Foodies staying at the new Park Hyatt Kyoto are in for a special treat. If they order a Japanese breakfast during their stay, the famous 150-year old Kyoyamato Kyoto kaiseki restaurant will be cooking.
ABOUT KYOYAMATO RESTAURANT IN KYOTO
Kyoyamato is one of the most famous kaiseki restaurants in Kyoto. It’s also one of the most beautiful in a pretty crowded city. The old capital of Japan has narrow streets lined with long and narrow wooden houses. In these houses, the people of Kyoto lived, worked, played and served food.
Amidst these less than spacious conditions, there are some special restaurants known for their food, service and beautiful surroundings. The Kyoyamato is one of these. It’s lovely wooden structures are set in a traditional Japanese garden that dates back to the Edo era. One of the reasons to book a meal at Kyoyamato is to enjoy its gardens.
POSSIBLY THE BEST ROOM SERVICE BREAKFAST IN KYOTO
Until the Park Hyatt Kyoto opened, this kaiseki restaurant was only serving lunch and dinner. However, now, it makes breakfast too, just for guests of the Park Hyatt Kyoto. Those who order the Japanese breakfast set at Kyoto Bistro or via room service get the special Kyoyamato Japanese breakfast set.
Kyoto Bistro is the the all day dining restaurant of the hotel. It’s also the breakfast restaurant. However, those who wish to have breakfast in private, enjoying the views from the room, can dial room service.
This is exactly what we did every day. We ordered the Kyoyamato Japanese breakfast via room service at 9 AM. This was brought over daily by two lovely ladies bearing one table each, each full of bento boxes.
WHAT IS A KYOYAMATO BREAKFAST?
What’s in a Kyoyamato breakfast, you might be wondering?
In many ways, it looks like a typical luxury ryokan breakfast. However, when you eat it, you realize that the ingredients are very good and the taste of each tiny dish is excellent.
KYOYAMATO BREAKFAST AT PARK HYATT KYOTO
Genmai tea
Grilled eggplant with dashi jelly & sesame sauce
Japanese Miyama egg omelet with grated radish
Kurokawa squash with baby potatoes
Wheat gluten cake
Simmered radish
Sautéed wagyu beff tendon and burdock
Kyoto tofu with bonito flakes
Sautéed baby sardine and Fushimi pepper
Roasted fish cake and cod roe
Simmered kelp with bonito flakes
Japanese pickles
Miso marinated silver cod
Lotus roots with simmered sweet potato
Koshihikari rice from Tango
Miso soup with Shijimi clams and Mitsuba lead
It has the usual assortment of cold appetizers to start. These are mostly tofu and vegetable dishes since Kyoto is famous for its vegetables. Then it also has the simmered egg roll found in sushi restaurants and ryokan breakfasts.
READ ABOUT THE PARK HYATT NISEKO IN HOKKAIDO
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE EGG
This egg dish looks so simple to make but it actually isn’t. Only the best Japanese restaurants are able to make a proper one. Meanwhile, the main course is usually grilled fish accompanied by rice, pickles and miso soup. In this case, the miso soup had tiny clams.
READ ABOUT THE BEST NEW HOTEL IN SPAIN
As a finale, Kyoyamato includes a plate of fresh seasonal fruits in a very restrained way. There are no huge platters of assorted fruits, as you will find in Western countries.
This is Japan, after all, where everything whispers rather than shouts. So the dessert at breakfast is two modest slices of seasonal fruit. Today we had one grape and one slice of a peach. But these were the tastiest fruits I’d had in a long time.
Read more about the best hotels and resorts in Japan in Travelife Magazine.
