[Japan-Kyoto] Exploring Kyoto in Autumn - Spring Valley Brewery Kyoto (SVB) | Sotetsu-Fresa Inn Kyoto Shijo Karasuma

After enjoying Nagoya (and Takayama), I arrived in Kyoto on a weekend. If you ever intended to visit Nishiki Market on a weekend, hmmm, please think twice unless you don't mind jostling with other tourists. It was so packed that I turned back after looking in from the outside of the market entrance! Hahaa, no worries as I had a few days in Kyoto, hence decided to visit Nishiki on a weekday instead.

Booked a couple of nights stay at Sotetsu Fresa Inn Kyoto Shijo Karasuma and it was about 12 minutes walk to Nishiki Market.

Famished and was looking for a place to have late lunch. Walked around the area and stumbled upon a place that looked like a machiya and it sign says, "Spring Valley Brewery".

facade and entrance

The place looked super duper cool, and after a quick browse of the menu, decided to lunch at SVB. The service staff was welcoming despite I was a solo diner.

weekend lunch set menu

Was surprised by how reasonably priced its Weekend Lunch Set was. One could have a meal there for about ¥1500 to ¥1800 and it comes with a small glass of craft beer! Wow!

beer list

Guess what I had chosen for lunch. It was the roast beef bowl!

interior

looking out from the inside

The place was pretty relaxed on a Sunday, but that's maybe because it was way past lunch hour when I was there. The other table had two young adults that probably had completed their meal and looked like they were learning about beer brewing from the staff at the bar.

The roast beef don was to be paired with "Afterdark" but they can change it to something else based on your preference. I was hot from all the walking and wanted something more refreshing. The staff was able to converse in English, so ordering was not an issue. Moreover, the menu had English text on it as well.

I went for "Copeland" beer and it tasted hoppy, mild sweetness and not too bitter. Cold beer on a hot day. So good.

Copeland 5.5% ABV

Then, the salad was served. Ooh, this was a pleasant surprise as I thought there'd only be beef bowl and then the small glass of beer. Oh wow, the salad came loaded with flavours. Loved the mild dressing (tasted of olive oil and balsamic), the walnuts, croutons and cheese toppings. Enjoyed the salad and while I was halfway through, the roast beef bowl was served.

salad (part of the set)

Roast Beef Bowl Set

Such a pretty looking bowl with a wobbly yolk sitting ontop, just waiting for the moment to burst out of its membrane.

golden moments

Beneath the slices of pink roast beef, was a mound of rice drizzled with shoyu and wasabi. Mix it well with the golden yolk for a glorious mouthfeel. Tasty too. Kudos to SVB for being so generous with its customers. There were enough slices of roast beef to cover the ratio of rice.

like a roast beef sushi

After I was done with my meal, the staff came over and asked if I'd like coffee. I'd say yes to that!

after meal coffee

For just ¥1500 (less than SGD20), there was the main dish of roast beef bowl, a side of salad, a small glass of beer and a coffee. Definitely value for money! Highly satisfied and would recommend for a visit when you're in the vicinity.

The Sotetsu-Fresa Inn Shijo Karasuma hotel had one of the nicest facade/walkway that I've ever come across in 3 to 3.5-star hotel thus far. Classy. Like any other Sotetsu-Fresa Inn hotel, the hotel lobby had other complimentary amenities such as ladies/gents pack that guests could help themselves to if required.

entrance to Sotetsu-Fresa Inn Shijo Karasuma

nice walkway, like walking into an onsen or high class restaurant

home sweet home

hotel breakfast

loved the eggs and the cold somen

I tried the hotel breakfast and there weren't many varieties. However, they do serve some special item such as croquette and cold somen. The dashi for the noodles was quite good. I'm good as long as they have scrambled eggs or omelette.

Spring Valley Brewery Kyoto

Location: 587–2 Takamiyacho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, 604-8056, Japan
Website: https://www.springvalleybrewery.jp/pub/kyoto/
Contact: +81 75-231-4960
Business Hours:
Mon-Sat: 11am to 11pm
Sun: 11am to 10pm

Sotetsu-Fresa Inn Kyoto Shijo Karasuma

Location: 60番地 Dojishacho, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto, 600-8421, Japan
Website: https://fresa-inn.jp/en/karasuma/
Contact: +81 75-284-2031

Edogawa 江戸川 近鉄京都駅店 @ Kyoto Station

It was our last meal in Kyoto and with such a thought, it was really a 'no-holds-bar' situation. However, with wrist and feet hurting, I just wanted somewhere nearby. So off to Kyoto Station we went, in search for dinner. We were staying at Fushimi Inari Station, which was about 7 mins away with one transfer to main Kyoto Station. Not too bad, just that we went out on a Friday evening. Haha.

Walked around Kyoto Station before finally made our choice. Edogawa, for its unagi. Keke! I think I was sold by the unagi character at its signboard...

