Kyoto- the Food

As promised, here is a rundown of all the yummy eats from our recent trip to Kyoto.  Japanese food is always beautiful, but the food from Kyoto really is gorgeous.  I guess the traditional nature of Kyoto really shines through in the food. 
Besides the delicious bento we had on the train, the first treat of the trip was a small red bean-filled sweet and some green tea.  Who wouldn't enjoy this little treat while staring out into the nice garden?

The small sweet had a beautiful design and a small piece of gold leaf

The main event of all the meals in Kyoto, was our kaiseki dinner served in our room.  The four of us got dressed in our yukata, sat on the floor and the feast was brought to us.  That poor tiny lady made so many trips back and forth to our room! 

Oops- who left that beer can there?

The kaiseki dinner included several intricate dishes- enjoy these closeups of each part:

From top to bottom: raw beef and veggies for the shabu shabu, sashimi and tofu skin (yuba), an assortment of vegetables- see the fake (top plate) and actual (bottom plate) red leaves?

A piece of grilled salmon with two small pieces of roasted pepper

A shrimp ball with soy beans and sea urchin (uni) surrounded by a delicate broth

There was also tempura, pickled vegetables, soup, rice, and dessert.  Everything looked so small and beautiful, but the meal was surprisingly filling.  We had a slight faux pas, in that we didn't cook our raw beef quickly enough.  The flames went out under our pots, so I had to call down to the front desk.  Using my best beginner level English, I kindly told the woman that the fire in our dinners had gone out.  "Yes, it's meant to do so," she cut me off.  After I explained that we hadn't cooked our food yet, she sent someone to replace them.  Yikes!
After a good night's sleep on our Japanese futons, we awoke to another day of good eats:

Traditional Japanese breakfast: eggs, tofu, soup, fish, and more!

A light snack of tea ice creams- this was surprisingly delicious

Wagyu sushi?  Always a good idea

Look at the marbling on that prime Japanese beef! 

Baby octopus with a quail egg inside his head!  Who thought of this madness? 

For me, the highlight of the trip to Kyoto was our visit to Nishiki Market.  The little octopus was one of the snacks we had there.  We also enjoyed inari (sticky rice inside dried tofu), pickled vegetables, egg tarts, spicy curry breads, and more.  I bought a ten pack of different salts- green tea, wasabi, mushroom, etc.  Leave it to me to grab food as a souvenir!