A voice from Bar Yokocho<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nWhat is Karasuma Bar Yokocho?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Surfing on that trend, new kinds of yokocho<\/em> are popping up<\/strong>, more modern and less exclusive, offering wide-ranging menus to a younger, more international crowd. It is in that context that Karasuma Bar Yokocho (\u70cf\u4e38\u30d0\u30eb\u6a2a\u4e01)<\/strong> opened its doors in 2017 in Kyoto<\/strong>. By mixing the izakaya culture with the tapas one, the place offers a new kind of experience that<\/em> is in keeping with the times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nThe Top Ten Bars to Visit at Karasuma Bar Yokocho<\/h2>\n\n\n\n The mission I was entrusted with, and that I gladly accepted, was to experience that “\u306f\u3057\u3054\u9152” (Hashigo Zake) culture by trying out the restaurants of this new generation of yokocho: ten restaurants, ten different types of cuisine and ten different atmospheres.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n1. Breaded and Fried Skewers at Aiyo !! <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nLet\u2019s start with a Aiyo!! (\u3042\u3044\u3088\u3063\uff01\uff01<\/strong>)kushikatsu<\/em> restaurant<\/strong>, a speciality from Osaka<\/strong>. These are breaded and fried skewers that you usually dip in a specific sauce (close to a Worcester sauce). The ambience at this counter is similar to an izakaya’<\/em>s, with the walls covered in sake labels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nOn the menu, from left to right: shiitake<\/em> mushrooms, kisu<\/em> fish with shiso<\/em>, quail eggs, pork loin with \u00f4ba<\/em> (a kind of shiso<\/em>) and beef loin. They were all delicious and quite crusty, with subtle flavours.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe glass of sake<\/strong> served to pair with the food came from the Dassai brewery<\/strong>, a sake house that only produces high-standard sakes. Their established reputation was confirmed with a tasting: an excellent sake, both very delicate and fruity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n2. Craft Beers at Pub Sanjo St.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nTake a 180\u00b0 turn, and there you will find the next counter: a modern pub serving a large selection of craft beers and various dishes, from a simple plate of almonds to fish and chips.<\/p>\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nFollowing the bartender\u2019s advice, we tasted a Kizakura Ruby Ale<\/strong>. A beer brewed by Kizakura<\/strong>, a sake house located in the Fushimi district in Kyoto<\/strong>, with the same water they use for their sake. It is slightly spicy, with a mix of sweet and sour flavours, and seems relatively light, even though it is a 7% beer.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIt was served to us with a cheese fondue<\/strong> accompanied by bread toasts, broccolis, thick pieces of bacon and sausages with pork from Kyoto and basil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n3. Nepalese cuisine at Mt Everest<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nThe culinary exploration goes on at the Nepalese counter,<\/strong> which serves curry, nan, tandoori… A delightful smell will get you there, where the staff speaks English and will gladly answer all your questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nWe are served a delicious, burning hot tandoori chicken<\/strong>, prepared with the perfect amount of spices and accompanied by a blackcurrant cream lassi: soft, sweet and slightly tangy. The combination might seem surprising, and there are other options to choose from, such as wine or beers from India<\/strong>, but I personally loved the contrast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n4. Yakiniku Grilled Beef Stand at Kihara <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nThe word “yakiniku<\/em>“<\/strong> simply means “grilled meat”. In yakiniku<\/em> restaurants, raw ingredients are brought to your table – equipped with a grill – and you can cook them at your own pace and preferences. This time, we are seated directly at the counter in a minimal, elegant decor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nBeef tongue is one of the specialities here, but I prefer asking the chef\u2019s advice for a more classic kind of meat. He offers us wagyu<\/em> beef<\/strong> (the same kind of Japanese beef as the famous Kobe beef<\/strong>): beef loin from Tamba<\/strong> (Kyoto prefecture) with an incredibly melting texture, and beef rib from Hida<\/strong> (Gifu prefecture), soft and juicy, with a more pronounced taste.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe were served a Lemon Sour, a cocktail made of shochu<\/em> alcohol, Hi-Sour soda and fresh lemon juice. A very popular drink in Japanese bars as it is refreshing and ideal to pair with a dish of grilled meat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n5. Korean cuisine at Po Cha<\/h3>\n\n\n\n With the next counter, we travel to a neighboring country: Korea<\/strong>. When looking up, you can see a few aluminium kettles hanging. These are traditionally used to serve Makgeolli.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nBut what is Makgeolli<\/strong>, you may wonder (pronounced makkori<\/em> in Japanese)? It is a Korean alcohol made from rice. With a milky aspect, it tastes rather sweet and tangy, slightly fizzing in your mouth. We drank this while tasting a chijimi<\/em><\/strong> (a sort of savory pancake which is very popular in Japan) filled with kimchi. It was perfectly grilled and spiced: a delight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n6. Gyoza<\/strong> at Shiroya \u30d0\u30eb (Shiroya Bar)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nAnd we are back in Japan with the next counter, serving a dish originally from China: gyoza<\/em><\/strong>. These pork meat-filled ravioli have completely been integrated into the Japanese culinary culture \u2014 so much so that they became a staple of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nWe had them “yaki<\/em>” style<\/strong>, meaning grilled. These gyoza have the particularity of being prepared without any garlic but using a lot of ginger, which changes the taste while remaining tasty. They are served with vinegar and pepper, ginger and miso, and soy sauce. To top it all off, we are served a glass filled to the top with Japanese sparkling wine. A rather aromatic wine, quite fruity and refreshing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n7. Spanish Cuisine at Feliz Peque\u00f1a<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nThe culinary world tour continues with the counter of a country that shares with Japan the culture of sharing small tasty dishes while enjoying a drink: Spain<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nWe get to taste seafood prepared “al ajillo”<\/strong>, meaning it is seasoned with garlic, olive oil and paprika, as well a Serrano ham finely sliced by hand and served with fresh bread. All of this accompanied by a glass of sangria and some sparkling white grape juice… a truly enjoyable taste of Europe right in the middle of Kyoto!