steps to what was still a mystery at this stage.

After our names were taken outside the venue at the front of the restaurant, we were invited to have a seat outside whilst the staff finished preparing the restaurant and given a welcome drink of lightly salted water and puffed rice – a simple and welcome combination, similar to that had at Kitcho, another 3 Michelin starred Kaiseki restaurant only that afternoon (a pretty marvellous day overall).  Once finished, we were invited to the main dining room which, in keeping with the setting of this restaurant is beautifully designed, with a deliberate view of a manicured garden in the background, displaying a simple plaque above the restaurant window, baring the name of Mizai in Kanji.

The main restaurant seats 14 at the main counter and a further 6 in the private dining area behind the main counter and towards the back of the restaurant (this enclosure has a window looking to the counter but is discreet enough for privacy as well).  Other lovely, minimalist enclaves of the restaurant had simple scrolls of Kanji, one loosely translating to “My heart is devoted to the Autumn” and another, outlining words to the effect of, “Magnificent chrysanthemum flowers of Autumn”.  Seasonal produce is obviously at the heart of this restaurant and the beautifully written scrolls not only decorating the restaurant simply and perfectly but also outlining the philosophy of the team behind it so appropriately.  These poetic scrolls change according to the season.

On to the meal and my apologies for not being able to expand as much as I would like to, but the staff only spoke so much English and there was an obvious air of being bad etiquette to strike up too much of a conversation over the food.  For the privilege it was and the fact that I and my dining companion were the only non-Japanese speakers at this service, we did not feel like holding up the show for the others asking too many questions – tactically placed questions, of course.  A miscellaneous point is that based on the body language of the staff alone, this was altogether a different service feel than at Jiro, had days before (a good thing).  Early on in the meal the head chef, Hitoshi Ishihara, looked at us in a frown as his watchful eye saw that we did not have any sake causing him to turn to one of his assistants and asked why this was the case.  I can answer this one – the main reason being that there are no prices on the wine list for any of the drinks.  As this almost felt like asking how much a diamond necklace in Graff is (if you have to ask, you don’t belong there), we were a little hesitant as the restaurant is cash only and did not want to risk having a bottle of sake costing another £400 – thankfully a reasonable option at around a tenth of this at £40 was available which we just found out through the friendly help of a Malaysian couple to our left, so this was opted for(!).

The meal began with ‘five shades of mushroom’ sliced and intertwined together to make a spaghetti-like ball of mushroom, held together by a paste of the mushrooms used.  A dashi with carrot and carrot side was also served with this dish and was a delightful start.  I took a photo of this opening dish and a gentleman diner next to me looked at me in horror and shook both hands to signal ‘don’t do it’.  A bit of a shame, but the police enforcement of no photos seemingly done more so by regulars than the actual staff.  This explains the lack of photos in this review.

Next up was the sashimi which included a sumptuous sea bream liver, delicately fried bream skin, yellowtail, otoro (full fat tuna) and squid, all served with gorgeous ponzu, saltwater and sesame sauces.  If this was not enough, the offering included vinegared, soy jelly cubes which were without a doubt the greatest play and version of soy sauce I have ever come across – genuinely a breathtaking version of soy sauce with the perfect play of sweet and salty at the same time and with magnificent texture to compliment the sashimi perfectly.  I don’t blame you for thinking “it’s just soy…” but you simply had to have this to appreciate.

Next came tail fish and tuna paste in a bowl of matsutake mushroom broth which had a perfume of mushroom leaping out through the steam from the bowl, hitting your nostrils prior to any leaning in.  The slices of yuzu in this also gave this a lovely punch of citrus to balance and this was superbly balanced.  Next came superb A4 wagyu beef with blobs of apple and miso on top as an absolute knock out combination (who thinks of this?!) and a green chilli salad made with a red wine, honey and vinegar dressing.   Words fail me at how stunning this dish was in every way – the quality of the beef, the combination of the original gel on top, the faint heat from the chilli as well as the crunch from the salad and the delightfully sweet and acidic overtones from the dressing – I’m almost welling up as I write this knowing, the scale of what I had here in this dish hitting home again.  As ever, my associate Mr Bainbridge concurred with this sea shift moment of a dish and we both wished time to simply slow down.

