01 / ABOUT THE PLACE
About this place
There’s a particular pleasure in having tempura fried right in front of you and savouring seasonal ingredients one piece at a time. At Sagano, lunch can be just that. Diners have described watching kuruma prawn, squid, sweet potato, pumpkin, autumn aubergine, maitake mushroom and conger eel being turned into tempura before them. On another visit, the meal began and ended with prawn, while the conger eel stood out in particular. There were also less familiar shapes, such as negi-bōzu (spring onion buds), making each new piece part of the enjoyment.
The way the tempura is served offers another point of interest. One lunchtime diner singled out tempura enjoyed with dashi, as well as with salt. The account suggests a choice between the two for summer vegetables and hamo, or pike conger, according to the character of each ingredient.
Seasonal kaiseki offers a different way to explore Kyoto’s ingredients through the year. One diner who tried the summer Gion Festival special kaiseki recalled a bowl featuring hamo, pressed hamo sushi and a smooth corn soup. The dishes change with the seasons, bringing a sense of the time of year to the table. Dinner kaiseki options listed on the menu include the “Moegi Kaiseki” at ¥12,500, “Seasonal Kaiseki” at ¥15,000 and “Atago Kaiseki” at ¥20,000. As the available information does not detail their contents, price may be a useful starting point when choosing.
Lunch options range from the “Seasonal Set” at ¥7,300 to the “Special Lunch Kaiseki” at ¥9,000. One diner who enjoyed kaiseki with their mother remembered the seasonal touches in the hassun assortment, as well as the moment the lid was lifted from a pot of rice cooked with the season’s ingredients.
A Japanese-style breakfast is also available. One visitor mentioned being able to choose between white rice and rice porridge. It may suit a quieter morning meal, distinct from the tempura and kaiseki served at lunch and dinner.
