OndoriO
I went to a restaurant that opened in December last year, where you can enjoy genre-less cuisine paired with savory cocktails in Kyoto 🍸.
The restaurant is called OndoriO, located about a 10-minute walk from Kiyomizu Gojo Station on the Keihan Line 🚃.
Tucked away in a residential area, there was a heavy door 🌳. It's a hidden gem that requires a reservation ✨.
Once inside, it was a stylish place with indirect lighting 💡. The mats on the seats looked incredibly fashionable, made of washi paper ✨.
Seating was mainly at the counter, with alcohol lamps on the table creating a perfect mood 🕯️.
We had a course featuring pairing of dishes and cocktails 🍸, where each cocktail was inspired by the concept of the dishes we were served.
- Small churros from OndoriO with Kintoki carrot and Grana Padano cheese 🥐. They were super cute 😍. The churros contained mousse made with Kintoki carrot, pancetta, and cheese 🥕🧀. They looked adorable and tasted crispy and fluffy.
SAVORY COCKTAIL: Daiginjo sake, Japanese black tea, fig leaves, strawberries, peaches, CO2, with a touch of yuzu aroma. It had a pleasant flavor, and with the addition of tea, it was easy to drink and delicious 🫖.
- Buri (yellowtail) with Nishimura farm's red Kururi radish and rapeseed, accompanied by 京葉 (Kyoha) radish, Aoshin radish, and Shogo-in turnip soup 🐟. It looked stunning 😍. The fish's fat paired well with the wasabi. The Shogo-in turnip soup had a gentle flavor and was delicious. The slightly cooked buri was tender, rich, and tasty 🐟. The bitterness of the rapeseed was mild, making it easy to eat, and the radish had a great texture.
SAVORY COCKTAIL: Matcha, wasabi, pear, peach, yogurt, tonic water. They said that the umami of matcha suits fish and meat. With wasabi added, it had a flavor profile that paired well with the fruits 🍵.
- Wild sea bream with a sauce of aonori (green seaweed), Brussels sprouts, Ayame snow turnips, and urui. The bream was pan-fried and seasoned with herb butter, enhanced with aonori for more flavor 🧈. The bream was fluffy and delicious, and the sauce was outstanding 🧈. The Brussels sprouts and turnips, along with the vegetables, matched well with the sauce and were very tasty 🥬.
SAVORY COCKTAIL: White miso, sansho pepper, kinome (Japanese pepper leaf), yuzu ponzu, rosemary, thyme. It was a complex take on lemonade 🍋, with a prominent kinome aroma. There was also a taste of miso, with citrus notes making it refreshing and delicious 🍊, perfect for rich butter dishes ✨.
- Maitake, mushrooms, and Nishimura farm's spring cabbage with pancetta—a creamy pasta 🍝. The cream was rich and beautifully coated the pasta, enhancing its taste ✨. The pancetta had a satisfying bite and presence 🐷. The crisp texture and flavor of spring cabbage and other vegetables were delightful 🥬.
SAVORY COCKTAIL: DAIYAME, basil, tomato, white maitake dashi, green apple. Made using a shochu called DAIYAME, flavored with white maitake dashi, herbs, and green apple 🍏. The aroma combined the apple and basil, while the flavor came from the maitake dashi, which was quite tasty 🍏. Even though I usually don’t drink shochu, this one was delicious ✨.
- Kyoto duck roast, spinach, Ichikawa lotus root, and plat orange sauce. The duck roast was large and hearty 🦆. The duck meat was incredibly tender, juicy, and delicious 🦆. The plat orange sauce was sweet and flavorful, complementing the duck perfectly 🍊. The vegetables were nicely grilled and flavorful, pairing well with the sauce 🍠🥬.
SAVORY COCKTAIL: Raspberry, mandarin orange, cassis, apple, balsamic vinegar, smoked beets, cloves. Each one was individually smoked 🍸🔥. I received it with the lid closed to keep in the smoke. The design of the lid, featuring the image of the boy OndoriO and the restaurant logo, was adorable 😍. It contained beets and grilled oranges 🍊. When I took the lid off to drink, the smoky clove and spice flavors came through nicely 🔥. The flavors of mandarin and apple were unique and tasty 🍊🍎, and it paired excellently with the duck 🦆.
- Tochi Aika, tonka bean ice cream, yomogi meringue, red wine, and mascarpone. The ice cream had great flavor and was delicious when combined with the tart strawberries 🍨🍓. The red wine and mascarpone mousse was also delightful 🍷. The texture of the yomogi meringue was nice, evoking the essence of spring ✨.
SAVORY COCKTAIL: Toki no TOU, white hot water, Salvadoran coffee beans. Toki no TOU is a gin made from brown sugar in Kyoto 🥃. It contained the aroma of coffee and was served at the end as a coffee substitute ☕️. Warm and drinkable like coffee, it was smooth without bitterness and very enjoyable ☕️.
Each dish and cocktail was incredibly delicious‼️
Since I went on a weekend, the place was fully booked‼️ I believe it will become even more popular from now on‼️
It is a place I definitely want to return to and highly recommend ✨.