Shoraian

When we visited Arashiyama, we had lunch at Shoraian, which is a restaurant right inside the park. It was a more casual meal than most of our dinners, but in a similar style with multiple courses. The restaurant specializes in tofu dishes, which, while not necessarily vegetarian, were delicious and more varied than expected. All in all, it was a lovely, relaxing meal, overlooking the river and nearby foliage. 

The path to the restaurant

Fresh tofu. Umeshu.

Goma Tofu (my favorite! It's a type of tofu made from sesame)

To be honest, we were never able to figure out what this was. It had a very creamy taste and texture, and the little balls reminded me of hollowed out Kix - but more fun versions.

Dipping sauce to go with the hot pot. I would like to note that, like in practically every establishment we ate at, I was totally geeking out over the slotted scoop on the right. I couldn't get over how perfectly functional everything was.

Tofu Hot Pot

Agedashi Tofu? In the back, those are the tsukemono pickles served at the end of a meal.

Rice with baby sardines. So, these are going to look and sound really weird if you've never had them. The baby sardines were in season when we were in Japan, so we were served them quite frequently. They're salted, dried, and some were also seasoned with sansho, the peppercorn that was also in season during our trip. They don't have a strong flavor and are sprinkled on top like rice seasoning, adding a little bit of chew and saltiness. 

Tofu Ice Cream with Strawberry

Date: March 2015
Camera: Canon 6D