天ぷら 京星

I LOVE authentic Japanese Tempura……especially those done correctly by master chefs! My first such encounter was at the legendary Mikawa Zezankyo in Tokyo with a decades long, ex-Chowhounder, foodie friend who managed to secure a tough-to-get reservation for our party. The experience was enlightenin...g, delightful and absolutely unforgettable…..and for me….Love at First Sight (Bite)! :D Though subsequent similar calibre culinary encounters were limited. However, again thanks to my friend and the internet, I had the good fortune of savouring some more top Tempura places each time I visit Tokyo. The Michelin 2* and Tabelog 4.0+ Motoyoshi and Kondo to name a couple. BTW, when I dined at Motoyoshi, sushi master chef Sawada San of the famed 2* Sushi-Ya bearing his name also shared our counter! A testament to the quality of food offered at the place! Fast forward to our current Kyoto visit. During this segment of our food crawl, one of my major priorities was to try securing the best Tempura spot in town ahead of time. Kyoboshi was one of the most mentioned, must-eat spots, recommended by foodies, local and foreign alike and I was lucky to do so! This newly crowned Michelin 1* serves a highly refined, traditional Japanese tempura ( Bo-age style ) distinguished by its exceptionally light, eggless batter made with just flour and water, creating a delicate crispness that highlights seasonal ingredients like shrimp, asparagus, lotus root, and sweet potato, fried briefly and served with salt, lemon, and grated daikon for a pure, natural flavor experience. On our night, we also had the good fortune of being served two rare treats……the priced sweet fish ‘Aju‘ as well as Matsutake Mushrooms, which happened to be in season ... .Lucky us! The rest of the ingredients were all pristine fresh, organic products sourced locally. Moreover, due to our early booking, my wife and I ended up to be the only two patrons in the house! Hence, for the next two hours ( before the next group of customers arrived ), we managed to receive un-divided attention and a totally private dining experience from our most hospitable and communicative owner chef! The quality, variety, presentation and taste of food were mind-blowingly good and IMO, can easily rub shoulders with its higher rating Tokyo cousins! Just take a look at the perfectly executed Aju presentation! Strikingly impressive!.....Amazing! However, the most sensational part of the meal was definitely the price! Costing at least 10,000 Yen less than the Omakase course offered at the aforementioned Tokyo powerhouses, it was an absolute steal!! Wow! What a GREAT find…..What a meal! Thank you so very much for the wonderful experience, Chef Sakakibara San!

October 2025に訪問

Lovely, small and welcoming place, not easy to find but that only add to the charme of the restaurant. Simple, excellent and extremely well prepared tempura of the highest level. It makes you rethink completely what ‘tempura’ means. Lovely little bites which are work of arts, both for your eyes and ...your palate! And you get a front seat to the master who makes all of that possible, Chef & Owner Sakakibara Toshinori. Toshinori-san, it will be our absolute pleasure to be soon your guests again. Thank you!

April 2025に訪問

Perfectly curated tempura omakase three generations in the making. Divine food with divine owners. This experience is unique as they are the ones directly involved in the operation of the restaurant. Food was spectacular! A definite must try experience.

September 2024に訪問

Masterful! Tempura at its purest and best. Every single serving done to perfection and served with pride. An dining experience that highlights a single style of cooking - nothing more and nothing less. Wonderful! (Difficult to find...but worth it!)

September 2019に訪問

Must make reservation which we did through our hotel concierge. We were a party of 5 and though there were still available seats (maybe 3-4), 2 walk-in guests were turned. I suspect he only cooked for one party, or at least people in the same seating, at a time as the small restaurant was only servi...ced by our chef and his wife. Our dinner cost ¥13,200 (all-in) for about 18 courses; sake separately priced and the food was delicious - the batter light and food fresh. Chef was innovative too; it wasn’t just about simply coating the food in batter - for eg we had fish wrapped in shiso leaf, crab legs in avocado, fish wrapped in seaweed...yummy. The dips of lemon juice and home-made (such fine) salt was supplemented by grated daikon. Lovely and yet simple condiments. One of us did not take shellfish and was given a wide selection of fish instead. A must-go.

November 2019に訪問