Kako Okamoto

When researching restaurants near our accommodation in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto the closest restaurant was Kakouokamoto aka Kako Okamoto. I rang up and made a booking in broken Japanese for a reservation at 6pm for two people. I was advised it was cash only and waited patiently until 6pm. We walked f...rom our accommodation and found the restaurant by walking through narrow Kyoto back streets and then using Google Maps found our destination - Kakouokamoto. We were greeted as we entered and our coats were taken and we were ushered to the counter style seating. The next four hours of dining was a truly incredible experience. Little did we know that Kako Okamoto was a Michelin star chef and we would receive a set meal of over 12 courses which would be a feast for the senses and we walked away very satisfied. Courses included: Scallops with asparagus; Seaweed with wasabi and pine nuts; Seafood in broth; Sashimi; Sardine boiled 5 hours in vinegar and coated with bonito flakes; Squid with Okinawa salad vegetable; Sashimi of baby eel; Shellfish in Philo pastry; steamed egg; Fish (mackerel ?) sashimi; Sky beans (aka Broad Beans); sweet bun with black bean paste for dessert. Accompanied by sake and green tea. Very oishi - delicious! To watch the Michelin star chef work his knife and other tools was a wonder to behold. He showed such finesse that I felt we were watching Iron Chef - one of our favourite cooking shows. There were eight seats at the counter and all were filled soon after we arrived. The chef was patient with me as he explained the ingredients of each course in Japanese. I asked many questions with the help of Google Translate and conversed with the other patrons in both Japanese and English. It was such an enjoyable night, everyone oohing and aahing as each course was put before us. I asked the chef for a business card so I could put down the name of the business on my instagram hashtags and then researched the restaurant more. I read one of the reviews on Google Maps which stated that the restaurant had 1 Michelin star rating. I then read that the multi-course meal would be $12,000 each and paid in cash - roughly $280 Australian Dollars for my husband and I. After the 12-13 courses we paid the bill thankfully and made our way out into the rainy night at 10.30pm after four and a half hours of an entertaining and gastronomic experience that we will talk about for many years to come. If you are celebrating a special occasion please do consider this restaurant as it is a night you will never forget! Located a short walk from the Kiyomizu-Gojo Station.

Visited March 2017