01 / ABOUT THE PLACE
About this place
Kaiseki is about the progression of the meal as much as the flavour of each dish. Hanasaki’s lunchtime Tsuki course includes an appetiser, sashimi, soup, a grilled assortment, a simmered dish and tempura, followed by sushi topped with Kyoto pickles, red miso soup and dessert. The listed price is 6,600 yen. Other lunchtime options include a mini kaiseki for 4,950 yen and the Yume course for 8,800 yen, so you can compare the number and style of dishes before choosing.
One diner who tried the mini kaiseki at lunch described a private-room meal that ranged from seasonal small dishes and sashimi to a grilled assortment, a simmered dish, tempura, sushi topped with Kyoto pickles, a finishing soup and dessert. They also said that even though they usually dislike yuba, or tofu skin, they enjoyed it here. The account gives a sense of the variety that can appear in a kaiseki meal.
For seasonal pike conger, there are also conger kaiseki and conger hot-pot courses. Kaiseki menus may include conger sashimi, including hamo no otoshi (briefly blanched pike conger), charcoal-grilled conger, tempura and a small conger hot pot. Depending on the course, sushi or rice cooked in a pot, as well as a bite-sized Kyoto beef steak, may also be included. The conger hot-pot course centres on the pot and lets diners choose rice porridge or udon noodles to finish, rather than offering the broader range of preparations found in the kaiseki courses. Both are listed as summer-only; check the menu and availability when booking.
One diner recalling an evening kaiseki meal singled out the smooth chilled savoury egg custard with salmon roe, sashimi including sea bream and tuna, and a clear soup with crab. Their detailed account follows dishes prepared in different ways, from grilled and simmered plates to rice cooked in a pot, and conveys the pleasure of a kaiseki progression. With lunchtime kaiseki, seasonal conger dishes and Kyoto beef steak kaiseki among the choices, it is easy to decide what you would like at the centre of the meal. Private rooms are available, and reservations are accepted for both lunch and dinner.