Edogawa Kyoto

Got a table pretty fast and gave the menu a good look-through. Made my choice and ordered. Can you guess what was my choice? First, drinks. のみますか？推測できますか? Something alcoholic? Yes, you know my style. Had a small tokkuri of warm sake for about SGD7. Kinda nice on a cold night. Actually, every night is perpetually cold in Kyoto during November period.

日本酒 sake @ ¥430

The sake was mildly fragrant and the alcohol doesn't hit you till later. Though it was a small flask, I'm convinced that am not able to finish it all by myself.

Truth be told, I was bent on trying Japanese beef. So, naturally, it became a must-order. A small set was about SGD24 and it had 5 slices of thick cut beef, some vegetables like green pepper, a slice of brinjal, a slice of pumpkin, shitake mushroom and corn. All these to be cooked on your own at your table. Just like what we usually see in Japan Hour!

Beef teppanyaki set @ ¥1,800

closer look at the meat

small fire to grill

The meat was beefy and mostly lean. I think our palates had become accustomed to the softer more marbled beef that we normally associate with Japanese beef. It was still rather fun and enjoyable. Am satisfied to have tried this in Kyoto.

on the grill

Next, was main course. Did you think I'd just be eating those few slices of meat? Hahaa! Need to eat those unagi! It was both a need and a want. Since I had hitsumabushi already, this time round, chose a unagi don with tamagoyaki. Moreover, the rolled egg had some unagi bits in it. It was really delicious and value for money. Came with pickles and a bowl of clear soup with some somen in it.

う卷丼 @ ¥1,360

first time seeing noodles in soup that came with a rice set

Lovely meal and interesting adventures in Kyoto.

Edogawa 江戸川 近鉄京都駅店

Location: Kintetsu Meitengai Kyoto road, ３１-１ Higashishiokoji Kamadonocho, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 600-8215, Japan
Contact:  075-672-2081 (+81-75-672-2081)
Website: https://tabelog.com/en/kyoto/A2601/A260101/26003102/

Business Hours: 

11:00～22:00

Open on Sundays for lunch

 

Kyotofushimishinseishuzo Torisei Honten 鳥せい本店 @ Kyoto Fushimi

Yuka and myself weren't feeling that hungry so we decided to eat nearby Fushimi. She brought us to a yakitori place that's operated by a sake brewery. It has its own carpark, so we didn't have to hunt for a parking lot.

Quite a cool shop. Lots of wooden beams, shelves and shelves of sake bottles and sturdy tables.

similar to housewine so this is their 'house' sake

Had my first taste of matcha sake and it was delicious! It is pretty sweet so, guys might not like it. Similar to dessert wine but not as sweet. Very nice and kind of regretted not getting a bottle home! But the otoshi (お通し) was quite horrible. It was just grated radish with soy sauce?! Ugh.

matcha sake ¥440

Didn't order alot and they ran out of chicken hearts. See, this is one of the favourites. The yakitori prices were reasonable and between ¥140 to ¥210 each stick.

tebasaki and pork belly - salted

chicken liver and momo - sauce

For carbs, we had the autumn seasonal kamameshi. It came with pickles and tofu. The flavours are mild and the hot rice was comforting as it had started to drizzle a bit and night time was pretty cold in autumn.

chicken and mushroom kamameshi - autumn limited edition @ ¥950

Interesting place and too bad Yuka can't drink as she's driving. A nice place to enjoy yakitori and sake.

Torisei Honten 鳥せい本店

Location: 186 Kamiaburakakecho, Fushimiku, Kyoto 612-8047
Contact: +81 75-622-5533
Website: http://www.torisei.com/shop/fushimi/

Tatsumiya 辰巳屋 @ Uji Kyoto

As I was nursing a fractured wrist due to an accident while I was in Kyoto, my landlady Yuka took pity on me and offered to bring me around Kyoto via her car for a day. A chance to explore Kyoto with a local? Yes, please!

Uji is located at the outskirts, so the scenary changes from buildings to farmlands and river.

view from Yuka's car

look, Uji river~

We parked the car and strolled down to the restaurant. Tatsumiya is about 12 minutes walk from Keihan Uji Station or about 15 minutes walk from Uji JR Station. Nearby, is Byodoin, a World Heritage site.

Tatsumiya

The restaurant has wooden sliding doors and one sits on tatami flooring. Yes, one needs to take off shoes before being seated.

counter seats and this is the door where the hostess will enter

Tatsumiya serves traditional Kyoto cuisine and one could opt for Kaiseki as well. We took the lunch bento. I had mine with sashimi while Yuka opted for one with chawanmushi.

The bento was served with a brown leaf folded to cover the small dishes. Was pleasantly surprised by the colourful and pretty looking items. The bento was served with seven rolls of Akita rice that has Uji tea leaves on it. I understand that the small dishes in the bento changes in accordance to season.

宇治丸弁当 ¥3800

many many small items in here

There's mushrooms, chestnut, konyaku, fish paste, a slice of duck, juicy brinjal, quail's egg, gingko nut, shishito, snail etc. Interesting eats and one would get quite full at the end of the meal. Allocate at least an hour to an hour and a half to eat all of this.

