Sajiki

Sajiki’s signature dish is Kyoto-style offal hotpot served in a broth based on Saikyo miso. The pot combines offal from Omi beef and domestic beef with cabbage, fried tofu from Kitano in Kyoto, bean sprouts and pork belly made with Kyoto mochi pork. Orders start at two portions. For a meal built around sharing, another option is a set menu of 7 dishes that includes assorted sashimi of wild-caught fish and ingredients from Kyoto. One diner who came for the hotpot said its white miso broth left a distinctly Kyoto impression.

The fish dishes change daily. Menu examples include sashimi of sea bass, yellowtail and greater amberjack, as well as tempura of pike conger and an egg dish with yuba. Since both the fish and its preparation vary, you might start with assorted sashimi and then choose tempura or grilled fish if something catches your eye. Diners have enjoyed the sashimi platter; on another visit, pon-kara and chicken nanban were also singled out as recommended dishes. Chicken nanban comes with house-made sweet-and-sour sauce and tartar sauce, adding a different flavour to a table otherwise centred on fish or hotpot.

There is also a good selection of small plates featuring Kyoto ingredients. Two-colour dengaku made with nama-fu pairs mugwort and sesame wheat gluten with house-made red and white miso. Add dishes such as sashimi of fresh yuba or deep-fried Kyoto tofu in broth, and you can put together an evening of small portions that highlights local ingredients rather than focusing on hotpot or fried food. Chicken seseri, or neck meat, is grilled with black shichimi pepper from Hararyokaku in Gion and a house-made soy sauce.

Drinks include Kyoto sake served chilled or warm, as well as shochu to pair with the wild-caught fish. One visitor enjoyed sake gently warmed and spent a relaxed evening in a private room with a friend. With private rooms and hotpot set menus that include free-flow drinks, Sajiki suits both a dinner for two over food and sake and a group meal around a shared pot.