Kyoto 京都: Gion Duck Rice || Gion

Gion Duck Rice in Kyoto is a sister restaurant to the viral Gion Duck Noodles, the menu uses French cooking techniques to balance with the rich Japanese local flavours. It transforms a classic duck hitsumabushi meal into a fun, interactive, hands-on food experiment. It is a little cosy restaurant which has only 7 seaters. We were lucky enough to get our seats directly without queuing as we visited during off-peak hours. The staffs are very friendly, welcoming, entertaining and attentive who can provides clear explanations in English from introducing the menu to the ultimate ways on how to enjoy the duck hitsumabushi. The service was really top notch. 

The ordering menu is super cute - full of emojis like duck, rice, uni, ikura, truffle, heart, shopping bags (takeaways) and smiley face (special with extra duck slices). 

 We ordered the Duck + Rice + Uni + Ikura set for 3135yen (included tax).

There are many ways to enjoy the duck hitsumabushi. Firstly, enjoy the premium duck which is tender and delicious on its own. 

The 3 artisanal seasonings (rare grape sansho, citrusy yuzu powder and homemade black shichimi) were served in glass test tubes instead of the usual bottle or jars. 

Then elevate the experience by adding the 3 signature spices: rare grape sansho (the world's finest "green diamond" prized for its refreshing, vibrant aroma), yuzu powder and the earthy black shichimi powder. The duck natural sweetness truly comes alive when paired with these vibrant, aromatic spices. 

Lastly, complete the culinary journey with a comforting bowl of dashi chazuke by using the freshly brewed bonito flakes dashi soup, featuring a richly fragrant dashi stock.  

The star of the course is the tender, low-temperature cooked high quality Wakayama duck loin, caramelized and beautifully served in a wooden box. The Kishu duck loin is exceptionally soft, tender and moist. 

And Of course, not to forget about ordering a bottle of Gion Duck Beer (1485yen included tax) to complete the meal too!

ごちそうさまでした. Thank you for the delicious foods! We were having lots of fun and enjoyable lunch here. The duck hitsumabushi is like a piece of art decorated so beautifully, not only attractive but very tasty too. The presentation is undoubtedly striking enough to stimulate the appetite. 

Gion Duck Rice

大文字ビル 282-7, Gionmachi Kitagawa, Higashiyama Ward, 605-0073 Kyoto, Japan

There is the Gion Duck Noodles shop located down the little narrow path next to the Gion Duck Rice shop. If you are not keen in having the duck with rice then you may go for the noodles version.