Situated on the fourth floor of the movie theatre Gion Kaikan, THE AGLIO GARDEN welcomes its guests with Ki-Yan’s impressive ‘Red Jaguars’ mural at the entrance, and an interior featuring the ‘Red Tiger’, ‘Flying Elephants’ and ‘Gorillas at the Table’. This surprisingly spacious restaurant offers Mediterranean based inventive dining options, including popular dishes like tapas, ajillo and pizza. Its stage and bar counter seating-remaining from when the restaurant was used as a live house-also make it a perfect venue for parties and wedding receptions.
A popular decorative motif in traditional Japanese art, shō chiku bai (literally ‘pine, bamboo, plum’) is a symbol of luck and the bringing of good fortune. Initially Ki-Yan intentionally avoided using these three typical motifs in his artwork, but he eventually decided to paint ‘Shō Chiku Bai’ for the udon and soba noodle restaurant Jūrokudai Gondayu. Thanks to homemade noodles and carefully selected ingredients for its original dashi broth, this restaurant has been flourishing since its opening in 2014. You can see the ‘Shō Chiku Bai’ mural on the first floor, while the second floor features ‘Un-Kin’ (sakura cherry blossoms and Japanese maple leaves)-motifs often used by Rimpa artists.
Gion Morikö serves Kyoto style Chinese cuisine with a less spicy and assari (light) taste. Since opening in 1955, this restaurant has been famous for its signature dishes including fried spring rolls, lobster tempura, subuta (sweet and sour pork) and shark soup. The mābōdōfu (or mapo tofu) offered by the current owner-chef Yasunori Morita has become very popular among regulars and new customers alike. Ki-Yan spontaneously used orange for this peacock motif as he felt it would match well with the food and atmosphere of this vibrant Chinese restaurant. The gorgeous peacocks and cotton roses continue to be a daily source of joy for Mr Morita.