Toichi

Clip-​clop. Clip-​clop. No, that isn’t the sound of a geisha’s wooden geta on the cobblestones in the Gion. It’s the creaking noise of my bones after an exhausting morning riding the public buses of Kyoto, or I should say ‘standing’ since the uniformed schoolchildren beat me to a seat. Damn kids. Our guide for the day, a young French expat who thought nothing of hiking several miles uninterrupted, finally took pity on Jamie W. and me and recommended we stop at his favorite place for lunch right off the long commercial aisle known as the Nishiki Market.
It turned out to be a most unassuming place but fairly popular among the locals. There were regular tables and Japanese-​style dining as well (photo:
), but luckily we ended up sitting upright in actual chairs. Our guide told us that Toichi is known for their seafood since most of the fish they serve has been caught off the Sea of Japan. Nonetheless, all the expected Japanese dishes are served here, and the set lunches appeared to be the best deal. With that bit of guidance, I went for the ￥945 Toichi Set Meal of sashimi and tempura with rise, miso soup and pickled vegetables (photo:
).
The sashimi was quite fresh although I could have gone for a few more slices than the four provided. All that public transportation made me famished after all. Fortunately there was plenty of tempura, mostly eggplant and squash but at least a couple of large prawns to keep me satisfied. Jamie decided to go for his favorite, the bargain-​priced ￥630 Tonkatsu Set Meal with the same accompaniments (photo:
). The pork cutlet turned out to be fairly generous for the price, and we both got a lot of rice as if we actually needed the carbs. But alas, it’s time to continue our walking tour. Ah, my creaking bones. Clip-​clop. Clip-​clop.
FOOD — 4 stars… good Japanese set meals though a little bit more sashimi couldn’t have hurt
AMBIANCE — 3.5 stars… very generic as Japanese cafes go
SERVICE — 3.5 stars… reasonably efficient
TOTAL — 4 stars… convenient lunch stop for a tired Kyoto tourist