Kaiseki Cuisine at Tawaraya

As mentioned in my previous post about Tawaraya, Japanese ryokans have a reputation of serving excellent food. Since both breakfast and dinner are included features of your stay, if the food was disappointing, that would be depressing. Now, at Tawaraya, I learned to make a clear distinction. There is good kaiseki cuisine, excellent kaiseki cuisine, and there is superb kaiseki cuisine. Tawaraya is in the latter category. I have had my fair share of kaiseki meals, but nothing like this before. Each dish was so elegantly and painstankingly prepared, and the flavors and presentations were out of this world!

On arrival at Tawaraya, we were served afternoon tea, Japanese style. No builder’s tea with scones, clotted cream, and jam for us. Instead, green tea with warabi-mochi. Warabi-mochi is a sticky mochi that is served chilled (ideally) and covered with kinoko powder (soy bean powder). It is a very earthy tasting dish and something I absolutely love!

We stayed at Tawaraya for two nights, which means to dinners and two breakfasts. These dinners were divided into courses, with each dish using winter ingredients. The breakfasts usually consisted of tofu, rice, small side dishes, and a grilled smoked fish. You can’t get much more Japanese than that --- and I loved every second!

Sadly, I don’t 100% recalls what we ate and I’m not great at reading Japanese, so the menu is no help to me. I’d ask my mother to help, but she is occupied at the moment. Please forgive me for simply posting photographs. I can assure you, everything was delicious and very traditionally Japanese!
The menu for our first dinner at Tawaraya
Course #1
Course #2
Course #3
Course #4
Course #5
Course #6
Course #6 and #7 (rice and soup)
Course #8

It's funny, every time I eat Kaiseki cuisine, I am always worried that I won't be full. the portions tend to me small and I always think, "god, I am still going to be hungry after dessert." Somehow though, I end up fuller than I could've ever imagined! 
Our first breakfast at Tawaraya
Freshly made tofu
The menu for our second dinner at Tawaraya
Course #1
Course #2
(I remember that the meat not the right side was whale)
Course #3
Course #4
Course #5
Course #6
Course #7
Course #8
Course #9

From our second dinner, I think the most unique thing I ate was the whale sashimi. I've eaten whale in the past and never really like it, but this was different. This tasted more like raw Wagyu beef --- it was delicious! 
Our final breakfast at Tawaraya


All in all, the food at Tawaraya was simply amazing. From taste, to presentation, to use of ingredients, it was flawless.

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