The CHIRIRI’s tsuyu-shabu is an original style of thinly sliced pork boiled in water and flavoured with a special five-step tsuyu broth of white negi (spring onion) and yuzukoshō (a paste of chilli peppers and yuzu citrus peel). This exquisite flavour was first introduced at the Hyōtanya restaurant in Shiga, the prefecture where CHIRIRI originates. The most delicious flavours are achieved by using 0.8 mm thin slices of meat combined with the secret recipe for the tsuyudare sauce. Because of the delicious Shiga-grown vegetables and red konnyaku root, this original shabu-shabu has gained popularity in Kyoto as well. Ki-Yan’s paintings of CHIRIRI’s logo-the hyōtan (bottle gourd)-on the restaurant walls are based on several sketches drawn on a summer morning in the Kyoto Botanical Garden.
Originating in Kyoto, Katsukura has become a popular tonkatsu chain restaurant thanks to its healthy ingredients and the light and crispy texture of its fried food. With such popularity, it is no surprise to see queues outside of Katsukura outlets. In 2014 Katsukura was named one of TripAdvisor’s top 30 restaurants in Kyoto, leading to a rapid increase in foreign customers. Renovating its Kyoto Station branch to serve larger numbers of foreign guests, Katsukura not only increased its number of seats, but also its English speaking staff. In addition, Ki-Yan’s Kyoto vegetable motifs- shishigatani pumpkins and lucky bottle gourds-adorn the restaurant walls, welcoming travelers at ‘Kyoto’s gate’.