［The WebLeaf staff headed to Sanjo Yanagibaba for [pickles x koji Haccomachi].

This very stylish store is actually a new brand of "Kyoto Ichinoden," which has been in business for more than 90 years and is famous for its Saikyo pickles. In addition to fermentation, the company knows that the "pickling" process of Saikyo zuke not only enhances preservation, but also brings out the flavor of the ingredients themselves, making them even more delicious. While the quality of Japanese food is being reevaluated around the world, in recent years, the culture of Japanese food, including fermented foods, has become distorted due to the influx of Western food culture and changing lifestyles. This is why we decided to open this café.

Incidentally, the name "Haccomachi" is a combination of the words "fermentation" and "Komachi," which means a beautiful woman.

Now let's go inside the restaurant.

The fermented foods used here are mainly those born in Kyoto. The "bean sprouts (tane koji)" are the koji mold that produces "koji," an essential ingredient in miso, soy sauce, and vinegar. Amazake and shio koji are made from rice koji produced by "Hishiroku," a long-established koji maker located in Matsubara Higashi-iru, Yamato-oji, which has been producing such bean sprouts (seed koji) for over 300 years.

They also use many other fermented foods that are rooted in Kyoto and have been loved for many years. Here are some of them...
You can taste the whole flavor of soybeans.Kyo natto (fermented soybeans) from Fujiwara Foods
The taste of "Marusawa" has been passed down from generation to generation.Sawai Shoyu Honten Soy Sauce
Sake brewery in Fushimi that has been in existence since the Edo periodKitagawa Honke Sake
Mild taste and aroma.Chidori vinegar from "Murayama Zouzu
They use such things as

I had no idea that Kyoto has so many fermented foods that have been loved for years...that alone is a learning experience!

Now, let's have lunch. First came the lunch plate, which offers a wide variety of ingredients.

Appetizers on the top line of the plate include, from left, tofu topped with sesame green tea miso, grilled vegetables marinated in balsamic vinegar, egg yolk marinated in miso, cured ham wrapped in cheese, and onions marinated in dashi soy sauce. The colorful vegetables on the left are served with red miso sauce for dipping. For the main course, juicy tandoori chicken marinated in yogurt for tenderness, and swordfish tuna marinated in olive oil and salted malt, served with lemon salt to taste. In addition, mixed rice, grated betara-zuke soup, and homemade rice malt amazake are served.

The lunch plates are rich in items that are good for the body, and all are made with a focus on "fermentation. This is a very satisfying lunch plate that will satisfy your desire to eat a variety of foods in small portions. The tandoori chicken is tender and the more you bite into it, the more delicious it tastes. Even if you eat a lot of food, the fact that it is mainly fermented food will ease your guilt!

There was also a Bowl full of fermented foods that go well with white rice, including a mild amazake and coconut milk-based amazake and shottu coconut curry with spices and seasonings, natto, salmon with white miso nameko sauce, and cured ham and cucumber with soy bean sauce.

The coconut milk base makes it gentle enough for even children to enjoy, but the fish sauce "Shotsuru" adds depth to the gentle curry. Enjoy the change of taste by pouring on the optional "amazake" (sweet sake).

Whether you prefer to mix it all at once or enjoy each portion a little at a time, a healthy Bowl is now available! Fujiwara Foods' Kyo Natto, which is used, allows you to feel the depth of the original soybeans in the natto (courtesy of Pickled x Koji Haccomachi).

They also had a drink menu where you could compare amazake drinks, so we decided to try that as well!

We tasted their homemade amazake, which is made in the restaurant. It is additive-free, and the base of the amazake, a cup of impressive sweetness with a hint of grains of rice, is made by letting it sit for a day. To this, kinako (soybean flour), lemon, and "Sawai Soy Sauce" re-finished soy sauce are added, allowing the taste to change little by little. The soy sauce tastes as if you are eating a Mitarashi dumpling. I felt as if I was eating a sweet.

Next, we were introduced to recommendations from the dinner menu, which offers approximately 20 types of food and 10 types of drinks.

The Yuzuan spare ribs are slowly marinated in white miso, and from the moment they arrive, you can smell the aroma of miso! After a hearty bite, enjoy a glass of Blue Moon beer, which is said to be the No. 1 selling beer in the U.S., or for those who prefer a sweeter drink, a sour made from Umenoyado Shuzo's Aragoshi Momo (a type of grape variety made from the Japanese sake). Salmon with white miso nameko sauce, which is mixed with yogurt sauce and served like tartar sauce, is wrapped in nori (seaweed). For dessert, the amazake affogato with blackcurrant and vanilla, served over ice cream and warm amazake, is also recommended at 550 yen. Unlike the lunch menu, the dinner menu offers a variety of food items that go perfectly with the drinks, and I found myself wanting more and more of it!

Last but not least is a menu item that can also be taken out. Miso pound cake is perfect for a small gift. This is a collaboration with "Sarasa," which operates six cafes and other stores in Kyoto City. It is kneaded with rice malt powder from "Hishiroku" and has a moist texture. The presence of kintoki-mame (red kidney beans) and the salty miso flavor combine to enhance the moderate sweetness of the pound cake.

Eat-in customers will also be served with vanilla ice cream.

The WebLeaf staff was very satisfied, but at the end of the day, we decided to take home a seasonal fruit vinegar soda that we were interested in (take-out products will not be available until March).

The soda drink is made with homemade syrup made from seasonal fruits, and mandarin oranges were used at the time of our visit. Chidori vinegar is used here, so it is a fermented drink with a history! They also offer other hot drinks made with homemade syrup soaked in the store.

Miso, soy sauce, mirin, sake, natto... Fermented foods are very familiar to those who eat Japanese food on a daily basis. However, if you don't eat them consciously, there are not many opportunities to learn about their charms. When I visited Haccomachi and tried some of the fermented foods, I was surprised to see how many different arrangements there are for fermented foods! I was surprised at how many different ways fermented foods can be arranged. The WebLeaf staff was very satisfied with the food, drinks, and sweets that were not only good for your health, but also looked gorgeous and tasted great.

WebLeaf staff members tend to have irregular diets, but if we can eat out and still enjoy healthy foods, we may feel a little less guilty! I want to repeat this on my way home from work. We hope that everyone will take note of the "pickles x koji Haccomachi" cafe, where you can enjoy fermented foods in style.

All prices are tax included.
*Takeout items will be available from March onward. Contact the store for details.