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n8. Italian cuisine at Feliz Piccola<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nThe exploration of Southern Europe continues with Italy<\/strong>, on the opposite side of the same counter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nHere again, we get to taste a bit of cured ham. But this time, a prosciutto di Parma has been carefully selected and finely sliced with a cleaver to give it the perfect texture and enhance its taste. And, of course, you cannot get Italian food without a good old pizza<\/strong>. This one had the perfect crust, very thin and crispy. All of it was accompanied by a glass of sparkling Italian wine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n9. Japanese Regional specialities at Rurubu Kitchen (\u308b\u308b\u3076 \u30ad\u30c3\u30c1\u30f3)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nMy personal favourite was the counter of the travel magazine “\u308b\u308b\u3076\u30c8\u30e9\u30d9\u30eb” (Rurubu Travel), highlighting various local specialities from all over Japan in cuisine inspired by Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nOn our tasting plate: pickled (tsukemono<\/em>) and smoked daikon<\/em> with fresh cheese and raisins, grated carrots with candied yuzu<\/em>, fish rillettes, tortilla and spinach. I could not exactly tell what was in each dish, but it was all unexpected and delicious. We could also taste Myoshi wine from Hiroshima, Nashi juice and apple juice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can also buy at the counter a selection of products to prepare your own recipes at home.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n10. Smoked specialities at Smoke Star<\/h3>\n\n\n\n And here is the tenth and final counter, Smoke Star, where you can taste all sorts of smoked dishes while sipping highball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAnd once more, this culinary experience is surprising with two of Japanese izakaya\u2019s staples: karaage (fried chicken) and edamame (soybeans), except those were smoked. My verdict? It is very tasty and gives a new perspective on these classics. The highball served here was rather surprising, too: Maker\u2019s Mark bourbon whiskey, sparkling water, lemon and manganji<\/em> hot pepper<\/strong> from Kyoto. A surprisingly spicy and refreshing cocktail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nAfter five hours spent at the Karasuma Bar Yokocho<\/strong> and a very full stomach, I was truly delighted by the experience: tasting such a variety of foods and drinks all the while taking the time to chat with my friends and the staff from each counter. It as much a culinary experience as a social one, far from a simple night spent at a restaurant or an izakaya<\/em>. 100% tested and approved.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow to get to Karasuma Bar Yokocho de Kyoto ?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n The Karasuma Bar Yokocho is located in the heart of Kyoto<\/strong>: a 3-minute walk from Karasuma Oike station, right across from Kyoto Museum. You will only need 5 minutes if you are walking there from the famous Nishiki market or the neighbouring Taramachi shopping centre<\/strong>, 25 minutes from Gion<\/strong>, 20 from Nijo Castle<\/strong>… You get it, if you are passing by Kyoto<\/strong>, chances are you will be very close to it at some point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\nYou need to pay attention to spot the discrete entrance of the Karasuma Bar Yokocho.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nA voice from Bar Yokocho<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Yokocho was derived from the black market after World War 2. And even now, Yokocho, which locates all over Japan, has been rooted as one of the original cultures in Japan. Yokocho used to be a middle-aged man\u2019s oasis before, but recently, the young generation, especially ladies and foreign tourists, are visiting Yokocho and enjoying hopping. This is why the company \u2018Recruit\u2019 predicted epidemics of the year 2016 as Yokocho Renaissance. The new movement of young ladies that visit this venue, like tourists to take pictures for posting SNS, and enjoy communicating with a middle-aged man who supports these venue\u2019s business without any complicated human relationship but has a warm heart, has been spreading recently. And Neo Yokocho stimulates the trend. There have been born new places that can feel good old days but, on the other hand, serve stylish food, drink and hospitality in Tokyo and other regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bar Yokocho which opened three places consecutively at Kamata (downtown Tokyo), Akasaka (the premier business district of Tokyo) and Karasuma (the premier business district of Kyoto), is the Representative of that trend. Bar Yokocho is a new style of a fun place to hop, which unites Spain and Japan\u2019s bar culture. In Spain, people enjoy hopping to bars with specialities at night, and the bar is a watering hole to local people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, in Japan, \u2018cho\u2019 as in the word \u2018Yokocho\u2019 has a meaning of \u2018meet\u2019 and \u2018come and go.\u2019 So it was named Bar Yokocho. So please enjoy! Feel free to visit the Akasaka Bar Yokocho website (in Japanese) to learn more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Original text: Cl\u00e9mentine Cintr\u00e9<\/em>Translation: Marion Pont<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nSponsored by Karasuma Bar Yokocho<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Karasuma Bar Yokocho opened its doors in the heart of Kyoto in 2017, mixing the izakaya culture, tapas, and drinking culture all in one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":96,"featured_media":40153,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"pgc_meta":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[21,1412,1],"tags":[1352,2055,1284,1712,1367],"class_list":{"0":"post-40152","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-food","8":"category-kansai","9":"category-sponsored","10":"tag-bar","11":"tag-kyoto-city","12":"tag-kyoto","13":"tag-local-specialities","14":"tag-sake"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Eating in Kyoto: Top Ten Bars to Visit at Karasuma Bar Yokocho<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n