The syncretic Japanese promised land Furusato (ふる里) offers authentic Japanese homespun meals. How about some whale bacon?
“Welcome home!” Japanese waiters shouted at me as I walked into Furusato. NO, THEY DIDN’T.
The truth is that the restaurant was definitely chilled and homey as its name Furusato (ふる里) means “hometown” in Japanese. An under-the-radar, family-owned Japanese izakaya is what Furusato is all about. It certainly looked to be functioning as a home to seemingly-many customers.
Furusato’s cozy dining room.
A food menu leaning on a table next to me like the Torah.
The total of three food menus offered a range of options. The menus seem to have almost everything one Japanese could hope for. I would call them the Bible of Japanese comfort food.
The second menu. Yakitori 2:1, Hotpot 2:2, Live-fire cooking 2:3, From the griddle 2:4, Tempura 2:5, Salad 2:6, and Rice 2:7.
The third menu. Drinks 3:1 Fried food 3:2, Appetisers 3:3, and Stir fried food 3:4. *The last judgment about your food must be made by 0:50.
Just when the menus started to look like TaNaK to my confused syncretic eyes, I stopped reading and praying and confessed my desires out loud: “potato salad,” “fried tofu,” and “egg roll” (not knowing if they could make it happen). My waiter said, “coming right up.” And I thought, “Amen.”
Potato salad with thinly sliced cucumbers and onions. Light on mayonnaise, moderately salty, and immaculately homemade.
Fried tofu (agedashi tofu / 揚げ出し豆腐). Tofu tempura cubes soaked in dashi broth. I savored the miracle when the tempura stayed crunchy in the broth. Jesus.
Japanese egg roll (dashimaki / だし巻き). It’s more common as “omelet roll” in proper English (who cares). It was umami-packed layers of dashi-flavored custardy eggs.
By the time I finished the trinity of the Japanese appetizer combo, two more missions had arrived from the ocean: Whale bacon and seared bonito.
Whale bacon. These fishy, edible eraser slices tasted paradoxically innovative. I want to believe that this 100% pure whale bacon has the potential to take over 100% fake plant-based vacon. It’s just that 2022 is not the whacon’s moment yet, alphabetically so.
Seared bonito (bonito tataki / 鰹のたたき). Fresh, meaty, and elegantly smokey. It was perfection with ponzu sauce and the zing of punchy garnishes such as ginger, leak, and onion.
Furusato’s seafood came out even better from the fryer. Baby ayu tempura confirmed Furusato’s persuasion to make tempura right. Panko-fried pike eel showed Furusato’s versatile orientation toward Japanese Western food (yoshoku / 洋食 in Japanese).
Baby ayu tempura.
Panko-fried pike eel with tartar sauce. I would’ve appreciated it more if it was tempura. But, challenge accepted. The only failure was that I forgot to order fries and beers.
Instead, I ordered a Kyoto City-famous glass of watermelon chuhai (酎ハイ). This handcrafted cocktail holds half a watermelon in one glass. Totally worth it.
Furusato is disguised in a dowdy fashion and looks like serving homespun meals. But the reality is, an average home-cooked meal is no match for any creation of omniscient Furusato. I extremely thank you for the food. I guess I found the Japanese promised land.
The promised land is on the third floor of Torii Building (鳥居ビル) in Shijo Omiya (四条大宮). You will find your home there.
Furusato (ふる里) | 478 Tatsunakacho, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto, 〒600-8490, Japan
Potato salad: ¥321 / $2.50 / £2 / €2.30
Fried tofu: ¥390 / $3 / £2.40 / €2.80
Japanese egg roll: ¥440 / $3.40 / £2.80 / €3.10
Whale bacon: ¥440 / $3.40 / £2.80 / €3.10
Seared bonito: ¥640 / $4.90 / £4 / €4.50
Baby ayu tempura: ¥590 / $4.50 / £3.70 / €4.20
Panko-fried pike eel: ¥540 / $4.20 / £3.40 / €3.90
Watermelon chuhai: beyond ¥440 / $3.40 / £2.80 / €3.10
Furusato (ふる里) | 478 Tatsunakacho, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto, 〒600-8490, Japan
