Lately, every time I come to Japan, I somehow manage to squeeze in a trip to Kyoto. Being Japanese, I have this completely unjustified sense of entitlement, like I deserve to be there more than the tourists. And yet, just like them, I’m endlessly enchanted by the former imperial capital, with its temple-filled streets and ultra-traditional way of life. It takes real restraint not to immediately point my phone at every maiko I see walking by. What I can shamelessly point my camera at, though, is (most) food. And every trip seems to bring a new discovery. This time, it was a tiny eight-seat omakase counter called Isoyama, run entirely by a young chef who cooks and serves everything himself. Every dish was fantastic, but this abalone “risotto” somehow stood out even among all of that. Memorable in the best way.

最近、日本に来るたびに無理やり京都を予定にねじ込んでいる気がします。日本人だからなのか、「外国人観光客より自分の方が京都にいる資格がある」みたいな謎の特権意識まで少しあるかも。でも結局は観光客と同じで、お寺や神社だらけの街並みや昔ながらの空気感に毎回しっかり魅了されてしまう。舞妓さんを見かけるたびにスマホを向けたくなるのを我慢するのも大変。その代わり、食べ物には遠慮なくカメラを向けてます。今回の新しい発見は、若いシェフが一人で切り盛りする8席だけの小さなおまかせ「いそやま」。どのお料理も素晴らしかったけれど、この鮑の“リゾット”は特に忘れられない一皿でした。また行きたい！