If you turn south from Kyoto's bustling 'Fifth Avenue' and walk along Kiyamachi Street beside the shallow Takasegawa Canal, you'll feel as if you've stumbled upon a secret part of the city.

Kiyamachi suddenly stops being a jumble of pubs and clubs, transforming into a quiet, almost provincial street lined with low, two-story houses. Adding to its charm are the tall, ancient enoki trees (known outside of Japan primarily to botanists as 'Chinese hackberry'); some of them even have plaques detailing their place in Kyoto's and Japan's history.

About two hundred meters south of the iconic café 'efish,' which closed not long ago, you'll find a building that immediately stands out thanks to its unusual appearance: gray-blue cement walls with large windows. On the second floor there is a tattoo studio, as indicated by a bright sign on the glass, and on the first floor, there's an unmarked restaurant. Only a small, stylish logo on the door hints at the trendy minimalism within.

This unassuming minimalism, however, should not be misleading: this is one of Kyoto's best restaurants, where one can study the latest trends in the contemporary culinary scene. Here are just a few: organic vegetables from the restaurant’s own garden, a separate menu for vegans, wood-fired grilling, specialty coffee, original craft drinks, and, of course, a signature menu. Its author is Chef Hirotake Nagano, who has 25 years of experience working in the finest French restaurants in Osaka and Kyoto after an internship in Alsace.