01 / ABOUT THE PLACE
About this place
Kikkoya’s signature freshly skimmed yuba (tofu skin) is a dish to enjoy not only for its flavour, but also for the chance to watch it form and skim it yourself. Diners who have tried it have remarked on its soft, freshly made texture and gentle soybean sweetness and aroma. It can be enjoyed plain, with condiments or with broth, offering different ways to savour it. The menu offers large and small portions, and recommends ordering early since the experience takes time. Silken tofu made with natural nigari is also available, making this a meal to linger over with yuba at its centre.
Another speciality is shabu-shabu cooked in Kyoto bancha tea broth. One version features shoulder loin from Kyōtanba Hirai beef, a relatively light cut served with Kikkoya’s signature Kyoto bancha. The pork hot pot uses hand-roasted Kyoto bancha; the restaurant says the tea removes excess fat, while its aroma and umami bring out the flavour of the pork and vegetables. Diners have also singled out the tea-broth shabu-shabu as a memorable dish. Set menus include Kyoto bancha pork shabu-shabu and Hirai beef shabu-shabu, so the hot pot can take centre stage at dinner.
For a selection of small plates, options featuring Kyoto ingredients include grilled nama-fu with dengaku miso, nama-fu skewers fried in breadcrumbs with sea urchin miso sauce, and seared fried tofu topped with grilled leek miso. Some visitors recall dinners that included a variety of grilled and simmered fish, vegetables and tofu dishes. The menu also lists miso-marinated grilled Spanish mackerel, Kyoto red chicken grilled with kuromoji pepper, and crisp-fried lily bulbs. You can put together a meal of individual dishes without ordering a hot pot.
To finish, choose chirimen-jako rice with sansho pepper or ochazuke—rice with tea poured over it—topped with Kyoto-style eel tsukudani. For a little of several toppings, there is a trio of rice served in small bowls with chirimen-jako and sansho, simmered beef, and salmon roe. Sake includes labels from Kyoto, with options to pair with the food. Whether you spend the evening slowly making yuba or sharing shabu-shabu, there is room to shape the meal around your preferences.
