Nara is one of these places that almost every school children in Japan goes to visit at one point and it’s a must see. On our first night in Nara we decided to go the locavore way with a friend who was born in Nara and went to Awa in Naramichi which is famous for using the best Yamato vegetables and meat. Yamato is the old name of Nara.
Awa Naramichi is a beautiful restaurant located in the picturesque area of Naramichi. This is by far my favorite area of Nara.
We ate on the second floor
We ordered the beef menu which started with a platter full of small dishes.
Roast beef, ferns, pumpkin, konyaku, I got lost in the detailed description, but everything was really good.
More Yamato vegetables in a broth which was thicken with kuzu starch.
Yamato beef with a generous portion of Yamato vegetable.
The local beef is very tender and barely needed to be cooked.
Somen with a soy milk soup.
I forgot to take a pic of the red Nara rice, sorry.
The dessert was very simple: chocolate cake and a strawberry.
Awa is a fun restaurant with a good selection of local sake. They explained every single dishes in great details. It’s not a gimmick, the Yamato vegetables are really delicious.
You can read about the source of every single ingredients and see who produces them. If you plan to go, reserve early.
Awa Naramichi
http://kiyosumi.jp/awa-naramachi/
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