Nakahigashi is a two star restaurant in Kyoto but a meal here cost 15000 yen. Nakahigashi is one of the cheapest kaiseki that you could get in the heart of Kyoto, it’s probably one of the best valued meal for me in Kyoto.
Chef Nakahigashi, brother of chef Nakahigashi from Miyamasou, features the same type of cuisine. They named it “tsumikusa”. These two chefs would pick wild plants and vegetables from the mountain area every early morning.
Somehow I felt that Nakahigashi is not a place for first time kaiseki diners. Their flavour combination, choice of ingredients are more local, indigenous, if i might say, a bit more difficult to understand compared to kikunoi, kitcho.
Nakahigashi’s dish also tries to attribute to the history of kyoto. Not only do they try to show it on their dishes, they tried to display it visually on their bowls and plates.
After trying Miyamasou and Nakahigashi side by side, it’s a tough choice to choose between the two. But the carp sashimi at Nakahigashi was much more carefully deboned which I was very amazed about it. Nevertheless, the environment is Miyamasou is just unbeatable.
Sojiki Nakahigashi (草喰 なかひがし)
Address: 32-3 Ishibashicho, Jodoji, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto (京都府京都市左京区浄土寺石橋町32-3)
Tel:075-752-3500
Opening Hours: 12pm – 1pm; 6pm – 7pm
Chef: Nakahigashi Hisao (中東久雄)
Visited on: 25 November 2015
K's Luxe Dining Table 