Who is the Foodie? It doesn’t really matter. Bacon is god. Wine cures anything. If you believe those two facts, then we’re going to get on fine. This means you have discovered the power of food to make life better. This knowledge is imperative to the art of living well.Kyoto Garden Sushi.
Posted in Eats, Restaurants on 29. Jan, 2010
There is much debate about the best sushi spots in Cape Town. Or South Africa for that matter. Kyoto Garden Sushi didn’t crack the recent WINE magazine list (see here) but probably should have. I went back there after reading that article to confirm what I already believed – their sushi is quite possibly as fresh as it gets in Cape Town.
Kyoto Garden Sushi achieves a Zen-like atmosphere in many ways: Japanese style beechwood interior with bonzai trees; soft-spoken Asian waitress/hostess; quiet background music. But probably the most unintentional yet effective way is by being empty most of the time. Yup, Cape Town’s best sushi spot is eerily quiet most nights. You can roll in at 8.30pm on a Thursday and realise there are more chefs than guests present. Normally this is something that would irk me – I hate near-empty restaurants since they’re usually so because of how bad the food is. But not at Kyoto. Here, somehow being quiet transforms it into a sushi temple with only a handful of worshipers present at a time.
So don’t be put off if it’s empty. You’ll quickly see why. Run by a slightly eccentric Californian, his obsessive-compulsive approach ensures the quality is always up there. The menu offers some interesting Japanese dishes – lobster salad and an excellent miso are always good starters – but the sushi is where it gets special. Go with a chef’s platter and you’ll get everything you need in the way of salmon and tuna, as well as several varieties of linefish. Octopus is also great. And the eel delicious. Don’t forget the Japanese radish, to neutralise the palate. Or the fresh wasabi, couriered in from Japan and so much tastier than the paste other restaurants serve. Whatever you order though, it will be fresh and full of flavour, rivaling the best Willoughby‘s or any other spot can do. And it is portioned correctly too, which is a key element if you ask me, though I know that Minato supporters will disagree.
The last time I dined there (with three others) we drank the Bouchard Finlayson Missionvale Chardonnay which was an absolute cracker of a wine. In fact, we drank so many bottles we ended up getting completely hammered, eating way too much and then proceeded to lug our bellies round the corner to Asoka where the barman took one look at us and checked with the manager if we should be served or asked to leave. True, this was during a time I thought ‘moderation’ was another fallacy, along with ‘lasers’ and ‘the internets.’ Things have changed. This time I opted for the Sterhuis Sauvignon Blanc, which has a solid minerality to it that pairs well with the raw seafood. Just one bottle for two of us, a succesful attempt at this moderation thing if you ask me.
Kyoto Garden Sushi. 021 422 2001. No website, argh.
Dear Foodie,
The “eccentric Californian” is, in fact, the Zen Nazi. And much like Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi, you don’t want to get him on the wrong day, “NO soup for you!”
I went to Kyoto Garden Sushi with two friends. We were happily drinking green beverages when a frightened looking waiter approached our neighbours who had oriented their small rectangular table from ‘landscape’ to ‘portrait’. The frightened waiter told them that moving the table was fine with him, but when the owner arrived he would most probably ask them to move it back. Due to being very particular about such things.
Then he turned to us and asked us if we wouldn’t mind moving our bags from the empty seat at our table, to underneath the table. as bags upset him. See.
No, no, we don’t mind. My friend then asked the frightened waiter where the owner was from. The waiter answered, “from the place in America that sounds like where vampires come from.”
“Pennsylvania?” she asked.
“that’s it!” the frightened waiter replied.
When the owner arrived he duly approached our neighbours and moved their table while they were eating. Then turned on my friend who (bergily) left his shoes in the car. He got very angry indeed. My friend – fairly I think – said, “look it’s cool if you want me shod, but you should tell people that before they come in, not wait until they are halfway through their meal so they feel like a doos.”