Eel in dashi (a broth of kelp and bonito flakes, fundamental to Japanese and Kyoto cuisine) was a salty and pleasing boiled follow up dish.  This was effectively a palette wash prior to the main event which was a simply stunning platter holding an assortment of sculpted and carved fried tempura and raw vegetables and fish in presentation.  Tempura Ayu, or sweetfish (a relative of the smelt family) from Nakaumi (south Japan) was served with chestnuts, yam, matsutake mushrooms, duck pieces and herring amongst the array served with an outrageously good mustard (for the duck) and salmon roe within a mini, ceramic, mollusc shell.  The platter was decorated with seasonal leaves that had been locally picked by the staff earlier that day and not only visually fit for Royalty, but it also held at least two powerhouse moments of flavour.   

This nakazara or main dish was followed by the boiled (nimono) dish of abalone, yuzu and turnip which was not the height of the meal, but well-matched at the same time, followed by horsehair crab and grilled barracuda in two separate and ornately designed ceramic bowls.  The quality of both the crab and the fish were simply at the top of the tree.  Finally, the traditional rice and pickles were served in a different way with the rice having slightly burnt rice on the top layer, above the fluffier and normal version, giving the rice a completely different texture and smokey quality – a brilliant touch.  The pickled vegetables displayed the five primary colours of Kaiseki cuisine – white (from the tofu), red (radish shavings), yellow (sweet potato), green (komatsuna – mustard spinach) and dark brown/black (seaweed with soy) – to finish the savoury dishes off, virtually in the same manner of an artist finishing on this poignant note.

Then came one of the nicest touches of the dining experience, perhaps of any dining experience.  The lights were dimmed and the matcha tea was prepared personally by the head chef, making each one in turn for each guest.  Before any of this, the head chef inspected each matcha pot and briefly examined all his diners and paired the matcha pots to each guest according to how he saw the best fit.  Each serving of matcha was made in keeping with the traditional tea ceremony of Kyoto, using a bamboo brush with quick, circular movements of the hand and a bow of a head at the end of making each in turn, in honour of the gods for the creation of the drink and the guest to whom it was being presented to.  Each one was carefully made, unrushed and served calmly and meaningfully by the head chef to all guests prior to the lights gently coming back on for the sweets and final part of the meal.  This was a magical part of the meal and done with a level of sincerity I have not encountered at any other restaurant in the world.

A chestnut pudding was then served prior to a showcase of fruit which was an impressive pyramid of carefully constructed fruit pieces, using no less than 49 different kinds of Japanese fruit.  These were held together with a fruit gel from the fruits used which included fig, grape, peach, melon, baby kiwi and a whole assortment of further, unpronounceable fruits.  On the side was a small cup of what looked like and had the consistency of custard but was, in fact, a delicious mango puree with its inherent sweetness somehow toned down.  This concluded the marathon of Kaiseki dishes which was mercifully paced at just under 3.5 hours, so no rush at all and wonderfully calm the whole way through.

It is hard to think of any negative thoughts to this meal, but if there is one, it is the fact that I and my trusted associate were nearing a bloated capacity towards the end.  In fact, one diner a couple of spaces down from me, could not even take any more just before the final dish and had to refuse the fruit mix – not an option for myself as this had to be tried, but I confess I did not finish this as I did not want to leave too uncomfortable.

This is the only reason this restaurant is not getting 99% or 100% as this was the only negative to the frankly superb levels the food had, beyond the utter charm of the occasion.  The produce was utterly fresh, the dishes innovative, the design visually stunning and the meal with spectacular flavour combinations throughout.  Sprinkle on top of this, the venue being set in one of the most enchanting locations imaginable and the sheer control of the staff and head chef generating a feeling of simply being in the hands of the best in the world, you have a recipe for a meal that transcends all others in terms of the whole dining experience.  As a result, the £420 price tag did not even cross the mind and there is actually an argument for me not wishing to return to this restaurant, in order to preserve it in its current state in my mind.

