Kako Okamoto
Kyoto, Japan
The Experience
From Michelin Guide
The draw of Kako Okamoto is fine sake and prized delicacies. Appetisers are served not on a platter but one by one, freshly cooked, to complement the beverage. Spicy pilchard stew with finely chopped bonito flakes keeps the drinks going down easy. The owner-chef, who loves sake above all other drinks, offers pours from an isshobin (1.8 L bottle of sake) as if introducing his own child. Sake can also be ordered by the cup for a fun sake-tasting experience.
Unique Things
From Visitor Experiences
A sake-first address in Higashiyama
A one-star room that treats sake as the main line, matched carefully to each dish.
Appetisers arrive one by one
Small plates are served individually and freshly cooked, keeping the pace tight and the food tuned for drinking.
Kaiseki, with a left turn at the end
The meal finishes with chub mackerel sushi and somen noodle soup, not the traditional rice-and-soup finale.
Ingredient Stars
From Visitor Experiences
Signature Ingredients
- Sake: the meal is designed around pairings drawn from across Japan.
- Sashimi served as aemono: raw fish dressed with seasonings, a kaiseki idea turned into a drinking dish.
- Chub mackerel sushi and somen noodle soup: the closing sequence, instead of the usual rice and soup.