Obanzai lunch @ Ajisaiya, Kyoto Station, Kyoto

Once again, I am in a basement of a station looking for some good food. Whats with all these weird places anyway? However, unlike some commuting hubs, Japanese train stations do house some amazing food and big ones like Shibuya Station or Osaka Station do have malls connected to it. Kyoto Station is no different.

A futuristic interior

The station has alot to offer. From Starbucks, Ramen Street, a steakhouse, Korean food, and various other goodies, you do get spoiled for choice. But to me, my first choice was easy to make. As this is Kyoto, it only made sense to have obanzai. For the unfamiliar, obanzai is a traditional Kyoto culinary style where dishes are prepared in a "home style" method.

A line forming in front of the premises

Dishes are usually and sometimes, almost exclusively made from ingredients sourced from Kyoto for it to be called obanzai. And the said ingredients must also be in season to be considered obanzai. So despite looking like a dish that you would have gotten elsewhere, there is a distinctive flavour that does make you think "hmmm... this tastes of Kyoto". And I was fortunate enough to find an obanzai restaurant, Ajisaiya, within the first few minutes after stepping of the train from Osaka. Ajisaiya is easy to spot. Located in the Porta Dining restaurant section, it is also surrounded by many other interesting food options. The line was relatively long, which is relatively a good sign, as it would relatively mean the food is relatively good. Ok I will stop using "relatively" now. 

What a spread!

And being my first time having obanzai, why not have a small sampling of everything? So it made sense for me to get the obanzai gozen. If you have read my post on a tempura joint back in Osaka  you would know that gozen means "special meal". 

Fresh!

And again, the word "special" is the operative word. There was a huge variety of food, four dishes in fact, if you do not count the obligatory miso soup. And each dish has its own distinctive feature and flavour. The sashimi was simple but sweet and crisp. The seafood was fresh and had a good bite. It was delicious, as what you would expect. 

Amazing!

The braised mackarel was a real show stopper. With strong notes of sweet soy and a bit of smokiness, it has a flavour akin to braised beef. I reckon some ponzu was used with some brown sugar to make the flavour base. The fish was flaky and fresh. A synergistic partner to the vegetables that was served. Speaking of the vegetables, they tasted as though they had been marinated in some light soy and mirin. They felt like they were left to sit somewhere to have their flavours amplified. Despite that, there was a mellow calmness to the veggies. It sounds like I am describing the weather, but honestly, once you have obanzai vegetable dishes, you would know what I mean. Strong but smooth.

Look how it glistens

The real star was the tofu. Like Ipoh back in Malaysia, the water, or rather the limestone in Kyoto's water helps with the tofu making process, making it more supple than your usual tofu elsewhere. There is a kickback when you bite into it and a velvet-like smoothness. Something like a steamed egg custard. Served with some freshly grated wasabi and sweet sauce, it gave a contrast to the overall dish.

Of course, you need some rice to take everything down.

Despite having contrasting elements, each dish somehow complements the others and worked very well. To me, my lunch tray was a true masterpiece. And standing at ¥1,200 , this was really worth the money spent. The only down side is that the place is quite small, so I did not have the chance in taking photos of the premises itself.

Do not miss this sign. Trust me

So if you are in Kyoto, try not to dismiss the Station, in particular the Porta Dining basement section. Ajisaiya and many other amazing restaurants are housed there and who knows, you might find something that will tickle your fancy. But if you do come here, I cannot recommend Ajisaiya enough.