Kai

One visitor came for the oysters and enjoyed them prepared in several ways: first raw for a comparison, then lightly grilled and finally steamed. Tasting the same shellfish cooked differently made a memorable part of the meal. Other dishes that day included chilled courgette soup, carpaccio of sea bream and pike conger, and sweetfish confit. To finish, there was charcoal-grilled skirt steak from Omi Kinoshita beef. The meal moved between seafood and meat, with the pleasure of choosing each dish coming through in the account.

The menu reaches beyond Italian cooking. Alongside charcoal-grilled Zao Zeiton pork shoulder, Kyoto Aka chicken thigh and Omi beef, it includes mapo tofu made with Omi beef, chicken wings fried in a yurinchi style, and pasta with karasumi in an oil sauce. There are options for a dinner centred on meat, as well as dishes that give familiar flavours a different twist. Another visitor particularly enjoyed a plate of figs with mozzarella and prosciutto, appreciating the combination of fruit, cheese and cured ham. They also mentioned the sea urchin pasta, suggesting one possible way to build a meal around favourite dishes, from a starter through to pasta.

There is a broad choice of wine, and one visitor said staff suggested a glass to go with each dish. The account suggests that even those without much wine knowledge can enjoy choosing by sharing their preferences and what they are eating. Seating includes a counter and tables at the back; at the counter, one visitor could watch the cooking. Some diners have shared both what they wanted to eat and what they would rather avoid, then discussed their choices of food and drink. At Kai, wine can accompany either a meal built around a particular dish or a selection of Japanese, Western and Chinese plates chosen to suit the mood.