Eating eel - a trip to Kyoto

I'm always impressed with old, unique, independently owned restaurants.  Japan is full of them.  Tokyo is not.  So when we travel about, we make sure to go to lots of interesting restaurants. 

Kaneyo is a 45 year old restaurant specializing in eel.  They have these eel and egg rice bowls that are a sight to see. 

The restaurant was easy to spot.  In an area full of updated facades, the old style building stood out.  I love the paper lanterns that hang outside and the window looking into the chef grilling eel and peppers.  The sight made dinner even more enticing.

We entered the building and were told to head to the second floor.  As is common in many restaurants, we had to remove our shoes before going up the stairs.  The second floor was filled with tatami mats and low tables.  Sitting on the floor to eat your dinner in restaurants is not for everyone.  Sometimes my feet fall asleep and it is really uncomfortable. 

At any rate, the restaurant had seen better days.  It was kind of worn on the edges.  I guess at one point there was a third floor, but it burned down years ago.  I guess after 45 years in business, the traffic takes its toll.  Of course, in my experience, these are often the best restaurants to eat at.  Small menus, worn interiors, and a certain level of history typically equate to an excellent meal.

We ordered several items on the menu - chawanmushi (steamed savory custard), eel with pickled cucumbers, eel and egg rice bowl, and a dinner set.  It was almost everything on their menu.  But we wanted to try it all. 

They had cute little chopsticks for our son.

The chawanmushi was so creamy.  It was filled with treasures, like chawanmushi always is.  However, this one had a huge chunk of eel hidden inside.

The eel with pickled cucumbers would be perfect on a summer day.  Since my son and I love pretty much anything with vinegar, it was no surprise that we loved this dish.

I've seen a lot of eel on rice, but never one covered in a blanket of egg.  The egg was cooked into a very fluffy omelet that was a sight to see.  But as beautiful as it was, it tasted even better.  The slight sweetness of the egg matched with the smokiness of the grilled eel was perfect. 

I love a good dinner set.  It gives you little bites of so many different dishes.  My dinner set came with grilled eel, fluffy omelets, eel sashimi (raw eel), plain rice, and a simple soup featuring eel heart.  While I could have done without eating the eel heart, everything else was absolutely delicious.

Part of why I like eating in these old restaurants is because after all these years, they definitely know what they are doing.  The food is so, so good.  But also because on some level, I feel like I am eating at someone's home.  Everything is just about as unpretentious as you get.