The Pennsylvanian looked creepy and said quietly, “you should have known better, you should have known better…”
Then walked around the restaurant moving things… slightly.
So in the end, I agree that the food is great, but the Zen Nazi is even greater.
Oh, zennazilover – I don’t often ‘LOL’, but you had me in stitches… I used to visit Kyoto Sushi Garden very often while doing a long-term course in Cape Town, and came to absolutely adore their unbelievable FRESH and tasty sushi, with REAL grated wasabi (can’t abide the usual green goo, now…).
Sure, Scott (the owner) is OCD, but he’s a nice guy and the ambience and especially the food just absolutely make it worthwhile.
I always felt keenly uncomfortable when patrons would purposefully pull their place mats askew, or do something that would force the Zen Nazi to compulsively fix it on his next round past the table. I find it incredibly cruel and rude.
I wish more people could simply view this compulsive attention to detail in a positive light, because it’s after all the flip side of the coin that makes Kyoto Sushi Garden probably the best and most authentic sushi place in our country!
That is Epic, I have to go now.
Quite simply one of the most exquisite experiences I’ve ever had in a restaurant. Extraordinary.
The best sushi in Cape Town: Kyoto Garden Sushi
I am a frequent globe trotter with some certainty that I’ve been in some very good sushi joints world wide enough to say i have a fair standard of sushi-judging.
I have visited beluga, Sevruga, Willoughby and nobu which have been so called rated as the best for quality of sushi. I was just scanning through my lonely planet tourist guide to find some thing to do, when I saw article on Kyoto garden sushi. Tucked away on Lower Kloofnek Road, very easy to find parking not too over crowded.
upon entering Kyoto Garden Sushi, I felt like I was transported Japanese restaurant in Tokyo. The place definitely had a lot of thought and taste get put in to it, Japanese style at its best. The Zen-like atmosphere was so relaxing. mini water feature next to the bathrooms only added to this.
The menu confirmed the Japanese authenticity allong with the Japanese Sushi, I had never had abalone sushi. While the menu doesn’t have what you’d expect as the full range of Japanese dishes, I had never thought of having tempura oysters.
We were handed a cocktail menu on being seated, the boyfriend had a drink mix of whisky, lime, fresh ginger and I had a drink called the dirty ninja, it was not the name that sold it but the fact of putting cucumber with sake, i had to try it to see if it worked. the drinks were very well thought and tasted great.
after ordering we were served snacks edamame beans, baby clams, prawns, fried squid and jellyfish. You have to love about Japanese people they’ll eat anything. You could never accuse them of unadventurous eating. It all felt very authentic.
For starters, the boyfriend had Miso soup, and I tried The Sea, Both were delicious.
We moved onto the highlight of the evening: a chef’s choice sushi platter of sashimi, nigiri and california rolls. I can’t effuse enough praise on the sushi: it was unfaultable. The fish was the freshest I’ve ever had in a long time even when I have been for sushi London and New York, the rice was perfectly soft and flavoured and even the wasabi paste tasted better than at other sushi restaurants. I could have eaten piles more.
we got told about the dessert by the polite waiter who told us about Green tea ice cream with a green tea crêpe, that topped off my evening.
But seeing as the rest of the food was so top-notch, I decided I had to come back before we left back to the Uk. I felt that we had not even delved deep enough in the how good the rest of the meanu is and I felt am going to miss out on some very special foods.
Scott, who told us that he only uses the freshest ingredients available and had also traveled extensively. It’s this attention to freshness that is clearly evident in the dishes and makes Kyoto Garden Sushi stand out from its competitors.
Kyoto Garden Sushi is a bit more pricey than your average sushi restaurant, but then it’s definitely not your average sushi restaurant. It’s more a special occasion kind of place
This is the place to go for fine Sushi and fantastic cooked Japanese food for sure. I have never been so impressed.
Best regards
Jane
When you drive by Kyoto you see the very elegant but relaxed beauty, I am immediately attracted to this place and I want to be inside.