I would like to clear the air, I am no expert when it comes to anything culinary. At best, I can cook a knock-out Lasagna, but aside from that my culinary skills is average-and so is my taste. For a change in our itinerary, I recommended to the group that we try out this Italian restaurant that uses way too many veggies... How Healthy

Similar to our experience dining at Meriken Hayoba in Kobe, I made sure to book at least a week in advance via their instagram profile HERE just in case there's a bee line of people on the night we plan to have our dinner here. BUT WAIT, what is En Boca anyway?

"EMBOCA KYOTO is a restaurant that serves creative Italian cuisine using a wood-fired oven in an atmospheric space converted from a Kyoto machiya (traditional townhouse). As a popular restaurant originating from Matsumoto, Shinshu, it has earned high praise for its creative cuisine that makes the most of local vegetables and seasonal ingredients."

As I have mentioned, they use a LOT of vegetables in their cuisines, perfect for vegetarians, or those who simply want to manage their cholesterol levels. They have 2 branches, one in Nagano and one in Kyoto- the one that we visited. Their menu is a mix of course meals and ala carte, but since we aren't quite sure what to order, we opt to try the 6-meal course offering instead pero sa totoo lang tamad lang kami mag research.

Their specialty are pizzas ... with veggies

1st Course: Salad

A classic garden salad with a vinaigrette dressing and some strips of cold cuts ... for protein, I guess? Haha! It was fresh, light, and a perfect introduction to this gastronomic adventure NAKS!

2nd Course: Another Salad?

... or perhaps this is an apperitif? I'm not sure what category this one falls, but let me describe this dish: It's a platter of roasted veggies, with salt on the side for taste- it's as simple as that 💁 However, I appreciated this dish because the veggies do taste good because it's fresh, and roasted without causing so much burnt bits.

3rd Course: FISH!

FINALLY, SOME PROTEIN!!!

Understandably, it's tiny but I felt bitin or wanted more of it 😕 The fish is well seasoned, and that sprinkling of powder is miso which make it even more flavorful - NAKS!

4th Course: Soup

This one is creamy, tasty, and ... cold 😐 I understand that we had this during one of the hottest day of that summer season, but cold soup is not registering to me as an actual dish but instead, a dessert. Like most of the offerings, it was made of vegetables, and I remember it doesn't have any hint or taste of meat so I doubt they used Chicken or Pork stock. I didn't enjoy this one.

At least, Ken did.

5th Course: Pizzaaaa!

Their pizzas are big enough for 2, so if you want to try different flavors you can actually do half and half with this. The cheese mushroom pizza was DIVINE, really cheesy but not to the point that it feels too heavy. It was a different story for the bottom one, I don't even remember what it exactly it was, but I HATED IT hahaha! It tasted so weird, I think it had mint or something that doesn't really feel complementary to the whole pizza.

IT COMES WITH DRINKS!

With the Trinidads

You can choose between hot tea and an iced tea, both drinks weren't sweet FYI.

HAPPY ENDING: DESSERTS

IDK why Ken's ice cream even have a nest hahaha!

And the best Matcha dessert goes to this tiny Ganache masterpiece! Sweet, creamy, and a little bit of bitterness, I still have dreams about this dessert 😭😭😭

VERDICT???

Considering that we paid roughly Php 2-3,000 for a 6 course meal, I think it's a good deal since the food is nice, the staff are very accommodating whenever we have questions about the dishes, and I genuinely enjoyed it- except for the soup, I hated that 😖

Love Always,

Nicole