INNSYOUTEI (韻松亭), Kaiseki in Ueno Park (上野公園), Tokyo, Japan

After leaving our luggage at the hotel, we took the Ginza Line Metro to Asakusa (浅草) to purchase the limited express train tickets for our upcoming Nikko day trip in two days’ time.  Then we decided to begin the day with some leisure time at Ueno Park and its museums after our red-eye flight.  With lush greenery, old trees, historical shrines and several museums, Ueno Park is a good place for a pleasant stroll.  From online research, we came across a beautiful restaurant called Innsyoutei (韻松亭).  Housed in a century-old timber building in the heart of Ueno Park, Innsyoutei serves a causal version of Kyoto kaiseki cuisine made with seasonal ingredients.  We decided to check it out before our museum hopping.

The original timber house of Innsyoutei was built in 1875.  A little over a decade ago, the building underwent a major renovation.  This rustic tea house has long been a landmark in Ueno Park, where visitors would stop for light refreshments.  The renovation maintained the original building layout, but replaced much of the timber structure with materials savaged from other old buildings in Kyoto and Shiga Prefecture.

The traditional restaurant complex is full of the beauty of Zen.

Innosyoutei (韻松亭) literally means “rhythm of the pine pavilion”.  This poetic restaurant remains popular with park visitors, especially during hanami (花見) season when the timber house is surrounded by clusters of cherry blossoms.

Once entered the vestibule, we were immediately greeted by the fragrance of the incense.

We took off our shoes at the vestibule, and were led to the dining hall on the upper level.

The wooden stair is accompanied by a beautiful railing made of bamboo.

Covered with tatami floor mat, the dining hall was well lit with natural light coming from the large windows at both ends of the room.  Sitting on zabuton (floor cushions), guests gathered at low tables on the tatami to enjoy their Hana-kago-zen (flower basket meal).

Outside the large window, we could see lush green everywhere.

It was not hard to imagine the beauty of the space during cherry blossoms when the lush green would be replaced with clusters of pink flowers.

We sat down at a low table and ordered our lunch sets with much anticipation.

The appetizers soon arrived.  We were immediately impressed by the presentation and the taste of food.

We ordered two different set meals of seasonal fish and vegetables.  The food was beautifully arranged and presented like two flower baskets with eye-catching colours.  The dishes were made of various vegetables skillfully prepared to bring out the distinct flavors and textures of the ingredients. 

Tofu, eggplant, beans, and mushroom might sound simple.  Yet when they were individually prepared with different flavours of sweetness, sourness and saltiness, and were tasted in a certain order of sequence, the experience would become much more complex and sophisticated.  Sometimes, we might not be able to tell what the actual ingredient was just by the look, and would get a pleasant surprise after the first bite. Every of our bite became an opportunity for a pleasant surprise, and was full of anticipation. 

A cup of creamy yogurt-like custard beautifully served.

The meal finished with the traditional delight, a mochi (rice cake) kind of dessert wrapped in a leaf.

We unwrapped the leaf with high anticipation and were rewarded with a perfect gift to end the wonderful meal.

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