Rojiusagi

I was looking for a Japanese breakfast restaurant in Kyoto on the Internet and happened to find one called Rojisusagi. On the restaurant’s Instagram page, it was described as “a health-conscious machiya café with lots of vegetables run by a Kyoto-loving owner,” and I thought, “I’m sure I can have a healthy breakfast here…”.

However, it seems that this restaurant recommends advance reservations (note: reservations are not required), and since I only found out about the restaurant the night before, I was worried about whether it would be okay…. Fortunately, I called the restaurant before the opening time on the day of the event and was able to get a reservation for the right time slot, so I headed to the restaurant thinking, “I’m lucky today…”. Well…

There are events where you can meet geisha…Roujisusagi is a cafe restaurant like this…

Roujiusagi is located in Miyagawa-cho, an area a little south of Gion. Miyagawa-cho was once known as a red light district, and the area is surrounded by historical machiya houses and upscale restaurants, where you can feel the atmosphere of old Kyoto mixed with modern buildings.

Roujisusagi is located in a small old machiya in a narrow alley in the Miyagawa-cho section of the area. The restaurant is a two-story building, but only the first floor is used as a cafe. On the first floor, there are 3 counter seats and 12 small tatami room seats, for a total of 15 seats. The restaurant is very small, so large carry-on bags and the like are not allowed.

Roujisusagi seems to be a restaurant with deep ties to geisha, probably due to its location. Because of this, they sometimes hold events where you can meet geisha. Recently, it has become prohibited to meet geisha on the street due to many people violating manners, but here, you can meet real geisha in a fair and honest manner. The event is occasionally announced on the cafe’s blog, so if you are interested, please check it often.

A healthy breakfast full of vegetables as they say… How was it when I actually tried Roujiusagi’s popular morning menu, Kyo no Asagogohan?

Let me introduce you to the popular morning meal I ordered at Rojiusagi that day, Kyo no Asagohan (priced at 1,500 yen including tax). This Kyo no Asagohan comes with rice, miso soup, grilled fish, dashimaki tamago, pickles, and two small bowls of cooked food, but for an additional charge, you can upgrade the miso soup to a hearty pork miso soup (+200 yen), a soup stock (+300 yen), or ozoni (+300 yen), or change the grilled fish from salted mackerel to salted salmon (+100 yen). This time, I changed the grilled fish to salted mackerel and the miso soup to a hearty pork miso soup for 1,700 yen (tax included)…

About 20 minutes after I placed my order, my Kyo no Asagohan (breakfast) arrived in front of me. I don’t know if the above picture conveys the volume of the meal, but it is much larger than I had expected. And there is a sufficient amount of vegetables, mainly in small bowls, so the claim of “a health-conscious machiya café with plenty of vegetables” is not a lie at all. However, it should be noted that this breakfast is cooked to order, so it may take some time before it is served.

First of all, the main dish, salted mackerel, is very thick. Just looking at it makes me think, “I’m so glad I chose mackerel…”. The skin is crispy and fragrant, and there is none of the greasy smell that bothers me with mackerel. It is a little difficult to remove the small bones, but the saltiness that comes by default is just right, and you can eat it as it is or with grated soy sauce. I felt like, “It’s such a luxury to be able to eat this in the morning…”.

Next is this dashimaki tamago (rolled egg), and each slice is quite large. At least, it was too big to fit in one bite. When I tried it, it had a rather firm texture, but when I put it in my mouth, I could feel the mellow broth spreading into my nose… Perhaps if you could greet your morning with this dashimaki tamago every day, you would be glad to be Japanese, too…

This pork miso soup is not only rich in pork, but also in carrots, burdocks, sweet potatoes, and other ingredients. Not only the pork and vegetables, but also the rich flavor of the miso (soybean paste) makes it a pork miso soup with a certain un-Kyoto-like (?) impact. I could eat two or three bowls of rice with just one bowl of this pork miso soup. I wish I could have another bowl of this pork miso soup for an extra charge…

I was naturally satisfied if I could eat this much for only 1,700 yen. I should say that the portions are much larger than I expected, so people with small appetites may need to be careful. If you are not confident that you can finish it, you can also order a small amount of rice (note: the price does not change even if you reduce the amount of rice). Please feel free to ask the waiter when you order.

Other morning menus at Rojiusagi (prices include tax)

• Soy milk yuba porridge set: 1,800 yen
• Dashimaki set: 1,500 yen
• Rojiusa Curry 950 yen

Homemade jam is sold in the store…To get to Rojisusagi, walk 3 minutes from the nearest station, Gion-Shijo Station on the Keihan Electric Railway line.

The Roujiusagi sells homemade jam in the store…

Handmade jams using seasonal fruits… The lineup that day included strawberries, figs, apples, and several other varieties. No additives are used, and the price is reasonable, starting at 350 yen per piece. They are also small in size, so they are unlikely to be left uneaten in the refrigerator. If you are one of those people who say, “bread eater at home,” please buy one and try it at home.

Here are the details of the store…

It takes 8 minutes on foot from Kyoto Kawaramachi Station on the Hankyu Railway line.