Imobo Hiranoya ｜We visited a long-established restaurant that has lasted more than 300 years.

Date of visit: Sunday, May 5, 2019

Famous Imobo (Taro, Cod)

The technique and taste of secret recipe has been going on for more than 300 years since the Genroku era.

Genroku・・・Genroku (元禄) was a Japanese era name (年号, nengō, “year name”) after Jōkyō and before Hōei. This period spanned from 1688 through  1704.The reigning emperor was Higashiyama-tennō (東山天皇).

Source：Wikipedia

Eiji Yoshikawa and Yasunari Kawabata （novelists) both went to Imobo Hiranoya and said the food was delicious.

Basic information about Imobo Hiranoya

Official site

I recommend Hiranoya to the following people

Except for people who don’t like sweet food.

Imobo is not a dessert but it is a bit sweet.
It’s only moderately sweet, but that may still be of concern to people who don’t like sweetness in their food.

Exterior and interior of Imobo Hiranoya

Imobo Hiranoya’s exterior.

Imobo Hiranoya’s interior. (Zashiki)

Imobo Hiranoya’s interior (Chaya-style)

There is also a large hall and private rooms.

The garden of Imobo Hiranoya

The azaleas were in full bloom.

The unfortunate thing about Imobo Hiranoya

I used a tea shop-style seat.

Mito Komon (I wonder if it is difficult to understand for people born after 1990.)Once upon a time, a period drama called Mito Komon was broadcast on TV) seemed to take a break in the middle of the trip, and the atmosphere was good.

The cushion was thin, but because of my thin body shape, my butt hurt by the time I got home.

Imobo Hiranoya’s cuisine

I ordered a Hana-Gozen (3,000 yen excluding tax).

Tea and Tea confectionery

I ate something similar to Soba-Boro called “Imoboru” with a complimentary tea.

Imoboru

They say that this tea confectionery is 700 yen (excluding tax) and is made from 100% Yamatoimo yam.

It was delicious, so I bought some to take home.

Umebowl (Hisago egg, Kyoto kamaboko, shiitake mushroom, Mitsuba, Kyoyuba, garnish is Japanese pepper)

I ordered a soup from the Hana-Gozen.

The soup was called Ume-Wan.

Ume is a plum and Wan is a soup bowl.

Plum blossoms have five petals

Like a plum blossom, the Ume-Wan has five types of soup ingredients.

This famous restaurant makes an excellent soup stock, and its taste makes me feel relieved.

Tororonorimaki (Maruimo norimaki with Tosa-su vinegar)

I ordered Tororo-nori-maki after the soup.

Tororo is a kind of yam.

Nori is made from seaweed.

Tororo-nori-maki is tororo wrapped in nori.

I ate Tororo-nori-maki with Tosa-su vinegar.

When I put it in my mouth, I got the incense of the ocean from the norimaki.

Because it used Tosa vinegar, the acidity was not too strong, and it was a gentle taste.

Famous Imobo (Taro, Cod)

Next I ordered a dish called Imobo, which is also the name of the restaurant.

The taste is moderately sweet.

It was served with taro on the day I ate their.

Depending on the season, imobo is served with taro or “ebi-imo” (shrimp taro).

Ebi-imo is served from mid-October to mid-April.
(Because availability changes depending on the harvest, please check with the shop if you are worried about it.)

Ebi imo is popular with tourists because it is mainly harvested in Kyoto.

Gion tofu, side dish, pickles, rice

Gion tofu is covered with Yoshino Kudzu paste with (Japanese) mustard on top (the yellow part in the middle).

The side dish was konjac, white miso, and spinach.

Gion tofu・・・ Dengaku tofu sold by Nikenchaya in front of Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto from the Edo era. Flattened tofu is skewered, and sprinkled with miso sauce and gluten flour.　Souce：コトバンク

Review of the Imobo Hiranoya

I ate at this restaurant for the first time

So, this is the popular “Imobo”.

Hmmm, I see.

If you have a chance, it is a dish that I want you to eat least once in your life once.

Click here for a list of the establishments of the long-established stores that we have visited so far⇒ List arranged by year of establishment of the store

Sainara（See you）.