SADLY, KYO YA IS NOW CLOSED.
I officially fell in love with Kyo Ya. It’s more refined than the izakayas (Japanese pubs that serve traditional bar food), but much more approachable and interesting than the big expensive Japanese restaurants (Megu and Nobu, I’m talking to you guys!)
The second Kyo Ya dish on the list is their famous Sweet Potato Tempura. Now I’ve had tempura many times and while it’s light and tasty, it’s never been my favorite. And I often feel the meat or vegetable that has been fried (or tempura-ed, if you will) gets lost in the greasy batter.
Alas, I had never had a tempura experience like this. They present you with a half of a sweet potato that has been steamed twice and then fried just enough to give the potato a crispy outer layer. The amazing part of the process is that you can still taste the potato. In fact, I think it brings the flavors out even more.
It’s served with two items for dipping – a delicious soy sauce and Mongolian salt. We were instructed to sample both options separately. The salt didn’t do a whole lot for me and while I liked the soy sauce flavor, this sweet potato didn’t need it.
The presentation was beautiful and the flavors were tender and simple, bringing out the potato’s natural sweetness and starchiness. Kyo Ya is my new favorite discovery and I think I may have to move in.
Would Kyo Ya’s famous sweet potato tempura make my Top 100 of the year? It seems like anything this place puts out is a home run and the tempura is no exception. It gets an 8 out of 10 for being incredibly rich, light, tender, and sweet, not to mention delicious.
