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Eating
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You're rather spoiled for choice when it comes to eating in Nara. The central Higashimuki arcade is the best place to look, or along Sanjo-dori, where you'll find a range of hamburger joints, coffee shops and a clutch of decent
restaurants
serving classy local cuisine. Like Kyoto, Nara has its own brand of
kaiseki
, the elaborate meals that originally accompanied the tea ceremony, but
local specialities
also include some rather less appetizing dishes.
Cha-ga-yu
evolved from the poor people's breakfast into a fairly expensive delicacy, but there's no escaping the fact that it's basically a thin rice gruel, boiled up with soya beans, sweet potatoes and green tea leaves. It's best as part of a
teishoku
, when the accompaniments add a bit of flavour.
Tororo
is pretty similar: it's thickened grated yam mixed with soy sauce, seaweed and barley, then poured over a bowl of rice - full of protein and rather sticky. Less of an acquired taste is sushi wrapped in persimmon leaves and
Nara-zuke
, vegetables pickled in sake.
Asuka , 1 Shonami-cho. A sleek tempura restaurant in the attractive Nara-machi district. At lunchtime you can feast on their beautifully presented bento (A?1600), or menus from around A?2000. Daily except Wed 11.30am-2.30pm & 5-9.30pm. Beni-e , Higashimuki-dori. In central Nara, look for this small tempura restaurant on the main arcade tucked down an alley beside Regal Shoes. Sets start at A?1600 at lunch or around A?2000 in the evening. Daily except Wed 11.30am-2pm & 5-8.30/9pm. Furusato , 10 Higashimuki-dori. This unpretentious restaurant serving a range of Japanese foods is hidden behind a traditional sweet shop near the north end of the arcade. There's an English menu, or see what catches your eye in their window display. Tues-Sun 11.30am-8.30pm. Hiraso , 30-1 Imanikado-cho. Hiraso specializes in persimmon-wrapped sushi, though you'll also find all sorts of other tasty delicacies on the menu. Sushi sets start at A?750, with more varied meals from around A?2400, including cha-ga-yu . Tues-Sun 11am-9pm. Kameya , 6 Hashimoto-cho. Popular, nicely decorated okonomiyaki joint. Prices start at A?600 and there's an English menu available. Daily except Tues 11am-2pm & 5-9.30pm. Sanshu , Isui-en. Tororo won't be everyone's cup of tea, but this is an attractive place to find out, located in an old wooden house overlooking the secluded, Meiji-era Isui-en garden. There are just two meals on the menu: plain mugi tororo (A?1200) or unagi tororo laced with eels (A?2500). Daily except Tues 11.30am-1.30pm. Mellow Cafe , Axe Unit, 1-8 Konishi-cho. Large open-plan cafA©/restaurant with a counter bar and cake shop to boot, located in a faux -Spanish-style shopping arcade close to the Vivre department store. Lunch specials start at A?800, while the daily "Mellow Lunch" offers unlimited amounts of freshly baked bread. 11am-10.30pm. Sushi-tsune , Konishi-dori. Tastefully decorated sushi bar in a traditional building opposite Vivre department store. They do a good-value lunchtime teishoku for around A?1000, as well as chirashi (a box of rice topped with sashimi and vegetables), or individual pieces (from A?350). Daily except Tues 11am-9.30pm. Tsukihi-tei , 2F, Higashimuki-dori (tel 0742/23-5470). One of the best places to sample Nara kaiseki at an affordable price. A full kaiseki course starts at A?6300, with mini- kaiseki from A?3500; reservations are required for your own tatami dining room. They also do cheaper teishoku . Daily 11am-10pm. Yamatoji , 4F & 5F, 6 Nakasuji-cho. Located above the Nara Kotsu bus office, these two restaurants offer reasonable-value meals. The fourth floor is an izakaya -style place where you can get cha-ga-yu for breakfast (A?860) and cheap teishoku . Upstairs is smarter, with tempura, shabu-shabu and so on (sets from A?2000). 4F: daily 6.30-8.30am, 11.30am-3pm & 5-10pm;. 5F: daily 11am-2pm & 5-10pm.
Yamazakiya
, Higashimuki-dori. Pleasantly relaxed restaurant behind a pickle shop in the arcade. They offer
kaiseki
cuisine from A?4000 for a sampler, and
cha-ga-yu
(A?2200 for a
teishoku
), or try the excellent-value
Nara bento
(A?1500). Tues-Sun 11.30am-9pm. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Japan,
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