Chisou Inaseya

Yet another excellent Kyoto restaurant I’ve walked by a million times and not realised was there.
Chisou Inaseya is a chicken  restaurant specialising in Chicken Sukiyaki (that’s the local style – not beef like you might be used to) and they also do great chicken nabe (hotpot) and chicken sashimi for those of you not too squeamish.

Their chook is uber fresh so no worries for me and my Kyoto friends but I get it if you just don’t trust it. Better safe than sorry and all that – but if you are a hardcore ‘foodie’ you probably won’t give a rat’s bum. Fresh raw chicken liver is surprisingly creamy yet clean tasting.
They also have a good selection of sake with which you can happily wash it all down with -no doubt slowing down any residual bacteria that the wasabi doesn’t get to first -yes that’s right – whenever you eat sashimi of any kind make sure you get a good dose of real wasabi in you as it is prized for its anti-bacterial qualities as well as amazing flavour and intensity.

Naturally sake was the first thing we ordered and with it came a tiny amuse.

The chicken sashimi was up next

Shortly after some perfectly grilled, juicy chicken with pickles arrived

Popular winter vegetable Daikon featured in a chicken dashi, slow cooked and spoon-tender – served with nama yuba (fresh soy milk skin) and freshly grated ginger.

While we waited for the Nabe to simmer away we ordered some tempura Horikawa Gobou (large local burdock root) and ebi-imo (creamy prawn shaped potato/yam) – both delicious winter Kyo-yasai specialities (Kyoto vegetables).


The nabe was then presented and we served ourselves – little by little.  By this stage we were getting pretty full but you know.. it would be rude not to finish. Choc full of tsukune, chicken meatballs, tofu, veggies… damn fine on a cold evening.

Once the contents are done you can choose to have beaten egg added to the remaining stock which soaks up all the flavours as it simmers into an omelette like delicacy.

We finished with a refreshing leaf and apple salad.


Open 365 days – lunch and dinner. Now that’s service!