Cliff(y) Goes Dining

Came for the parfait, but even more amazed by the 'cha soba'! Kyoto is synonymous with that finely ground green tea powder known as matcha . In the heart of Uji, a town distinguished for producing high-quality matcha , lies a traditional tea house called Nakamura Tokichi that's been around since the Edo period. Though we didn't have the chance to visit the main outlet, my family and I managed to get a table at the Isetan branch that's conveniently linked to Kyoto station.

Fancy some winter-exclusive soup curry? Although CoCo Ichibanya can be found in Singapore, I've always been interested to try it in Japan. Started from a shop in the suburb area of Nagoya in 1978, the restaurant chain specialising in Japanese curry has grown to over a thousand outlets, going as far as Hawaii and Los Angeles in the USA.

Deep-fried 'hamo' (lit. conger eel), anyone? Kyoto was the first destination on our eagerly anticipated family trip. After dropping off our luggage at Sotetsu Fresa Inn Kyoto-Hachijoguchi, we made our way to the food court at the basement level of Kyoto Tower. Among the various options, it was the stall by Nishiki Uoriki, a restaurant founded in 1919 at the bustling Nishiki Market, that piqued my interest the most.