Kyoto Kaiseki

Kaiseki grew out of the food served at tea gatherings and out of court and temple cooking, and Kyoto's version - kyo-kaiseki - is the most codified. A course runs roughly through a seasonal appetiser, a clear soup, sashimi, a grilled dish, a simmered dish, a fried or vinegared dish, rice with pickles and miso, and a small sweet, with the composition changing every few weeks rather than every season. The clear soup is where a restaurant is judged: dashi made from konbu and shaved katsuobushi, seasoned so lightly that any fault is exposed, with one or two things in it. Kyoto is inland and historically had no sea fish, so the tradition leans on tofu, yuba, fu, mountain vegetables and Kyoto's own heirloom vegetables. Presentation is part of the dish - the vessel, the garnish and the reference to what is flowering outside are all deliberate.

What you actually see

• A seasonal composition - a menu changing every few weeks, not four times a year.
• The clear soup - dashi seasoned lightly enough that nothing can be hidden.
• An inland tradition - tofu, yuba, fu and Kyoto heirloom vegetables rather than sea fish.
• Vessels as part of the dish - pottery, lacquer and garnish chosen for the moment.

When to go

All year; the point is that each visit differs. Two to three hours.

Honest expectations

Dinner is expensive - lunch courses at the same restaurants cost a fraction. Booking well ahead is required and some places take only introductions. Portions are small and the flavours are subtle to the point that some find them absent. Dietary restrictions are hard to accommodate and must be raised at booking.

Nearby

Gion and Pontocho hold many of the restaurants; Nishiki market supplies them.