A note on the words: a gozen is a full meal laid out on a single lacquered tray, and kaiseki is the multi-course style of Japanese cooking it borrows from, served one small dish at a time. Miso is fermented soybean paste; kura means a storehouse, the building where miso and soy sauce are aged, so kura-miso grilled means fish marinated in that paste and then grilled. Koji is the mold used to start the fermentation. Sakizuke is the small opening course, and otsukuri is what sashimi is called on a kaiseki menu. Ohitashi is greens blanched and steeped in dashi, the stock of kelp and dried bonito that underpins most Japanese cooking; nibitashi is the same idea simmered rather than steeped. Dashimaki tamago is a rolled omelet made with that stock folded into the egg. Maitake is the frilly hen-of-the-woods mushroom, shiso is the sharp green perilla leaf, and gindara is black cod. Bento is a packed meal in a compartmented box.
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Kyoto Ichinoden Roppongi Hills on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hey, this is Hangover Meshi. So, this time it was lunch at “Kyoto Ichinoden” in Roppongi Hills! I’d never once been since this place opened, so I’m glad I finally made it. It’s a long-established Kyoto house that’s been going for a hundred years, apparently. Fish is their thing, and miso-marinated fish above all. This was a bit of a sit-down meal with company, so I booked ahead.
Gindara (black cod) kura-miso grilled set meal 2,480 yen
Salmon kura-miso grilled set meal 1,980 yen
Sawara (Spanish mackerel) kura-miso grilled set meal 1,980 yen
Tenkeibi pork koji-miso grilled set meal 2,380 yen
[Lunchtime, reservation only] Kura-miso grilled kaiseki gozen set 5,500 yen
Lunchtime runs roughly 2,000 to 2,500 yen. This time I asked for the reservation-only kura-miso grilled kaiseki gozen set.
So, first out was this.
Something like a jelly sitting on top of the ohitashi. I tried it and it’s really good. Now that’s a delicate bit of seasoning!
Elegant otsukuri. Isaki, I think they said it was. Each piece has something different laid on top, so the mood shifts a little from one to the next. Mmm, elegant, and delicious with it.
And now, at last, the gozen tray arrives!
What a spread!
Tempura of maitake mushroom, vegetables, and shiso rolls.
Ohitashi.
Dashimaki tamago.
Nibitashi.
And this is the gindara kura-miso grilled.
The flesh comes apart at a touch of the chopsticks. One bite and — ohhhhh, that’s good!
The richness of the miso has soaked right in and the savory flavor just detonates. It goes far too well with black cod that’s carrying this much fat. Obviously it’s a perfect match for rice, and with seasoning like this it might work with a drink as well. What a good fish this is. I haven’t been eating much Japanese food lately, so I’m glad the Japanese meal I finally got was a delicious piece of fish!
So — it’s a slightly pricey lunch, but if you’re sitting down to talk properly with someone, going for a course like this rather than a set meal was the right call, because you can take your time over the conversation. And since every dish is seriously good, I really felt that someone like me, who normally eats nothing but meat, ought to come and eat gentle-tasting fish like this now and then. I want to come back at some point! And they seem to do bento boxes too, so I’d love to use them for some event or other.
Kyoto Ichinoden Roppongi Hills (Japanese Cuisine / Roppongi Station, Nogizaka Station, Azabu-juban Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★☆☆ 3.4
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
