Gion Mametora 豆寅 @ Kyoto

Kyoto used to be the capital of Japan, and is generally unspoilt by the war. A lot of traditions are kept and this includes the culinary traditions of kaiseki ryori 懐石料理. So there’s no better place to enjoy kaiseki.

One of my favourite places to visit in Kyoto is Hanami-koji Street 花見小路, a historic quarter near Gion 祇園 famous for its traditional buildings, kimono shops, restaurants and most importantly, geisha.

What is a geisha? The word geisha 芸者 when translated into English is an artist. This prominent position plays a vital role in keeping Japanese traditions alive and thriving. They entertain Japanese men, primarily businessmen, by using their femininity and talents to create an atmosphere and activities that men in their company will enjoy. Unfortunately, these highly trained women are often misunderstood.

Gion Mametora 豆寅 is one of those traditional taverns that offer geisha service in the traditional Hanamachi 花街 of Gion. We were arranged in a private room called an Ozashiki お座敷 at the back of the long house with a view of the small but well-appointed courtyard. But no, we didn’t arrange a geisha performance that evening.

先付 Appetiser

I was disappointed that they did not serve their famous “bean plate sized dishes” 名物豆皿料理 which was their claim to fame for the cuisine for maikos and geishas. Instead we were treated to a delicious seasonal appetiser in a high glass. Torigai (鳥貝 / Japanese Cockle)

椀物 Bowl Course

Literally it is called the bowl course, or 椀物 Wanmono or お椀 O-wan, and is usually a simmered dish of fish or white meat with a broth or sauce served in an elaborate decorated lacquerware.

This bowl is full of seasonal ingredients of March. Nanohana (rapeseed flowers) are small, but vivid yellow flowers that brighten the fields across Japan, often heralding the beginning of spring. They are beloved by many Japanese for their uniquely bitter flavour and fragrance, even though the best ones are those that have not bloomed. And tai (Japanese sea bream) is just reaching its peak in Mar-Apr period, just before the sakura blossoms.

The broth is made from shin-tamanegi (new onions) from Awajishima in Hyōgo Prefecture, famous for their super sweet yellow onions. The onions are cooked in dashi and some potatoes (to thicken the soup) and then blended in a good processor. So much thought put into such a deceitfully simple dish. Very refreshing and delicious too.

向付 Sashimi

向付 Mukōzuke refers to a utensil used to serve a side dish with rice and soup as part of a kaiseki meal. It also refers to a sliced dish of seasonal sashimi., the sashimi course of the kaiseki meal. Although sometimes the sashimi course is also called お造り Otsukuri, but I would argue the latter is a much larger sashimi course than mukozuke.

Three types of sashimi were offered – Kisu 鱚 (Japanese whiting) , Isaki 伊佐木 (chicken grunt) and Chutoro 中卜口 (medium fatty tuna belly). Very fresh, I really appreciate that these are all seasonal at their peak of fattiness and flavours when we were eating it that evening.

揚物 Deep Fried Course

揚げ物 Agemono, or deep fried course, consists of different seasonal ingredients, battered or dusted with flour and then deep fried in oil. It should not be construed to be only tempura, as tempura is only one kind of age. There were four types of fried food tonight – shirako 白子 (cod milt), shirasu しらす (whitebait), takenoko 竹の子 (bamboo shoot) and kogomi こごみ (fiddlehead sprouts).

I like the kogomi for its crunch and it was always fun to see someone eat shirako for the very first time. He described it as creamy. The takenoko was on point and shirasu was also quite delicious. Once again, this is a very delicious course.

强肴 Main Course

For the main course, aka 强肴 Shiizakana, we were having Japanese wagyu sukiyaki. Sukiyaki is not a frequent part of kaiseki as this cuisine is a recent trend. During the Meiji Period, sustained contact with the West and Western cuisine eventually relieved the taboo of eating beef, and sukiyaki (as it was known in Kansai area) became popular.

Sukiyaki is now known worldwide although it a rather peculiar way. The song “Ue Wo Muite Aruko,” a smash hit of Kyu Sakamoto in the Showa Period, is known under the alternative title, “Sukiyaki,” and it is the only Japanese song that has ever reached the top of the Billboard Charts in the United States. And so many kaiseki restaurants incorporated this foreigner-approved dish into the multi-course meal, using the best of Japanese beef like Kobe, Matsuzaka or Ohmi. But tonight we were having none of those but Iburaki A5 beef.

Ibaraki Prefecture in Japan is known for its “Hitachiwagyu Beef” 常陸牛, a high-quality, A5-grade wagyu beef, characterized by its fine meat grain, tenderness, and balanced marbling, raised with carefully selected fodder and honed technology. The first piece was enjoyed as-is with a bit of blanched watercress. This is the first time I had watercress with sukiyaki, and it was a perfect conduit to enjoy the warashita.

There’s never a bad piece of authentic wagyu beef as far I have consumed it. And it got better when the raw egg yolk was added to the sukiyaki beef. I didn’t expect the dinner to include sukiyaki wagyu, as kaiseki is generally a very refined omakase with its rules and traditions. This was a very enjoyable surprise.

食事 豆すし Mamezushi

Now, this is what we came here for, Mametora’s “Mamezushi” box. Mamezushi means small sushi bean and are named such due to the small and spherical shape (approx half-sized bites). sometimes they are called maikozushi to reflect the the district’s many maiko residents (apprentice geisha). The bite-size made it perfect for them to eat while they were all dressed up.

Originally inspired by temari (手毬), which means “handball” in English, these sushi balls are also sometimes referred to as temarizushi 手まり寿司, and often served during happy occasions like Hinamatsuri (Girl’s Day) in Japan.

I would count the pickled ginger and kelp as sushi, so you would still get 13 balls of different flavours. Some unconventional ones like salted radish and myoga (Japanese ginger), but the rest are your regular sushi in miniature size. I really liked the mibuna (a traditional vegetable from Kyoto that tasted like and often mistaken as mizuna) and mini box sushi or barazushi that are so local to Kyoto. My least favourite would be the mushroom, as the shiitake was too sweet.

水物 Dessert

水物 Mizumono, aka dessert course, is the final course of the kaiseki. Usually it could be seasonal fruits or 和菓子 wagashi (Japanese confectionery sweets), and tonight we have the in-season strawberry served as いちご大福 ichigo daifuku, aka strawberry mochi.

The ultimate praise for dessert is that it is not too sweet. And this is exactly what the daifuke tastes like, not too sweet. The strawberry called ichigo in Japanese came through beautifully, and the king of them all, the Amaou is used for this dessert. Amaou strawberries are most well known for their bright red colour, large size, and sweet flavour.

The dinner was not the elaborate kaiseki that one would expect from Kikunoi or Nandaman. But this is a touristy district, the meal has to be enjoyable, the atmosphere not too stifling. We regretted not to arrange for some Geisha performance to complete the experience. After a satisfying dinner we retreated to a traditional ryokan within walking distance from the restaurant. A meal to remember for a long time.

Gion Mametora 祇をん 豆寅
京都府京都市東山区祇園町南側５７０−２３５
Tel : +81 (07) 5532 3955

Visited Mar 2025