终于上传了照片了！只有十张的量，其他的在微博上慢慢补起来！
这次在京都岚山住的Suiran‘翠岚’酒店， 充满了日式的极简和与自然融合的室内装饰风格。一眼看上去不是那么傲人的惊艳，一旦住上一两晚，各种设施用起来得心应手，人性化的设计能叫第一次使用的客人都感受到似乎住上了十年一般便利又顺手。第一晚订的餐厅Tempura Matsu‘松’，比起来酒店的低调平和，完全走上了华丽炫技的路线。手掌大的生蚝海鲜汤，金枪鱼肚海胆粥，帝王蟹腿饼， 嫩牛滑蛋小寿喜锅。。。照片放不下，其实还有其他好多道菜（翻墙有的看：）），样样都让我惊叹！本以为第一天的超水平开场的京都，难免接下来几天会发生几许不如意的经历。谁知道这样的超水平一致持续到10天之后我们离开！希望通过短短十张照片和几句话语，能稍稍给大家带来点这次在京都所见所闻所吃的美好。
Japan has always been some kind of a fantasy to me. All the literatures, movies, animations and art tells the story of a highly civilised and sophisticated society. Everything they do, seemed like they do in perfection. So I was extremely excited about visiting Kyoto, the historical capital of Japan.
First day we arrived at Kyoto, we headed straight outside the buzzing city of Kyoto and arrived at the serene surrounding of Arashiyama 岚山, where our first hotel were. Suiran 翠岚 is a new hotel as part of the Starwood luxury collection. Situated in the heart of Arashiyama, right next to the Katsura River 桂川 opposite of the beautiful leafy mountain of Arashiyama.
Upon arriving at the hotel, we were greeted by the lady ambassador, who waited at the front door as our taxi pulled up, in her beautiful, silky, turquoise kimono. She welcomed us to the hotel with the softest, most heart-melting voice. Green tea with a variaty of little bites of traditional pastry were immediately served to us at the reception, easing away the tiredness from all the traveling.
Our room (the Yuzunoha Deluxe Room) is spacious and had a great flow between the indoor and the outdoor spaces. The sitting area is connected to a garden area with wooden decking by floor to ceiling glass doors. The weather temperature in autumn is perfect for sitting out for a cup of tea, while admiring the changing colours of all the leaves.
I immediately changed into the Yukata provided on the bed. It's a simpler, more casual version of the full set of kimono, and is something equivalent, sort of, to a bathrobe. (and like a bathrobe, it's not really appropriate to wear your yukata in public areas)
The marble tiled bathroom is facilitated with all the modern technologies a bathroom should ever need. But also perfected with elements of the traditional culture.
The shower room connected to an open-air natural hot spring bath tub. The water is natural full of minerals, and proper hot. It's supposed to do wonders to your skin and help relieve sore muscles. I couldn't resist trying the water, had a quick 5 minutes dip (amazing result on my skin!) and got ready for our first dinner reservation.
I found this restaurant, Tempura Matsu, 松， through the travel/food/lifestyle blog of Ikumi Chan (in Chinese, link here). If you're a foodie traveling to Japan, her blog could be a great guide.
The restaurant was nothing fancy/ appealing on the outside. The house was a little dark with just a lantern telling you it was open for business. Not 100% sure it was the place we booked, we stepped in and were immediately welcomed by the hostess, and confirmed our booking for two at the counter.
No ordering was needed as everyone had already chosen a set menu to go for when they made the booking. So we spent good times choosing a drink and admiring all the chefs working with different curious equipments in the kitchen(the perks of counter seatings). Everything was so different and interesting, we felt like two little kids.
Stomach grumbling from the heavenly smell coming from around the restaurant, our first dish soon came: Charcoal grilled mackerel garnished with salmon roe, with a small fig and walnut salad on the side. Extremely appetising on the palate, the fish had a wonderful smokiness and was salted from the flavour of the salmon roe.
Washed down on a whim with the Chablis, we went on to the next dish: Deep fried sea bream with skin, parsnip crisp, pomegranate and ginkgo fruit. Lovely crispy textures, mixed with the refreshing taste of the fruits, and the fish inside was kept tender and had a great natural umami.
Next up, it was the epic oyster Dobin Mushi. Normally a seafood soup steamed in a special teapot, with chicken/shrimp/mushroom, this one in front of us was the deluxe version of it.
The soup packed all the amazing flavour of the sea, and I drank it off a teacup with green Tobiko around the edges. When the soup was finished, we moved on to have the oyster and mushrooms in the original shell of the oyster. And although cooked, none of the flavour was lost in oyster. It was just as sweet and sumptuous as you can ever imagine for any oyster. And the texture reminded me just of what my skin felt like coming out of the hot spring tub in Suiran.
After the soup, there was the snapper(seasonal fish) sashimi and crab(also just in season) ball with yuzu vinegar dressing, both fresh and sweet, went down extremely well with the wine too.
A young chef came out briefly from the back kitchen and showed us the toro(tuna belly) we were going to served that evening. The colour and marbling of the meat had my love at first sight. Then it was sliced and lightly grilled just to bring out the gorgeous aroma of the fish fat.
And then two trays of different types of fresh sea urchin(my absolute favourite!)came next. And those babes were being almost too generously scooped onto the congee(knowing how one piece of sea urchin sushi would cost near £10 in London, my racing heartbeat couldn't be contained). Stirred together, the toro topped on there, one after another, and finally with some sea urchin congee over it and lots of white sesame to garnish.
Talking about meat, our individual shabu shabu(beef hotpot) were ready steaming in front of us. Thickly sliced beef were briefly dipped in the boiling broth, cooked with just the remaining heat from the soup, with the centre still tender and rare. Then beaten egg was pour generously on top of the soup, adding thickness and texture to the soup, and creating this protective, smooth layer around the beef. Finely chopped chive finally topped the soup. I munched on the beef, slurped all the soup not leaving anything behind. I was truly merciless. I was unstoppable.
I personally simply cannot recommend these places more, and they both are of great popularity. So if you want to experience either Suiran or Tempura Matsu, please book, very much in advance to avoid disappointment.