Noguchi Tsunagu

Counter-restaurant that combines classical Japanese cuisine with some creative touches. Our first meal in Kyoto was here, and we went with three more people, after Alex, once again, organized a fantastic meal for the five of us. First of all, as you might know, there isn’t a better way for us to experience a restaurant than a counter, and this one was beautiful. The general atmosphere was very enjoyable, and the team behind the counter was very friendly. What we probably loved most about this place is the format of the menu, being a short tasting menu and then be able to add many a la carte dishes and one of the best selections of sakes we’ve had this trip. Some of the dishes we had were: * Wagyu, daikon, sansho & spinach. * Saba temaki. * Baby maguro, herring roe, ankimo * Pacific spiny lobster & botarga. * Chicken karaage * Crab shumai, shiso flower * Fugu Shirako. * Whale bacon, duck, horse tongue & kuchiko (ovaries of sea cucumber). * Ebi imo (potato) * Donburi of ikura & uni. We got to try many dishes and ingredients that were very new to us such as the fugu shirako, whale “bacon” or the horse tongue, and we really liked all of them. For some reason what stood out the most for us was the Ebi Imo potato, also a new thing for us and mindblowingly good in texture and flavor. And as mentioned before, the selection of sake was also fantastic and perfect to pair with the food.