There’s a little restaurant in the middle of Kyoto with a name that caught my eye. Lorimer. Strange name for a Japanese restaurant in Japan. And as someone who lived just a couple blocks from Lorimer St in Brooklyn, it didn’t take long to put the pieces together. Lorimer Kyoto is related to a little Japanese restaurant called Okonomi, right off Lorimer on Ainslie St in Williamsburg. Their menus are parallel, focusing on breakfast sets with market fresh fish and delicately composed side dishes (though, looking at the Kyoto prices against the Brooklyn one hurts).

Lorimer is special, tucked away on a fairly quiet block away from the traffic on the main street. The storefront is, like many Kyoto establishments, understated, easy to miss if you don’t know what you’re looking for. A small wooden sign hangs by the door, with the iconic fish-in-bowl logo (with the kanji character for fish). Inside, the bi-level space feels like a homey sanctuary. A couple tables by the front plant-lined window, some bar seating along the open kitchen and a quiet garden in the back. The menu is simultaneously consistent and constantly changing. The format is simple: a place with rice and 3-5 sides, miso soup and rice. The fish varies each day, usually with a couple different choices. And a few different add ons from donburi to sashimi. Everything is made to order with the craft and attention that captures Japanese culinary culture in a pure way.