If you are lucky enough to get even close to a reservation at this restaurant and I were in your shoes, I would obviously cancel and rearrange flights in or out of the country as required to accommodate this opportunity.  If this is not on the cards however, I do hope you have been able to live this meal vicariously through myself and this review – it is genuinely a magical, one of a kind and a lifetime experience to have had.

The Kitcho brand was founded 90 years ago in 2020 by Yuki Teiichi, the grandfather of the current Executive chef, Kunio Tokuoka (who was taught by his grandfather).  Kunio’s credentials are seriously impressive and worth a mention here: he catered the social dinner for the G8 Summit in Toyako, Hokkaido in 2008; he is involved in the search for solutions to various issues relating to regional vitalisation and the primary industries of agriculture, forestry and fisheries in Japan; he is a visiting professor at Tokyo University of Agriculture and honorary director of the Society of Industry, Culture, and Science.  It’s fair to say this chap is a beacon of culinary knowledge for all, including the fortunate diners of his 3 Michelin starred restaurant.

On arrival, we were met and greeted by a welcoming front of house representative (stood in the garden as opposed to a lectern inside to make sure people were escorted).  Inside our waitress, dressed in the finest traditional kimono uniform greeted us and after prompting us to remove shoes and put on restaurant slippers from Kitcho, we were escorted to our table situated in a room larger than most 1 bedroom apartments with a view of private gardens 180 degrees around from where we dined.  You can choose to dine at a table which will be more comfortable for some, but as this experience is not everyday, I and my associate Mr Bainbridge were very happy to sit cross-legged on the floor. NB: you will need to open legs or stand every hour or so if you are above 40 years old(!).

As you have an entire dining room to yourselves you have your own coat rack and after these were hung up and we were settled, the first question asked of us by our waitress was: “Is the room temperature ok for you?”.  You know you are in good hands immediately if you are asked something like this anywhere, and I have never been asked this question in any other restaurant in my life.  Asked with such sincerity and a beaming smile, I mention this as I want you to have a sense of how elevated this was as a dining experience compared to bog-standard others (and perhaps, help to expand on the price tag).

As ever with Kaiseki cuisine, our meal began with the Sake-ikken / drink offering and Kitcho use saltwater and puffed rice which may sound odd to have saltwater, but the combination of the two is perfect in its simplicity and the salt content is very low; strangely, this is very cleansing.  The sakizuke (appetiser) was blue crab, vinegar jelly and seasonal vegetables which was frankly a rip-roarer – such delicately judged vinegar jelly and tasty bite altogether, that also had all five of the primary colours in cooking (green, red, yellow, brown/black and white), as is integral to Kaiseki cuisine.  Such a clever and brilliant opening.

Meanwhile, our sake bottle was poured into a decanter and presented on ice and this continued throughout the meal.  Our o-wan (clear soup) was made with matsutake mushroom, grouper fish, Chinese yam and plum gel and was very good; the fish being able to stand up relatively well to the broth.

The Mukōzuke (Sashimi) course comprised of sea bream with ponzu and fried nori seaweed stems which were just brilliant.  Again, they may not sound special, but the seaweed bites were just so simple and superbly done, the skill level to get these as perfectly light and packed with so much flavour was impressive in its own right.  The sea bream itself was high-grade bream and this was followed by a beautiful serving of toro (medium fat tuna) and lobster.  Both sashimi were quality and the presentation itself delightful boosted by the care and attention to detail of all supporting components of wasabi, radish and two different concentrations of soy sauce.

The nakazara or, middle dish was knock out and original.  This was Yuba: a soy milk skin, coating shiitake mushroom underneath in a light mushroom broth.  This was absolutely superb and the texture of the soy milk skin being a treat.  I’m one of these strange people that as a child used to actually enjoy the skin forming on top of the semolina at school and still enjoy the skin that forms on top of warm custard, shunned in virtually every Officers’ Mess or wherever I have happened to opt for this.  One of the few places that I know that also does this are on Michael Wignall’s menus when he was at The Latymer (Penny Hill Park), later at Gidleigh Park and hopefully at his own place at the Angel at Hetton (to be done early this year).

