From conger eel in the summer to pufferfish in the winter, Gion Endo’s eclectic menu changes based on what’s fresh at the local markets. The exclusive TABLEALL omakase course offers about nine traditional dishes from sashimi to main grill dish. Selecting fresh seasonal ingredients and flavors, the menu changes every month.

The first course of the day is firefly squid and rape blossoms with homemade vinegared miso. The light and refreshing flavor opens up your taste buds. The sashimi platter showcases the best catches of the day. The assortment includes tuna, striped jack and sea bream.

The day’s bowl is a clear soup garnished with baby bamboo shoots, wakame seaweed and kinome leaf buds. The flavorful broth is made with first dashi stock and sea bream.

Sea bream aradaki is a hearty dish with its flavorful broth that seeps through your stomach. Using bones and the head for extra flavor, the fish is simmered in sake, soy sauce and mirin. Burdock adds an earthy flavor. Fresh salmon is grilled simply with salt. You can enjoy the sweet fat and soft texture.

The signature grill course offers the best of Japanese meats. The day’s dish is a piece of wagyu aitchbone. Cooked over charcoal, the outside is smokey and crisp while inside soft and juicy. Depending on what is fresh at the market, the main dish can change to chicken or pork.

INGREDIENTS
Seasonal seafood is delivered daily to the restaurant from the family wholesaler. Not only is it fresh, but the quality and variety of fish is one of the best in Kyoto, Endo explains. He sticks to simple cooking methods to bring out the essence of the ingredients. Vegetables and meats are also purchased daily from trusted vendors at the central market.