Ryō-shō, Kyoto() – First Fine Dining Experience

Yesterday I had my first real fine dining experience to finish off my vacation in Japan so I wanted to share! I went to Ryō-shō in Kyoto and overall had a great time. While I think it was a touch overpriced, I would overall say it was super worth it for the cool experience. I especially enjoyed how “laid back” and chill it felt – the chef was super nice, interacted with everyone and had a great sense of humor. Attached are the courses we had with some thoughts on each one.

1. The Tilefish was unlike any fish I’ve had before. It was super sweet and very fatty. I liked it a lot, and the rice under it was also super delicious.
2. Loved this crab dish! It was super buttery and melted in your mouth. The cucumbers were also perfectly seasoned.
3. Honestly, this soup did not do it for me. This was easily my least favorite. The fish was weird and the broth was kinda bland.
   4 and 5. Pretty standard – but good – Sashimi. I liked the urchin the most, this was only my second time having it.
4. By far my favorite course – the fish had a perfectly crispy seasoned skin and tender flesh. I could have eaten this all day.
5. Noodles and scallops with a nice sauce. Liked this one a lot.
6. This was a surprise to me! I didn’t know what “Tofu sauce” meant (sorry if that’s a noob thing to say) but I absolutely loved this course. Probably my second favorite.
7. The shrimp and eggplant were good, but I didn’t find this course particularly memorable.
8. The steak was perfectly cooked, but I probably could have done with a little less black pepper. Would have wanted to let the meat speak for itself.
9. Was nervous about this one because it was the same fish I didn’t like from the soup, but it was actually good – a nice fried rice-like thing. The chef came around with seconds and thirds for this one which was great.
10. I did find dessert to be slightly uninspired. The peace was very fresh and delicious but the shaved ice seemed like an odd choice to me. At $350/head, some ice cream instead could have been nice.
    13 and 14. Matcha round. Good stuff.

Overall I’m excited to keep diving into the world of fine dining. Next I’m thinking about going to Per Se.

Thanks for reading!