Kaiseki ryori (懐石料理) is Japan's pride when it comes to food. It's a multi-course meal consisting of several dishes served in a particular order (which has of course to do with season, the combination of tastes etc.) and with equal care given to taste and presentation. The pictures here are from one such meal at Kanagawa's Kurumaya (車屋) restaurant and even though the occasion was not pleasant, the experience was admittedly very interesting (and the food was exquisite). The picture above is the restaurant's entrance.
Then comes the pathway leading to the building...
...the smoking area...
...a detail from the garden next to the entrance...
...and the umbrella stand (the umbrellas are, of course, the classic Japanese style) for when customers don't have their own when they arrive or leave.
Two views of the internal garden as seen from the waiting room...
...and a combination of East and West, also from the waiting room (when we were leaving, a lady was playing the harp).
A detail from the interior on our way to the dining room...
...and the view from the dining room to the same internal garden.
Our kaiseki's menu.
The first dish closed...
...and open: tofu with mugwort, salmon roe and various boiled vegetables and egg -the cherry tree sprig is real.
ΤThe second dish closed...
...and open: soup with egg filled with a shell called hamaguri.
Our third dish: sashimi.
Detail: after you finish the sashimi you notice a decoration shaped like a cherry blossom petal.
The fourth dish -but first notice the fastener in the paper bag!
Thick onion soup and broiled mackerel with daikon radish.
The fifth dish closed...
...and open: boiled tofu and a shrimp dumpling.
...and open: warm sushi, pickles and miso soup.
For desert, a sweet potato confection and green tea.
