01 / ABOUT THE PLACE
About this place
Start with oden—daikon served with miso, for example—and build the meal with kushikatsu and small plates. Kyoto Kushiden’s menu suits an evening when you want to choose dishes one by one and shape the meal as you go.
The oden selection includes egg, tofu, konjac and daikon, among other items; some are marked as recommended with miso. One diner recalled the daikon’s tenderness and the just-right richness of its miso sauce, while another said the chikuwa had absorbed the broth. Tastes vary, but choosing ingredients and pairing them with miso is part of the appeal.
Kushikatsu is another mainstay. Choose from vegetables such as lotus root and onion, as well as beef, pork and chicken tenderloin. There are also seafood combinations such as shrimp wrapped in shiso, sea bream wrapped in shiso and squid wrapped in shiso, which can be enjoyed alongside vegetable and meat skewers. A group visiting during a trip ordered oden and tempura; they remembered the tempura for its fresh ingredients and crisp texture.
For more small plates, options include simmered chicken liver, blanched komatsuna greens and Tsuruhashi kimchi. Dashimaki tamago is available plain or with green onion, wrapped in nori, cheese or mentaiko. Choose one as a light bite, or try a version with a different filling. Duck roast is also on the menu, and one diner said it was a favourite.
Drinks include draft beer, highballs, sours and wine. Pair kushikatsu with draft beer, or take your time over the oden with plum wine or shochu; there are plenty of ways to put together a combination to suit your taste. For a final dish, the menu offers rice porridge with egg, nori and chicken, or with sea bream; dashi chazuke with plum, nori and salted kelp; and sea bream nyumen. After sampling a few small plates, you could round out the meal with one of these rice dishes.
There are counter and table seats, offering options for solo diners as well as groups sharing dishes. Reservations are accepted, so it may be worth enquiring in advance when you have a set group size.
