一子相伝 京の味 なかむら

Typical japenese dishes not better than other restaurants. Mostly without taste présentation nice and service very diligent. Does not worth the visit

March 2025に訪問

We dined at Isshisoden Nakamura for our 20th wedding anniversary, excited to experience our first 3-star Michelin restaurant. Unfortunately, this evening was anything but special. As Americans unfamiliar with Kaiseki-style dining, we expected the staff to help guide us through the meal. However, the...y spoke no English, and communication was nonexistent. Each dish arrived with no explanation of ingredients, flavors, or eating methods—leaving us in the dark about what we were eating or why it was special. Our private room was eerily silent, lacking any ambiance or warmth. We even had to ask for basic things, like water and wine options, which felt more like pulling teeth than fine dining. And as for the food itself—simply disappointing. Many courses were various bland soups, and the fish was served with skin and bones intact, which we had to pick out of our mouths. One course involved pouring broth over spit-out fish skin and bones and gesturing for us to drink it. It was off-putting, to say the least. The dessert was literally a persimmon cut in half—hardly what we imagined for a Michelin experience. We’ve dined at other 1 and 2-star Michelin restaurants and had wonderful experiences. Michelin has clearly missed the mark on this one. Torturous is the only way to describe it; we were counting down the minutes until it ended. An enormous disappointment for such a special occasion.

October 2024に訪問

Many of these 3 star Michelin places in Japan do not take reservations over the internet and many do not speak English. I used my Chase Sapphire Reserve card's Visa concierge service to secure the reservation. They were extremely useful as they are well experienced in providing this service and kn...ow how to go through the whole process. They take a few choices for restaurants and dates/times and responds rather quickly. I highly recommend using Visa concierge. That said, on to the restaurant itself: the moment you walk through the door, you are greeted by one of the waitresses already waiting for you on the floor. She proceeds to bow the deepest bow possible (forehead touching floor) and greets you in Japanese. They show you into your private room styled in the traditional way (stark empty, sparse designs, no chairs, low table, tatami mats etc). Dinner is a multicourse kaiseki dinner in which the various waitresses come in and out of the room to serve each dish. I wish I could remember half the dishes but there were so many. Almost all of them were exquisitely fashioned pieces of art in appearance and taste. Most of it quite yummy but tends to veer toward the: "surprise!" and "you'll never guess what rare, imaginative ingredient this has!"-type of innovations as opposed to the outright "yummy goodness" type of dish. Nothing was bad by any means, but I get the impression the chef was aiming more to impress than to satisfy. The unfortunate end result is that while I certainly enjoyed the food, my lasting impression of the experience was actually of the exquisite ceramics and serveware and the unique surrounding of the private room. This needs a special mention -- this is the second time I've been to Japan but the first time I've experienced private dining like this (I also did it a few days later at a temple resort in Mt Koya). I have to admit: it's not for me. My friend who I travel with and I are huge foodies who love eating and normally have a fun time with garrulous conversation. The quite, hushed, austere setting of the private room was oddly stifling. For absolutely no explicable reason, we found ourselves talking to each other in hushed voices. Perhaps it was because this was our first time with private dining but it was not our cup of tea. Bottom line: if you want to try a suuuper traditional, refined experience, this is the place for you. If a more modern vibe is what you're looking for, you might want to try out some of Kyoto's other 3 star michelin offerings.

May 2019に訪問

I rarely write reviews but I feel compelled to do so. I am writing this WHILE at the restaurant. I have eaten at some of the best 3 star restaurants around the world. This doesn’t even deserve one. The food is basic, uninteresting, poorly presented, and bland. The decor was as the food, nothing to b...e desired. No value at all, wouldn’t recommend without a star. Please go to Kichisen or Kikunoi instead. Wanted to try something new and that was a big mistake.

October 2018に訪問

Have been there in June for anniversary. Upon entrance, it is a spacious Japanese style room, very good privacy! The food is more than excellent, the grilled fish and the fish soup is so delicious! The toufu and white miso are great taste! When we leave, the main chef send us out and still bowing to... us even we are one block away! Absolutely terrific food and sevice!

June 2018に訪問