I want to introduce Fuyouen, a Chinese restaurant in downtown Kyoto that I ate at during my trip to Kyoto. My impression of the food was light but full of flavor.
Chinese food in downtown Kyoto
Chinese food in Kyoto has characteristics that are unique to the city.
The following three are some of those characteristics.
- No use of garlic or other pungent spices
- Preference for chicken over pork or beef
- The moderate use of oil
The old way of life of the Kyoto people has nurtured their unique Chinese cuisine.
- Influence of Buddhism and Shintoism
- Permeating the lives of the inhabitants
These are the influences of the lifestyle of the Kyoto people. Chinese food in downtown Kyoto has developed because ordinary people love it. If you travel to Kyoto, please try Chinese food in Kyoto.
Fuyouen
Fuyouen is a long-established Cantonese restaurant that opened in 1955.
The restaurant is located about a 5-minute walk south of the Shijo-Kawaramachi intersection.
A red sign with “Fuyouen（芙蓉園）” written in white Japanese characters hung at the restaurant’s entrance.
Upon entering the restaurant, there were three tables and a small counter. Behind the counter is the cooking area. In the kitchen, the owner was cooking one dish at a time. I ordered the 4,000 yen course meal.
4,000 yen course meal
Appetizer
Century eggs and Vinegared jellyfish
The first dish was plump and juicy peeled century eggs. Century eggs are a Chinese food made by aging duck eggs under strongly alkaline conditions.
The white meat was jelly-like, and the yolk was tender. The taste was rich and slightly salty. I did not notice any odor characteristic of century egg.
Shumai and Grilled pork
Shumai is a Chinese dumpling made of ground pork wrapped in a flour skin and steamed.
Both dishes were homemade. The shumai was tender and juicy. The grilled pork made from “Kyoto pork” was excellent, with a delicious meat flavor and fat sweetness.
Shark fin soup
Eggs and shark fin are the ingredients of this soup.
The flavor of this soup was light, but the texture of the shark fin was well-matched with the thick broth.
Spring rolls
The spring rolls were cut into bite-sized pieces.
The “Kyoto Spring Roll” is characterized by being stuffed with bamboo shoots. In addition to bamboo shoots, the ingredients included shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, green onions, and pork. The skin was crispy, and the filling was crunchy. The spring rolls at this restaurant were elegantly seasoned and tasted good without sauce.
Fried egg with chicken（Hou-Oh-Tan）
This dish is a specialty of Fuyouen. It is written in Japanese as “鳳凰蛋,” which is read as “Hou-Oh-Tan.”
It was stir-fried chicken and onions seasoned with chicken broth and covered with a half-boiled egg. The ingredients and seasoning were simple, but the sweetness of the onions and the flavor created by the chicken broth were superb. I thought it would be delicious over cooked rice.
Chinese sandwich
This dish was served on Chinese bread with Dongpo meat.
The large chunks of pork and greens on the plate are the ingredients for the Chinese sandwich.
The Chinese bread had a chewy texture.
The bread enhanced the flavor of the Dongpo meat.
Wok-fried large shrimp and Green vegetables with XO Sauce
All the ingredients were stir-fried in colorful XO sauce.
The shrimp were plump, and the vegetables were crunchy.
Sweet and sour pork
It was sweet-and-sour pork with big pieces of meat.
The pork thigh was juicy with little fat. The lightly seasoned sauce brought out the full flavor of the meat.
Chinese-style candied sweet potatoes
A thick, sweet juice was on the sweet potato. The juice is molasses made by boiling down sugar and water.
The crispy fried sweet potatoes were very tender. The sweetness of the sweet potato was what made this dish so wonderful.
Almond Jerry
Almond Jerry is a traditional Chinese dessert. It is made of apricot kernels and milk with sugar and hardened with agar or gelatin.
This dessert was gently sweet and filled with fruit.
The food served at Fuyouen was low in oil and almost free of spices, so I enjoyed every last morsel. The 4,000 yen course was excellent for the money, and I was full. The Chinese food in downtown Kyoto was as good as they say. If you travel to Kyoto, please try Chinese food in Kyoto.
