Dinner: SEN - Tabelog 4.2, Michelin 1* Kaiseki
The most fitting word to summarize our experience on this first food-related day in Kyoto is…..’ over-stuffed ‘!! Yup! Our restaurant’s super-hospitable chef/owner went berserk and offered us…..way, way, way, way too much food!!
Anticipating our evening’s contemporary Kaiseki meal at SEN, a relatively new and highly rated restaurant, will be an eye opening and over-indulging affair. We diligently settled on a relatively light lunch, with food bought from Takashimaya’s Depachika, next door to our hotel. A small crab and corn croquette here, a couple of Ebi fries plus a salad there and of course an essential dessert to round things off!..This latter was inescapable, especially when confronted with long and tempting arrays of sweet goodies, displayed along the aisles!
Our evening Kaiseki meal happened to coincide with the timely arrival of some priced special delicacies - Pike Conger Eel as well as the annual Matsutake Mushroom season. As such, these rarities were used as our meal’s major star ingredients. In addition, the inclusion of some live local spiny lobsters and pristine Kajiya Wagyu beef from Tanegashima resulted in a hefty surcharge over and above our original ‘on-line‘ reservation payment.
For the next three hours, our feast featured a never ending parade of dishes. Featuring tip-top ingredients, they were meticulously and simply cooked to bring out their natural inherent taste and characteristics. The end products, artistically and gorgeously presented. Most taste profiles of the initial few delicate and dainty dishes were on the light and subtle side. But then came the heavy artillery of the Conger Eel and Wagyu Beef!..huge portions and prepared in multiple ways! Particularly enjoyable (at least for the first few pieces) were the open-fire (partial use of hay!) broiled preparation, performed at the open kitchen in front of the patrons. Every plate delivery pertaining to these super-rich proteins was followed with an invitation to us by the server to order seconds and even third helpings!!..no brown bag allowed though! 
Overall, for a pseudo-novice to the Kaiseki scene like my wife, the experience was an eye-opener. The refined and exquisite, umami laden flavour profile of most dishes was perfect for her palate! As for me, a person who prefers deeper, complex and more ‘macho‘ flavour food, I am looking forward more to the Yakiniku and other meals lined up on our itinerary down the road!
BTW, that half bottle of artisan Japanese tea at CAD 50 must be the most expensive non-Chinese tea I have tasted. Next time, I’ll remember to inquire abo
ut the price before ordering?!!
