Kyoto Sightseeing — A Winter Night
Delicious Food and Wine at TrainTrain
I hopped in a taxi from Heian Shrine toward Kawaramachi for dinner and went to a wine-focused izakaya called TrainTrain.
From the outside it doesn't look like a wine bar (lol). The menu is written on a chalkboard, which raised my expectations!
For starters I ordered the "small plates sampler" and chose three: whelk steamed in wine, chicken liver mousse, and a dressed kanpachi.
The grilled green onion was prepared in a way I'd never seen before and was excellent. The Japanese-style plates were lovely too. There isn't a wine list — you tell them your preferences and they serve wines accordingly. Describing my tastes was fun but trickier than I expected! (laughs)
I gradually shifted to heartier dishes; next was sautéed squid with Kyoto mizuna and green chili. It made the drinks go down smoothly.
Next came the kumoko fritto. It was perfectly crispy yet fluffy — absolutely superb. Thank you.
For the main I had roasted Kyoto duck breast. Even thick-cut, it had a pleasant springiness and was fantastic.
To finish I had squid ink spaghetti — something I rarely eat outside Saizeriya. It seemed to contain fennel seeds that occasionally burst with aroma in my mouth. A novel sensation.
After this I walked back to the hotel. Thank you for the meal. To be continued…
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