This restaurant near Kanazawa Castle and Kenrokuen Garden. I dine in here after visiting Kenrokuen Garden.
I don’t think any trip to Japan is really complete unless you’ve gone to an authentic Japanese restaurant (as opposed to specialty restaurants like Gyukatsu Kyoto Katsugyu or Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa). That’s why whenever I visit, I always go out of my way to try dining in one. This time around, I managed to come across Shiroyamatei after my visit to Kenrokuen Garden in Kanazawa.
My Shiroyamatei Dining Experience: Authentic Japanese Culinary Experience Near Kenrokuen Garden
It was lunch time when I visited so my companion ordered the Udon Lunch Set. At JPY1550, this was probably one of the most affordable meals I paid for on this trip. My companion said the udon noodles were chewy and the soup was flavorful. Other than the udon, the Jibuni also tasted great and the meal was just what my companion needed after our visit to Kenrokuen Garden.
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Since I was craving Japanese curry I decided to order the restaurant’s pork cutlet and curry rice set. All I can say is that this was one of the most filling meals I’ve had in this trip thus far. The pork cutlet was juicy and tender with the breading providing a crunchy texture to every bite I took. As for the curry, it really elevated the meal. It had just the right amount of sweetness and umami to balance the oiliness of the pork cutlet.
Briefly Talk About The Menu
Don’t panic if you don’t see any English translations when opening up the menu. Most Japanese establishments are likely going to have an English menu or translations of their menu items. If you’re handed one without any English translation then try asking staff as you might have been given a Japanese-only menu. Anyway, this picture shows the restaurant’s Amaebi Donburi which costs JPY1250 a la carte and JPY1800 if you buy the set meal.
Other options include udon/soba meals such as Jibuni, Umeoroshi, and Yukimi. If you want something cooler, there’s also a Mizore udon/soba meal option. Prices for these range from JPY850 (Umeoroshi) to as JPY1100 (Jibuni).
I know you’re probably asking, “what the heck is Jibuni?” Surprisingly, this section had an English description of what Jibuni is as well as pricing for a regular order.
Here we have the recommended section of the menu where Jibuni udon/soba is again mentioned. This time though, the restaurant also included instructions on how to best enjoy these Jibuni noodle dishes.
These are the restaurant’s other selection of udon/soba noodles. Of these, the Sansai soba and Tamago udon are probably the only two that I would’ve wanted to try. Hopefully I can come back and get down to tasting them some time in the future.
I was seriously contemplating getting the Amaebi donburi but I didn’t think my stomach could handle raw food when I ordered. That said, I’d definitely give the raw pink shrimps a try next time around.
Other than its noodles, I think the restaurant’s curry set meal selection is another of its strong points. Like I mentioned earlier, the curry by itself is really good. And while the curry and rice meal is solid, getting either the options with either the pork cutlet or fried shrimp might be better value for your money.
We’re now in the heavy hitters section of the restaurant’s menu and the first two lunch sets we see are the Kenroku and the Hakusan. As Jibuni (just like hotpot) is an integral part of Kanazawa cuisine, it’s heavily featured in both of these lunch sets. Kenroku is the cheaper of the two at JPY1650 while the Hakusan will set you back JPY2300.
Again another pair of lunch set options which feature Jibuni. They’re pretty much the same with the difference being the type of noodle used. As such, pricing between the two is also similar at JPY1600 for one order.
If you do decide to try Amaebi donburi then you might want to go for the first lunch set on this page. Aside from the Raw pink shrimp bowl, you also get an order of Jibuni and miso soup for JPY1800.
For diners looking for more familiar fare, the restaurant does have the Tonkatsu and Fried shrimp lunch sets that don’t feature any jibuni.
Now we’re finally at the desserts section and I must say the selection here is actually quite diverse. I’m not sure if Daikon Oroshi Mochi is a Kanazawa specialty but it sure looks appetizing. Aside from the Japanese desserts, there’s also soft ice cream that you can opt to top with either gold powder or gold foil (if you’re feeling a little extra).
While the gold-topped ice cream was undoubtedly novel (at least for a Japanese restaurant), it was the dango selections that really piqued my interest. The Matcha-an and Isobemaki were probably the two that I really wanted to try out the most.
The sundaes also looked very enticing. I was most definitely eyeing that Green Tea sundae which the picture admittedly doesn’t do any justice. Other than Green Tea, The Cold Zenzai and Red-bean Jam sundaes also seem like they’d also be good.
Not gonna lie, the non-alcoholic drinks selection isn’t really that exciting. There is variety here though as you can choose from soft-drinks, juices, as well as different kinds of tea. More importantly, the price is actually very affordable at least when compared to most of the specialty restaurants that I’ve been to.
On the flip side, the restaurant’s selection of alcoholic drinks is pretty limited (this is definitely far from those offered at the Kanazawa Gyoza Sakaba). Aside from beer (bottle and canned) and sake, there’s also shochu. To be fair though, the restaurant’s focus seems to mainly be on their food which they absolutely managed to do well.
My Shiroyamatei dining experience perfectly encapsulated my stay in Kanazawa. The food felt comforting and the ambience of the place reminded me of home. If you’re looking for an authentic Japanese culinary experience then you might want to look into this restaurant especially if you’re staying in Kanazawa.
