Tozentei

While its Michelin star may draw many curious visitors from all over the country — and the world — what many may not know is that the Kyoto restaurant Tozentei started from a desire to make fiction reality. The restaurant takes its name from one of the central restaurants in Professor Aoki Masaru’s short story collection Kakokufumi, a collection of treatises on the history and culture of Chinese cuisine.

It was this story, and the tales of good food and sake contained therein, that inspired Chef Watanabe Toshiro to start Tozentei, bestowing on it an identical name in the hopes that his guests would likewise revel in good food and drink.

In reality, being situated near Kinkaku-ji Temple and the Arashiyama bamboo grove, the family-run Tozentei is located about an hour’s journey from its fictional location (which is by Kodai-ji Temple), but the difference is that the food and sake here are very much real, to the delight of many visitors both local and from abroad.

To the surprise of many, the restaurant is just a three-person operation. The younger Watanabe now mans the kitchen, supervised by his father, with the restaurant’s service left to the family matriarch. A concept remaining fundamentally unchanged from the restaurant’s inception, the signature dish of steamed horsehead tilefish served in pickled plum and powdered kelp broth would not taste nearly as good without Tozentei’s trademark hospitality.

Michelin Guide:
2018 - 1 Michelin Star