I’m sorry to say that although the food was excellent, the chef/owner could barely hide his contempt for us. I’m not sure if this was because of his distaste for westerners or if it was homophobia, perhaps both? While he gleefully shared sakes and wines with the other (all Japanese guests) giving tastes and explanations of the numerous libations, we sat watching on in silence. Luckily we were being assisted by a charming Aussie lad, Ethan, who explained all the dishes and served us gracefully. When I inquired as to why the other guests were enjoying all the various wines and sakes while we looked on, Ethan asked the chef who was very clearly irritated by the question and very begrudgingly gave us a minuscule sample of just one wine. He told Ethan, in Japanese, that he does what he feels like (which presumably doesn’t include treating gay westerners fairly). He said he doesn’t speak English at the start of the meal.
It’s really a shame that he thinks this double standard is ok. After we spent well over USD$400 on our dinner, I left feeling quite disturbed by this. I’ve visited Japan more than 30 times and I’ve NEVER felt like that. If you’re going to serve high class food for high prices and get a Michelin star, treat your customers equally and fairly.
While the food was good and the rest of the staff worked well, I cannot recommend this restaurant because of the arrogance and smallness of the proprietor. There’s plenty of decent high-end restaurants in Kyoto. If he doesn’t want western business, don’t give it to him. A real shame. Disappointing.
