I received an email from S. Komatsu regarding my comment that they are no longer offering GF menu (see previous post). So good news to us, they still serve GF!
Here is an extract of Aki's reply:
....it is sad that we had to suspend the gluten-free menu. In reality we still do not use flours that contain gluten in our cooking but as making everything from scratch is so time consuming we have had to resort to buying in some products, like pickles and mentaiko, and therefore cannot guarantee that they are 100% gluten free. There were other issues that made it hard to continue, like inconsiderate guests who, for example, book in as a group of 5 but then only order 2 meals to share amongst them all! ! It is only a small restaurant and we try to make our meals accessible by keeping the prices down, but literally many more hours of work goes into making a stunning gluten-free meal than a regular meal so it is devastating when this is not appreciated, or worse, goes to waste! It is guests like this who ruin it for other guests who really would appreciate our cuisine, because it becomes financially unviable for us to continue. As a result, now we would only consider serving gluten free to guests who not only book in advance with this request but also truly appreciate what we do and accept our menu and pricing structure without pettiness. As you and your partner no doubt discovered, you will get your money's worth of fine dining!
Regards,
Totally agree with Aki that the meal was "stunning". Service was amazing. And they baked my bread right when I was there so that it was warm when I got it. I'd hate to see 5 people sharing 2 meals too... maybe those are poor students with no earnings. But in Japan (and in many places), it might not be too appropriate? Especially when it is just a small restaurant that serves amazing dishes. 5500yen for the meal I had at S. Komatsu, was really more than worth it =) It was a real enjoyable experience. I wish I went again when I was in Tokyo but I was in Tokyo for a few days only. I look forward to visiting again!!!
My GF buddies, if you visit them when you are in Tokyo, you can enjoy a carefree traditional Jap dinner in a very private setting, friendly service.
Thanks S. Komatsu's team =)
Thank you so much!! I'm a newcomer to Japan and I never fathomed how difficult it would be to remain gluten-free here! Can you recommend any places to eat in Kyoto? I'm not celiac, so a little gluten used in sauces is OK, but I've been eating nothing but curry rice since I got here and I'm not feeling too good at all! Any info about Kyoto dining would be extremely appreciated. And I look forward to trying out S. Komatsu when in Tokyo!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your message. When I visited Kyoto, I didnt have the allergy...
ReplyDeleteI tried searching for a bit online but haven't found anything useful yet.
Good luck with your search!! Do keep me posted if you found anything helpful! =)