On to the next course which, in Kaiseki cuisine is traditionally the boiled dish (nimono) and this was one of the most visually impressive platter presentations of various dishes in one sitting I have been afforded.  This platter consisted of boiled abalone, baby fish boiled with soy sauce (exquisite), deep-fried maitake mushroom (dancing mushroom in Japanese), tiger prawn with miso, tofu and no platter is complete without a Japanese favourite – cod’s testicles.  Actually, the latter parts are actually a delicacy and as you might expect quite rich.  Probably the less said the better on this, but this was a beautifully presented series of bites and the miso blob on outstanding tiger prawns were excellent, as was the wonderfully fried mushrooms in delicate panko breadcrumbs.

Next, the grilled (yakimono) dish was harvest fish, pinko nuts and beans.  This was followed by an additional course of the five principal colours: Tarro Japanese sweet pepper (green) from Kyoto, orange pumpkin, brown shiitake mushroom, white radish and yellow yuzu – a warming interlude completely.  Next came the rice and pickles and as unadventurous as this might sound if this is the first kaiseki review you’ve read, then allow me to liven it up by reporting that this rice was served with two pieces of perfect Kobe beef with a drop of sweet mustard on top, served with kelp, bonito flakes, pickles from turnip and leaves of turnip.  You know you are in heaven when you want time to slow down when eating and I deliberately took 10 minutes to take my time with these two powerhouse cubes of wagyu. The aroma of beef was still strongly swilling around the mouth for a good few minutes after the first bite and the mouth, coated with beef fat, flavoured the mouthfuls of rice from then on.  The second recharge of beef was even better than the first and I can’t stress enough how good this simple combination for the rice was.

The Kuchi-naoshi (a form of pre-dessert) of custard was a remarkable piece of cooking.  Again, it might not sound like much, but this custard, I’m sorry to have to say overtook to my beloved custard at Ynyshir Restaurant and Rooms, but as it is 3 Michelin starred custard made with duck egg in Kyoto, Japan, this is also a compliment to Ynyshir.  As soon as the first mouthful of this substance was enjoyed, I looked at my dining companion and we both knew we were having something memorable.  It was also orange for Christ’s sake!  Every now and again in these wonderful places, you come across an absolute gem and this was one of those distinct moments – such rich and velvety sweetness, it was unlike any other.  It is quite simply the best custard in the history of cooking and the only sadness is that no other version will ever top the scales ever again for me.  Again, if you truly believe there is one out there that is the undisputed heavyweight champion of custards, do let me know where in the world you think this is, but also please do not do this willy-nilly as it is likely I will actually fly to the venue to try it. 

The custard was meant to be an additive drizzle on top of the wonderful pione grapes, melon, fig and shiso leaf and drizzled it was; I just happened to drink the rest of it from the container after scooping all of it separately afterwards and I have no problem with this.  The fruits themselves were basically perfect and it was actually great that the portion size of these as well was controlled and the servings were not so large (as was the case at Jiro and arguably at Nanachome Kyoboshi as well).

Finally in the offerings was a beautifully mashed and reconstructed chesnut dessert made from the intwined strips of chesnut.  This was rich, smooth and enjoyable but in a small twist, this is the only part that was not done as well here as it was the previous day at Kichisen (just a little dryer here in comparison). However, this is a very small part and it was still pleasant and was followed by matcha and mouth washing roasted tea to conclude the meal.

Settling the bill was the only aspect of the meal that was strange.  The restaurant is perhaps used to people paying more in cash than any other way as we asked whether the restaurant accepted different types of credit card and this seemed to generate a degree of genuine unease as we were eventually asked to accompany the waitress through the kitchen to the back office to pay at the terminal there, much to the virtual shock of the staff we had to pass, washing up and prepping for dinner service.  £500 is quite a large amount of money to be carrying around in cash and is not exactly petty change and the experience at Nanachome Kyoboshi had taught us to check on payment methods (which we did) so I can only hope/presume that this was a temporary fault with the machine.  So it was the only odd thing that such an expensive and world-renowned restaurant was so antiquated in providing.  Perhaps this adds to its historic charm (to have to pay by cash), but this is the only part we thought could be enhanced by a more swept up payment process for modern times.

