Obanzai

Obanzai

199 Shimomykokuji-cho, Koromotana Dori, Oike-garu, Nakagyo-ku
Kyoto, Japan

Obanzai is a rustic, home-cooked method, using the native and local ingredients toward food for the soul as much as for the tummy. The restaurant is difficult to find as it is down a dark alley, but not to worry, this is a safe place for even women to walk around late at night -- alone.

Crossing guards and strangers are kind enough to lead you to destinations themselves. The people here tend to put others before them. What a splendid experience so far.

After a long day in Nara, we wandered the streets near Karasuma-Dori on the quest to track down this recommended find. It is a buffet style, set price, but well worth it, especially if you are open to trying all sorts of Japanese rustic cuisine.

The waitstaff and chef were family-oriented. A kind San ushers you into the long, narrow room, lit by fluorescent, sadly, but oh well. The room is entirely clad in rustic light wood. You feel like you're sitting at a picnic table when led to the dining area. The kitchen is open, where you see the gentleman's wife at the chopping board with great attention and precision, then she looks over a smiles with a tremendous grin, ready and eager to serve grand hospitality and comfort food to her guests.

I would have opted for Sake this evening, as that is standard, but to be honest, there are many people here who are westernized and enjoy a nice glass of wine with the meal. The red wines tend to pair better anyhow. An odd thing about it though is that the red wines are served chilled, not at room temperature. They do not often open bottles of wine, and thus in order to preserve them they store them in the fridge (which are not as cold as our fridges).

The wines and sakes are so affordable here. To compare to US Dollars, the glass of wine was around 5 dollars or less. Sake is usually around 6-8 dollars.

Round one, testing.
We'll get to each one, but among these my favorite condiment was the sauce in the center bottom of the image.

It was thin ginger-mustard sauce... absolutely splendid and everything tasted enhanced with the addition of a dip in this concoction. I'd love to find this in the States.

The soy sauce on the right was different from every other of the 5 types of soy sauces that were presented and offered here. Soy sauce is an art. This was less salty than most, and had perhaps just a hint of citrus and sugar, similar to Ponzu, but not as dry.

Roasted Eggplant and Sweet Potato in Tomato Stew Sauce
I enjoyed the complexity of the acidity along with the sweet juxtaposition of sweet potato. I can't get over how surprised I was to discover how much sweet potato is a part of the diets here. Well, that and EGGS! So many recipes and meals include eggs. I'm curious how the cholesterol levels are here. This was a favorite.

Seared Tofu in a semi-sweet soy sauce
This was sauteed in a medley of vegetables as sliced cucumber, carrots, and eggplant. Another surprise, I did enjoy this as well! I thought I'd be disgusted by the fried-texture of the tofu, but no. Another note: the tofu here is more rich than in the States, and higher quality. I don't know what it is, but all of the dairy and soy here just tastes more rich with a purer consistency. This was probably my favorite mixture between all of the dishes.

Squash, Sweet Potato, Eggplant, Carrots
All roasted. This was less integrated with any particular sauce, and was instead more about the natural jus from the medley. It was fresh and filling of fiber. Very healthy and so smooth in texture.

Pickled Veggies:
Onions, Sprouts, Carrots, and Cabbage in a semi-sweet soy sauce.
These pickled veggies are full of surprises. I enjoy these kind of garnishes, the ones that are still savory but have a touch of kick that is the same kind of you kick you get when you taste that drop of rum in a cake. This is lovely.

Obanzai Shortbreads:
One thing that this restaurant is known for is their plethora of Bakery Shortbreads. There is an entire 20 collection of varietal shortbreads that the restaurant prepares in biscotti jars to sell to the public day to day.

I took a mixed bag. Here is one with a raspberry-type fruit strewn amid some oats and soy milk (adding a slightly sour undertone, but it still works), maybe a hint of banana as well. These aren't may favorite of shortbread, but they were fascinating to try. The consistency is like any shortbread you'd try at a French Bakery.

The bakers that are here in Japan are marvelous and inventive, especially with the doughs for the steamer ovens. The breads here are so much more smooth and milky from moisture. It doesn't work well for baguettes, but it works marvelously for pastries, baked goods and buns. AND the English Muffins taste better in Tokyo.

The bottom cookie is more of a Green Tea Base with some banana, and also a soy milk base.
I tried a few others, and the best one was an Oatmeal with Raisin and Walnut. All walnut buns that I've had in Japan have rocked my world so far.

Roasted Gobo (far right)
Pickled Veggies (Cucumber, Zucchni and fried tofu)
Roasted Tomato and Pepper (left upper)

The Gobo root is my new found appreciation here. It looks like and tastes like a dark meat. Really, it is this long brown root that has a natural sweet undertone. It is smooth on the outside, like a mushroom, but the inside has that savory protein cure. I enjoyed the Gobo!

Just for kicks, look at the drink menu! Not bad for drinks by the glass, eh?

Cheers:
All you can eat menu for 2100 yen. Try every sort of Rustic Japanese home-cooked cuisine. This is perfect for the foodie-adventurer.

Eat here before 7:00 though. Restaurants in Kyoto close by 6:30 and 7pm.