Dinner: KIYOBOSHI - Tabelog 4.0, Michelin 1* Tempura……WOW!!
I LOVE authentic Japanese Tempura……especially those prepared correctly by master chefs!
My first encounter was at the legendary Mikawa Zezankyo in Tokyo with a decades long, ex-Chowhounder, foodie friend who managed to secure a tough-to-get reservation for our party. The experience was enlightening, delightful and absolutely unforgettable…..and for me….Love at First Sight (Bite)!
Though subsequent, similar calibre, culinary encounters were limited. However, again thanks to my foodie friend and Tabelog, I had the good fortune of savouring some more top Tempura places each time I visited Tokyo. The Michelin 2* and Tabelog 4.0+ Motoyoshi and Kondo to name a couple. BTW, whilst dining at Motoyoshi, we noticed sushi master chef Sawada San of the famed 2* Sushi-Ya bearing his name also shared our counter! A testament to the quality of food offered at the place!
Fast forward to our current Kyoto visit. During this segment of our food crawl, one of my major priorities was to try securing the best Tempura spot in town ahead of time. Kyoboshi was one of the most mentioned, must-eat spots, recommended by foodies, local and foreign alike and I was lucky to do so!
This newly minted Michelin 1* serves a highly refined, traditional Japanese tempura ( Bo-age style ) distinguished by its exceptionally light, eggless batter made with just flour and water, creating a delicate crispness that highlights seasonal ingredients like shrimp, asparagus, tile fish, lotus root, and sweet potato, fried briefly and served with salt, lemon, and grated daikon for a pure, natural flavor experience. On our night, we also had the good fortune of being served two rare treats……the priced sweet fish ‘Aju‘ as well as Matsutake Mushrooms, which happened to be in season. The rest of the ingredients were all pristine fresh, organic products sourced locally.
Moreover, due to our early booking, Rosy and I ended up to be the only two patrons in the house! Hence, for the next two hours ( before the next group of customers arrived ), we managed to receive un-divided attention and a totally private dining experience from our most hospitable, quiet but communicative owner chef!
The quality, variety, presentation and taste of food were mind-blowingly good and IMO, can easily rub shoulders with its higher rating Tokyo cousins! Just take a look at the perfectly executed Aju presentation! Strikingly impressive!..Gorgeous and Amazing!
However, the most sensational part of the meal was definitely the price! Costing at least 10,000 Yen less than the Omakase course offered at the aforementioned Tokyo powerhouses, it was an absolute steal!!
Wow! What a GREAT find…..What a meal! A great example, why I make special trips to Japan just to eat!!
Lastly, a little tidbit and personal observation!
It is a well known fact that many nationalities, especially those in Asia and parts of Europe like France, Spain, Italy…etc. Citizens engage in different funky customs and cultural eating habits and practices……ingesting literally everything that crawls or moves! In Japan, consomme made with sea turtles are treated as rare and super-delectable delicacies.
Whilst performing some Google review checks on Kyoboshi, I noticed they have only very small and limited reviews and following. Those postings on the board were ALL perfect scores of 5.0/5.0……except one!!
This person gave Kyoboshi, IMHO an exemplary establishment, a ridiculous 1.0/5.0 rating!! The reason?..because she noticed a few turtles were kept in a cage outdoors and assumed they would be eaten? Are you kidding me? ONE nonsensical rating by some bizarre and discriminating individual managed to skew the rating from a perfect 5.0/5.0 to just a 4.5/5.0!!
Guess from now on, one needs to go through review ratings carefully and with a grain of salt!!
