2019/11/15
Before we came to Japan, we asked our friend that lives in Kyoto to take us to an izakaya that locals would recommend. She chose New Ebisuno which is just across from Kyoto station.
Decor
The decor here is more raw and old fashioned unless most stores I've seen in Japan. Kind of what you would see in other Asian countries (like a 海產店, a local seafood restaurant in Taiwan).
photo credits: Tabelog user y_rec
The storefront entrance is covered by plastic covers.
The interior of the store is fairly small and tight as the middle half is actually a open kitchen, reservations are recommended. We just walked in after our shopping trip by the station and it was around an hour wait on a Friday night.
Menu
They have quite an extensive lineup of menu items available as well as their daily specials displayed outside the store.
New Ebisuno is mostly catered towards locals, or Japanese people in general, I don't think they have a English/Chinese menu, everything is written in Japanese. So take caution before you visit if you cannot read any Japanese!
Drinks
巨峰酎ハイ Grape Shochu
I'm not usually a drinker, but only in Japan will I order alcohol regularly as they usually offer lighter drinks easier to drink. I ordered the grape shochu and it was delicious! The portions at izakaya are always massive, takes me awhile to finish it all...
Food
刺身盛り合わせ三品 Assorted Sashimi
Honestly, I don't remember whate these three are except for the octopus LOL. This was perfect for three of us since each kind of sashimi only had three pieces. Their fish is fresh and chewy, not much else I can say here!
マグロぶつ切り Large Chopped Tuna
The Japanese name for this dish directly translates to largely chopped tuna. And man are they large and chunky HAHA!
I really love the size of these tuna cubes as you don't often see it served this way in Vancouver restaurants.
生しめ鯖 Saba Sashimi
A limited item on the menu, the saba sashimi. I'm usually not a fan of saba because I don't quite enjoy fish skin on my sashimi but this changed my mind. It adds more texture ot the fish itself, and paired with some lemon juice, mmm super refreshing ♡
ホタテ貝桂造り Scallop Sashimi
This is one of the daily features they offered. Fresh from hokkaido!
I know not everyone likes scallop sashimi, I used to be one of them. But you must try a fresh scallop, not at all mushy
ポテトサラダ Potato Salad
One of my favourite things to order at an izakaya is defintely potato salad! When the waiter brought it to our table we were all shocked at the size and presence of it LOL.
The chefs piled the salad upwards to resemble a mountain like structure. Another interesting thing, they keep potato skin in the salad as well as bacon, cucumber and other ingredients to give the dish more flavour.
I highly recommend trying this dish, but maybe share one among a couple people as the portion is large. (they also offer half size, but you probably won't get a tower lol...)
カリカリチーズスティック Crispy Cheese Sticks
I loove cheese, so I had to order this after I found it on the menu. I like how they use spring roll skins to wrap the cheese rather than bread batter. This makes the cheese sticks extra crispy, and possibly healthier?
カキフライタルタルソース Fried Oysters w/ Tartar Sauce
Fried oysters paired with tartar sauce and cabbage is a must order. Oysters from asian countries aren't overly large so there is a perfect balance of batter and oyster. A few drips of lemon juice can help replenish your taste and remove the oily taste!
タルタルチキン南蛮 Tartar Chicken Nanban
Chicken Nanban is essentially a westernized version of the regular Japanese chicken karaage (fried chicken). Similar to the fried oysters, this is served with tartar sauce and shredded cabbage. One thing different about their dish, they added some egg salad on top to add flavour and texture, which I enjoyed!
牛タンステーキ Gyuu Tongue Steak
This one really blew my mind, the gyuu tongue is prepared differently than what I expected. Instead of thin slices, they are in moderate sized chunks, cooked in a garlic butter sauce.. mm I can already imagine the smell of it!
The meat is tender and chewy, not at all overcooked, it was so good, we ordered a second plate haha.
秋刀魚塩焼き Sanma Shioyaki (Pacific Saury)
Pacific Saury is in season in autumn so this was a popular item on the menu. They have two versions and we ordered the simple shioyaki (cooked with salt).
I really like pairing it with a bit of lime and grated raddish so you can change up the taste from time to time.
Verdict
YES! 5 stars! ★★★★★
I would highly recommend, everything was great, the sashimi is fresh, the wide variety of foods, the easily accessible location makes it a great place to visit if you're hanging around Kyoto station.
But make sure to come early or make a reservation if you don't want to wait!
New Ebisuno ニューエビスノ
075-351-6636
720 Ebisunocho Shimogyo-ku Kyoto
♥ If you have any suggestions, questions or comments please let me know in the box below thanks :)
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