Ending the Trip with Italian Food!
IL LAGO (Il Lago)
My short trip to Kyoto ended with a meal at IL LAGO.
When I walked in there was a counter, and beyond it a refrigerated case filled with small appetizer plates (cicchetti) caught my eye.
The menu offered a variety of dishes, listed on a handwritten chalkboard.
I started with a sparkling white and picked small plates from the case: anchovy egg, shirasu (whitebait) and Manganji pepper spiced sauté, and a lotus root with mascarpone salad.
Freshly fried nanohana (rapeseed blossom) fritters — crunchy with a slight bitterness.
Carpaccio.
A piping-hot gratin of turnip and chijimi spinach.
Spaghettini with octopus in tomato sauce and Brussels sprouts — so good!
To finish, the house specialty appeared to be a 100% duck hamburger; it was delicious.
The only downside was that the group next to us was far too noisy, but they looked like they were having fun, so I couldn’t be too upset… (laugh)
Heading Back to Tokyo
I left the restaurant, caught a taxi, and sped to Kyoto Station. I’m glad I was able to enjoy it right up until the last minute.
This trip was themed around visiting drinking spots, and I went to quite a few. There’s always something new each time I come, so I want to visit again!
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