136 Matsushitacho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan
¥¥¥¥ ・ Japanese
Three Stars: Exceptional cuisine
Isshisoden Nakamura started out as a business hauling fish from the Wakasa region to Kyoto. For Motokazu Nakamura, the sixth-generation owner-chef, his restaurant’s name does not refer to a secret cooking technique passed down to a single heir, but rather to the spirit of treasuring every meeting. For the shiromiso zoni, the miso is dissolved in water alone. The remains of the sweet-grilled tilefish are turned into soup, not letting any flavour escape. The water bubbling up from the tiny inner garden is behind this restaurant’s best-known dishes.