The sashimi was slow to arrive but it was super fresh. The fish was fatty and firm.

sashimi of squid and hamachi

Very interestingly, there's a mochi wrapped in green leaf in there. This was one of the best mochi that I've eaten!

mochi

By then, I was seriously full. But, there's desserts! There was a grape, pear and matcha chocolate.

desserts

Had an enjoyable lunch and appreciate the company. Special thanks to Shinichi (for treating us lunch though he's not present to join us) and Yuka for introducing a slice of Kyoto.

Tatsumiya 辰巳屋

Location: Togawa-3-7 Uji, Kyoto Prefecture 611-0021, Japan
Website: http://www.uji-tatsumiya.co.jp/
Other websites:  
https://gurunavi.com/en/k010600/rst/
https://tabelog.com/en/kyoto/A2607/A260701/26000038/
Contact: +81-50-5890-8703
Business Hours:
Lunch: 11:00 - 14:30 , Dinner: 16:30 - 20:00 

Kendonya 手打うどん けんどん屋 @ Fushimi Inari Station Kyoto

Again, our instinct of trying out the foodshops near our Inari House paid off well. This time round, we wandered into Kendonya, an udon noodle house. This shop was more spacious as compared to Ramen Hiwamatanoburo which is just a few doors away.

shopfront

counter seats and Chef

Most of the sets came with carb-on-carb, meaning you'll get a bowl of udon and a bowl of rice. Tourist friendly and English menu is available. The shop's bestseller seemed to be their pork cutlet sets. Bucking the norm, we decided to choose something else.

I went with my karaage set (minus the rice) and my friend opted for the udon and oyakodon set. Both are priced below ¥1000.

draft beer

It was rather late at night, close to 830pm when we dined there plus it was drizzling, so there were only one or two tables occupied.

favourite condiments in Kyoto

Mini chicken and egg rice bowl with hot udon @¥860+

Hot udon with karaage set @¥980+

The mini oyakodon here looked good, especially when eaten while it was still hot!

mini 親子丼

The owner had been making udon since his 20's and he ventured out and became his own boss in his thirties. Handmade udon, we loved! The udon served at Kendonya is of the plump and chewy variant. Slurpiliciously good! Because it was a cold day, we chose the hot broth version. Otherwise, one could also have it as chilled udon.

温麦

While the star is the udon, must mention that the karaage was very good too! The menu mentioned that this is different from American-styled fried chicken which made me thought of how to describe the taste of Japanese fried chicken to our foreign friends?

 から揚げ

The karaage was well-fried to a crisp skin and still moist and juicy on its insides. The meat was marinated adequately and each bite was thoroughly enjoyed. Though its size is not comparable to the one from its neighbour, I didn't regret ordering this. Plus, fried chicken and ice cold draft beer...need I say more?

Kendonya 手打うどん けんどん屋

Location: Japan, 〒612-0012 Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Fushimi Ward, Fukakusa Ichinotsubocho, 41, パールハイツイナリ1F
Website: https://tabelog.com/en/kyoto/A2601/A260601/26003538/
Contact: +81 75-641-1330
Business Hours:
11:00～15:00 (lunch)
17:00～20:30 (dinner)
Close on Wednesdays and one extra day off a month.

Kiyomizu-Dera Junsei Okabeya 清水順正おかべ家

Had a lovely visit to Kiyomizudera Temple but then it started to rain and thus, had to seek shelter. Coincidentally, it was lunch time so we decided to go somewhere to fill our stomach. Had earlier passed by this place which looked like it had a restaurant so went back to find my friend and suggested to dine at Junsei. When in Kyoto, eat tofu!

Kiyomizudera Temple

Didn't take the entrance of the restaurant as it was raining, but here's a photo of the shop at the front. Junse is just round the corner of this shop.

at the left of this shop, turn in

The shop is tourist friendly, but had to wait abit for the staff to usher us in.

warm tea

Friend had the Namafu-no-TempuraDengaku while I had the Oborodoufu-to-Obanzai. Both are priced at ¥1850. The menu states that Obanzai is a typical ordinary meal in Kyoto. Hehe.

おぼろ豆腐とおばんざい @¥1850

It has a lot of things actually. A flower-petal like dish with 7 small items (this is the obanzai), one big block of tofu (oboro doufu), a small dish of jyako sansho (small fish and pepper), vegetable tempura and clear soup.

so many things to eat

Loved the simplicity and the variety in this set. The rice tasted good with all the small side dishes. There are some meats actually in the 7 small side dishes. There's fish and pork. The pink coloured ball is actually fish-cake and some simmered vege. But the tastiest, was the jyako sansho. Savoury, salty and goes so well with the rice!

love these small fishies

This place seemed to be quite popular with tourists from Taiwan.

Kiyomizu-Dera Junsei Okabeya 清水順正おかべ家

Location: Japan, 〒605-0862 Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, 東山区清水２丁目２３９
Contact: +81 75-541-7111
Website:  http://www.to-fu.co.jp/en/
GuruNavi: https://gurunavi.com/en/k001901/rst/
Business Hours:
Monday - Sunday 10:30 - 17:00