Kiyama

Tucked away on the bottom floor of an apartment building, this Kyoto establishment made waves in the Japanese gourmet community by achieving a Michelin star just one year after opening. Owner Yoshiro Kiyama serves traditional Kyoto cuisine, which he mastered through ten years working as head chef at the famous restaurant Wakuden. His own store has a quiet and serene atmosphere. Although all of his ingredients are carefully selected according to the season, he deserves particular applause for his dedication to dashi — the fish stock which is a fundamental part of Japanese cuisine. He proves that if one takes the time to truly nail the basics, the end result is amplified and enhanced. Shaving dried bonito fish blocks by hand, Kiyama tastes each one, then mixes shavings from different blocks to arrive at the perfect balance of flavor. As if this didn’t display his dedication enough, he also went to the trouble of drilling a well on the premises to access the fresh spring water which flows beneath.