However, that is micro stuff.  On a macro scale, there were several stratospheric moments in this meal including the baby fish boiled in soy, fried maitake mushroom, Kobe rice and one being a food-life moment of the custard.  It was a very expensive meal at 142,000 JPY for two (£504 per person), but when you are having a meal served in a traditional Ryokan, with dishes of sheer beauty providing life memories, served by a polite and smiling kimono dressed waitress bowing to the table after serving every course, this is what I would describe as an ultimate in dining experiences.   I am so pleased to have had this meal, the organisation of which I have my associate to thank and consider myself lucky to have had this experience.

How do I sum up this place? Answer: if you want to know what it is like to genuinely dine like an Emporer and do not mind paying for it, this is somewhere that will genuinely do this.

Kaiseki cuisine follows a set pattern and Kyoto is the birthplace of this multi-course cuisine of small plates.  The first element is a drink offering “sake-ikken” in honour of the gods and then the hosts which, at Kichisen is a simple soda water which came with a bite of yuzu ice (effectively a sorbet) with edible flowers which was a refreshing start.  Next came a “sakizuke” or appetiser plate of mixed snacks including sea bream, chestnut, sweet potato, fried fish cake, seawater eel, salty fish flakes and fish eggs.

Next in the proceedings is a clear soup called “o-wan”.  As it was late Autumn our soup was a Kyoto butternut soup served within a butternut and a plate sprayed with water to give a feeling of being untouched.  Tampered with after or not this was the silkiest soup I have ever had and was just purity of butternut.  As it was served cold, it had ice flakes placed on top and this may sound simple, but it was a brilliant touch of adding texture to this superb and refreshing soup.

After the o-wan a dashi is served.  Dashi is made from kelp and bonito flakes and an integral stock within Japanese and Kyoto cuisine.  This one was served with sea eel (anago) fish cake.  We were invited to take a deep sniff the dashi first and then two, small pieces of yuzu skin were added which completely changed the aroma of the dashi.  This was a fine dashi with a gentle amount of kelp and the fish cake was delightful to have within it.

After the dashi comes the sashimi or “mukōzuke,” course.  Ours was flat fish, squid and salmon served with wasabi, seaweed jelly and possibly the best version of soy and ponzu sauce you could ask for.  After the initial sashimi, a “nakazara” (middle dish) is served, often including sushi or a steamed dish tuna – ours was toro (medium fatty tuna) served with potato and this was a generous portion and distinctly good quality.  Presentation is often beautiful in Japanese cuisine and if any of the Great British Menu chefs wanted inspiration on this, they could gain a lot in one visit to Japan.  I say this as our chef had personally gone to the nearby Tadasu-no-mori forest that morning to pick some leaves to place in the bird’s nest basket over the toro just for our presentation and to reflect the current season – lovely touch.

The next course in Kaiseki cuisine is the “nimono” (boiled) dish, ours being a potato and shiitake mushroom, yuzu, ginger and pepper soup.  All of these ingredients were carefully portioned and so well balanced.  The following “yakimono” (grilled) dish is a signature dish of Kichisen: a serving of fish is served on top of a wafer thin slice of the largest part of a pineapple and that is placed on top of a volcanically hot stone.  Ours was sea bream served with flying fish eggs and absolutely micro-thin slices green onion on top which was not only delightful, but the steam coming from the thin pineapple slice essentially coated the fish with a beautifully soft touch of pineapple citrus and was a clever piece of theatre.  This was a wonderful and impressive dish.

Kaiseki meals will usually always finish with rice, pickles and vegetables at the end of the savouries as ours did with matsutaka mushrooms within the rice (these were both fine and hard to get excited about as would be the case in most Kasieki meals).  As is customary after savouries, a refreshment, or “kuchi-naoshi” is provided (in the same spirit of a pre-dessert in the West) and ours was a soy and blueberry pudding with persimmon and baby peach, the latter being utterly fresh.  A rice and bean cake and sugar cake was also part of this dessert and was one of the most enjoyable Japanese desserts I have had.

