Canton Shunsai Ikki

At a glance, Canton Shunsai Ikki might seem like it’s cut from a template for how all Chinese restaurants look in Kyoto, but its authentic Guangdong dishes, packed with chili-based flavors, are there on their own landscape. The chef behind this Michelin-approved joint had trained in Guangdong, a province that occupies the coastal part of South China. His cooking excites with regional spices that pack the punch, but a few elements are still staples to Kyoto. Appetizers arrive in eclectic mamezara and might include a lineup of plump firefly squid, yuba with sansho sauce and jellyfish brightened with lemon. The menu is shared between delicacies — dried abalone simmered in oyster sauce and shark fin soup — and heartier Chinese fares of shrimp tossed with XO sauce, glossy mapo tofu and Cantonese fried rice. It might garner a cult status in the neighborhood, but the chef and wife’s hospitality invites diners to come back for more. Michelin Guide accolade 2024 - Bib Gourmand