Reine des Pres

Slow-cooking is the specialty of the chef at Reine des Pres, a small Michelin-starred French restaurant near Kyoto’s Imperial Palace. Here you can enjoy traditional French meat and fish dishes, many of which begin cooking long before you arrive. Chef Nakahara has experience in Michelin-starred kitchens in Paris, where he learned to vary the texture and taste of dishes by adjusting the cooking timings. Naturally, his experience means he can speak French well (not so much English). His course menu features seafood like flounder with clams and a squid ink and scallop cracker, and meat dishes like roast chicken breast. All have lighter flavors than native French cuisine, adjusted for Japanese tastes.