musubi kyoto offers not only delicious tempura and oden made with fantastic dashi stock but unique and original takes on these Japanese classics too. Only recently opened in October 2019, the person behind musubi Kyoto is long time Japanese chef Hiroshi Hasegawa. When Hasegawa decided upon opening a restaurant of his own, he wanted to have the people of the world enjoy the fantastic flavors of dashi soup stock. This led him to opening a restaurant centered around oden, as oden is basically just a dashi stock stew. The first step to creating food packed with the umami flavors of dashi is being particular with the ingredients. As an example, in order to find the right vegetables, Chef Hasegawa personally visited wholesalers and markets and upon hearing from the farmers themselves, decided whether he would buy from them or not. The result of this plus the painstaking perpetration that follows is an oden that’s packed with flavorful ingredients and umami filled dashi stock. Another huge draw of musubi kyoto is their original oden. With dishes such as Daikon and Porcini Mushroom Cream Sauce and konjac and Ground Meat Miso Bolognese, musubi offers a new and exciting sort of oden that combines different elements from Japan’s culture of dashi. In addition, as the name Oden, Tempura and Sake would suggest, musubi also have another specialty that shows off Chef Hasegawa’s incredible skill, tempura. Just like the oden, musubi Kyoto uses unique ingredients for their tempura, too, allowing those dining at musubi to enjoy the expectedly different flavors of the ingredients. Derived from the notion of “connecting people, food and time,” the name musubi comes from the Japanese word musubu, meaning to connect. With a floor space of only around 16 m2, Chef Hasegawa’s considerate and welcoming demeanor is felt throughout the restaurant. Thanks to that warm and welcoming atmosphere, already, only one month after opening, musubi Kyoto is so popular that it already has regulars. If you’re looking for a cozy, at-home restaurant where you can enjoy the flavors of dashi on your plate and in your food, then musubi Kyoto is for you.