In a nutshell:

Simple interiors, Japanese style seating in addition to usual restaurant seating, very polite hosts & Japanese food as authentic as it can get in Gurgaon. Adventurous people, hardcore foodies, ‘authentic’ cravers will love it – Chinjabi lovers wud not b very impressed though.

Address & other details: Kyoto

Meal for 2: Rs. 1500 onwards.

Cuisine type : Vegetarian & Nonvegetarian

Disclaimer: All restaurants / eateries reviewed by YUMMRAJ were visited by YUMMRAJ himself & he has paid for the full Bill & tips also. http://www.yummraj.com does not have even one featured / sponsored reviews. YUMMRAJ believes in going to a restaurant in anonymity, as a normal guest, experience everything & give a honest account of the same to you.

I rate all the food items & then give a final overall rating which is a simple average of the individual item ratings. What the ratings stand for : 5 = Excellent, 4 = Very Good, 3 = Good, 2 = Fair, 1 = Disaster.

Short Description – in case u r in a hurry:

At the time of entering Kyoto we came across a group of Japanese nationals huddling outside the restaurant for a smoke break. I overheard the chatter in Japanese.

We were surprised on entering the place as it was quite different than the other Japanese Restaurants that we usually have been going to – Sakura, Daikichi etc. It had a ‘guest house dining hall’ kind of interiors. The hall was not very well lit. Fans were working full fledged in addition to the Air conditioners that were not very effective on their own. There is another Dining hall in the 1st floor.

A book stand in the middle of the dining room had loads of Japanese comic books – volumes 1 to 20 etc. & other books – of course I cud not read what was written on them.

There was a saucy foody smell in the air. A bunch of sauce bottles on the table looked untidy – the way they look in say an Andhra Bhawan.

As we sat, we realized that we were the only Indians. All other tables were occupied by Japanese nationals. We saw groups of two or more Japanese men on all the tables and the absence of ladies was particularly noticeable.

We were a bit surprised to read about a branch of this restaurant in Bawal Haryana. Realised later that Bawal is an industrial hub and must b having lot of Japanese nationals staying there.

Guys serving food were very mild, shy kind and very very well behaved.

The menu card was well illustrated & had description written in Japanese as well as English

Food as I mentioned earlier was as authentic as it cud get in Gurgaon. Loved it. There were many vegetarian options in addition to the obvious non vegetarian options.

Detailed Description – In case u have the Time to NJOY reading:

Japanese tea served was very refreshing. Difficult to like it first time if u r not used to it / if u r not so open to new tastes and Flavors.

We started our evening with Hand rolled prawn sushi. It had roasted sesame on the base. The Rice in the sushi was good – flavoured, slightly sour. The prawn on top was steamed & not raw. Tasted excellent as it is, with the soy sauce, with super pungent wasabi & with julienne of ginger. Loved it & rate it 4.5/5.

We also tried Prawn tempura sushi. This was new to me – they actually put a prawn tempura in the middle of the sushi & wrapped it up with the black leaf. Every element of this susi spoke as we munched in – sweetness from the prawn tempura, flavors & mild but enjoyable taste of the rice. Really good & I rate it 4.25/5.

We were given a complimentary egg sushi – An omelette atop a plomp of rice, tied together by seaweed. Very enjoyable.

We enjoyed the sushis with very strong wasabi and also ginger. Ginger was flavourful and strong. & both succeeded in giving a twist to the tale.

For main course we had Mackarel in sweet miso sauce. The fish was boneless but was served with fins intact – we needed to separate those while eating. The gravy had a very strong flavor, a bit high on salt but tasted good when had with sticky rice. The sauces used were authentic & the outcome was taste & flavor almost same as what I have had at Japanese Restaurants in China, Hongkong & Far East Asia. The fish was soft, layery, juicy inside. I give the gravy a 3/5 due to slight over-salting & the fish a 4/5 & they average out to 3.5/5. U wud like this dish only if u r a seasoned fish lover – else u might b put off by its fishy smell.

Next dish we had was Salmon in teriyaki sauce. A filet of salmon grilled to perfection with teriyaki sauce. Mindblowing good. The skin of the fish added to the taste. Layery, flaky fish & at the same time juicy as well. This was served with a scoop of grated radish & that started tasting interesting as well. Super loved this dish & give this a 4.75/5. U wud like this dish only if u r a seasoned fish lover – else u might b put off by its fishy smell.

We ended our meal with extra roast pork ramen in miso sauce. Awesome ramen in a bowl full of soup with pork slices & assorted Seaweed. Strong somewhat thick soup with normal ramen. Pork flavor had disseminated all oer the soup & the pieces were soft. Seaweeds were a welcome addition sitting here in Delhi. Liked this very much as well. I wud give this a 4.5/5.

Rating of food at Kyoto averages out to 4.3/5

I loved eating here & I am sure u wud as well – assuming ur palate does not demand Indianization & is open to eating authentic food as it is eaten in its country of origin.