Yoshibe

The broth and the final course can shape the whole experience of hamo shabu. Yoshibe’s à la carte version is made with stock slowly drawn from grilled hamo bones, bonito and onion, and is also served with matsutake mushrooms and Kyoto Mibu greens. Diners who have tried a hamo course have praised the broth, as well as the simmered noodles served at the end. Courses offer a choice of noodles or rice porridge, so you can decide whether to finish with more of the hot pot’s flavours or with rice. For a broader taste of hamo, a full course also includes preparations such as tempura, charcoal-grilled hamo and lightly blanched hamo. Matsutake is a seasonal autumn offering, so check what is available for your dates.

Fugu takes centre stage in winter. Some courses featuring wild fugu include thinly sliced fugu, grilled fugu, fried fugu, fugu hot pot and rice porridge to finish; depending on the course, you can choose dishes such as grilled or fried fugu. One diner who enjoyed the full course recalled the charcoal-grilled fugu, having the hot pot served, and the final porridge. Shirako, or milt, is offered only for a limited period in winter, so check when booking if you have a particular dish in mind. Fin sake is another option with fugu: it appears on the course drinks list, and a diner who tried the full course remembered the fragrance of the fin.

At lunchtime, choices range from set meals such as sashimi and tempura to seasonal hamo shabu and fugu courses. Set meals suit a more straightforward lunch, while courses make room for a longer meal. The restaurant also has reservable private rooms and counter seating.