The meal ended with a mashed chesnut that was one of the best manageable versions of chestnut available (it can be very cloying and thick in texture but this was wet, sweet and brilliantly done to avoid this), raspberries and pione grapes followed by the usual end of matcha tea and here, a palette cleansing small bowl of roasted Japanese tea.  This concluded a fine Kaiseki experience and there really was not much to not like.  As a lunch set menu it was reportedly less elaborate than the full tasting menu in the evening, so this is a great option for having an authentic Kyoto meal of Kaiseki courses for a third of the price it will cost you at other 2 or 3 Michelin starred venues in Kyoto.  Kichisen incidentally means ‘you and I’ referring to the diner and the establishment and as it was just myself and my associate at the counter for lunch, it literally was us and them and both were very happy with the outcome.

The restaurant has a counter and booths at the back of the restaurant.  It seems that the format for the restaurant is that being sat at the counter is prized seat and that if you are in the booth, they will try and get you sat at the counter for the latter part of your courses.  This is indeed what was afforded to us.  As we sat in the booth, the first course brought was a snow crab with fig, crustacean jelly and caviar which was an absolute gem.  Crustacean jelly was something I had had barely a day prior in 3 Michelin starred Chateaux Joel Robuchon and was nice to see in Japanese form. 

Second up was amadai (tilefish and a part of the sea bream family) with egg sauce, mushroom, truffle & shrimp skin and this too was an absolute winner on all grounds with the fish being perfectly cooked with such a decadent sauce and truffle complementing the mushroom so well.   Next came sashimi of red snapper (red), time fish (silver) and sea bream (white) with ponzu and soy sauces, ginger and wasabi.  These were all good quality.  I also liked the way that the bamboo was hollowed out to make a drinking vessel for the sake.

We were then moved to the counter where mackerel was grilled on charcoal in front of us and served with soy jam – this had a beautifully subtle touch of smoke and was a nice bit of theatre to have in front of us. The crab in miso soup was brilliant; deep in flavour and with excellent crab.  I couldn’t keep up with the explanations of where the crab came from but we were reassured that they get their crab and produce at premium locations around Japan and I have no reason to doubt them.

Chutoro with sesame sauce, sesame seeds, wasabi and soy with lovely rice was gorgeous and served in a bamboo basket and on the underside was anago (seawater eel) – these were fine.  Next up, an original way to serve beef.  Our A4 grade Kobe beef was cooked in soy sauce which began to caramelise and then dipped in egg yolk prior to being served.  This was absolutely great with a lovely sticky sweet from the soy and richness from the egg.  

Prawn and ginkgo nuts were the start of the actual tempura pieces for the meal and were a welcome element of light tempura batter and nicely done.  Next were silverfish and potato – this was absolutely lovely and a genuine hit.  Perhaps even better than the ‘fish and chips’ served at London’s 2 Michelin starred Japanese restaurant Umu, where I have had this play on fish and chips.

Seaweed Noodles with soy and quail egg and wasabi was the finale savoury served in a huge ice block.  Visually this was stunning and whilst the decision to serve cooked noodles ice-cold was actually not my favourite decision, the texture was great combined with the timeless combination of soy and egg.  Genuinely innovative and good to see.

The meal finished with Japanese tea ice cream and a superb dessert I have not had in Japan and the description of which was lost on me. Thankfully on hand, as ever, my associate, Mr Bainbridge steered me of this being a red bean sugar with bean paste and a sugared, nutty powder to coat to taste.  The whole dessert was original, fun and delicious – a cracking end to a quality meal.

This was a superb experience and all in the charm of an undiscovered gem. The final tally was just under £200 per person, but roughly a quarter of this was on account of the Kobe beef and the meal was fuelled with refills of sake throughout.  Therefore, this is a brilliant option to go for in terms of quality, homeliness and value for money – well worth doing.