BENOIT Kyoto: French fare at The Hotel Seiryu Kyoto Kiyomizu

The Hotel Seiryu Kyoto Kiyomizu

Kyoto is a beautiful place, and it has no shortage of fine dining establishments. 

While in Japan, the husband and I decided to try out BENOIT Kyoto, a French restaurant located at The Hotel Seiryu Kyoto Kiyomizu.

Gates to The Hotel Seiryu Kyoto Kiyomizu

Similar to LIAISON, and PRESQUILE, these restaurants, while based in Japan, serve French cuisine. During our visit, however, the server confirmed that the ingredients originate from both France and Japan.

Entrance to BENOIT Kyoto

BENOIT Kyoto

Inside, BENOIT Kyoto is cosy but maintains a luxurious feel – the floor to ceiling glass walls allow in ample sunlight, and is overall brightening.

Seating Area

We were given a seat right by the glass wall, which had a stunning view of the Hokan-ji Temple (Yasaka Pagoda). 

View of Hokan-ji Temple

That day, we were literally the first to arrive during lunch hour – while these pictures depict an empty restaurant, it quickly filled up soon after pictures were taken.

I love the dangly lights

For those readers who’ve requested this (you know who you are), here’s the bag of the day.

Hermes Birkin 30 in Rose Extreme

American Express: Global Dining Credits

BENOIT Kyoto participates in the American Express Global Dining credit benefit. With the American Express Platinum Charge Card, card holders can enjoy S$200 worth of Global Dining credits every year – out of which S$100 has to be spent between January to June, and S$100 between July to December. 

In Japan, the booking has to be done via Pocket Concierge.

Ready to Dine

When we booked, Pocket Concierge requested that we put a deposit – the basic cost of our set lunch (use the Platinum Charge card) – this is just to protect the restaurant in the event of no-show.

When you actually dine in, should the final amount be more than the deposit – the restaurant will adjust the amount and in our case we just settled the difference.

We requested that all payment be made via Pocket Concierge, and never had a problem with receiving the dining credits after. Transactions made through Pocket Concierge are valid and will trigger the offer.

Inspired by this post and want to apply for an American Express credit card? Apply through one of my referral links and receive either bonus Membership Rewards points or statement credit:

• The Platinum Charge Card: Use this referral link and receive up to S$100 statement credits and 100,000 airmiles (in the form of 160,000 Membership Rewards points) when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
• The American Express Platinum Card: Use this referral link and receive up to S$250 statement credits when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
• American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card: Use this referral link and receive up to 40, 000 Krisflyer miles and S$50 statement credits when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met. 

Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed on this page are that of Happy High Life and may not necessarily reflect the position of American Express. Happy High Life is not responsible for any decisions made by readers. The terms and conditions for each credit card's application and usage may be subject to change by American Express. Therefore, readers are recommended to check any matters with American Express or its partners; the list of all benefits of the Platinum Charge Card can be found here.

Settling in for lunch

To start, the server brought us some complimentary Choux Pastries. 

Tiny and bite-sized

These were flavoured with cheese and pepper.

Soft and savoury

The husband and I ordered wine. Cause why  not.

Alcohol makes everything taste better

And of course, complimentary bread and butter. 

My weakness

French lunch course meal

Our food quickly arrived, beginning with the Starters.

Starters

My husband had ordered an Octopus-based starter.

Cookpot of small spelt, octopus, and seasonal mushrooms

The octopus was warm, slightly gamey and fresh. It was chewy but the barley-like spelt underneath was equally chewy and somehow the consistent texture all blends together. The mushrooms carried a grass-wild aroma and that flavour just infused all the grains below. 

Quite a mix of mushroom species there

Myself, I went for a literal slab of meat pâté – basically a terrine served with salad and more bread (but toasted).

This was a VERY meaty pâté; slightly heavy to the palate in itself, but with the sides, the taste is lifted with bit of sour pickles and lightly dressed veggies. And of course, toast for crunch.

Country terrine, seasonal salad, and toasted bread

Our mains soon followed after the starters.

Catch of the day, broccoletti and citrus, champagne sauce

The fish and vegetables option sounded excellent – and indeed it was. According to the server, the fish is a Hirame species, and usually, it is not so thick as the one they serve. This indicates that the fish is either big or old (or both). 

At any rate, the fish, when paired with the slightly charred citrus fruit was heavenly and added character to the champagne sauce. The fish was super duper soft! It contrasted well with green vegetables that were somehow roasted till all the insides’ natural flavour came out.

Soft. Flakey. Melty.

And we had a bit of beef with the other main dish.

Ox cheek cooked with red wine, and carrots from Kyoto

This was pieces of Ox, drenched in meat sauce. The meat all around was smooth and succulent and soft. There was a lot of grease but 100% worth the calories; the taste more than made up for it. 

Do not focus on the grease. Do not focus on the grease.

And like any good French restaurant, dessert should be a wonderful treat in itself.

Desserts

I asked the server to recommend a popular / signature dessert, and was informed that their Traditional Millefeuille had always been well-received by diners.

Traditional Millefeuille

The server definitely wasn’t kidding. Super thick and rich cream, with extremely flakey pastry – flavourful but not too buttery rich – the slightly crunchy flakes just married those creamy layers into a wonderful dessert bliss.

Flakey

The husband, who loves cream puffs, went for the Profiteroles.

Profiteroles with hot chocolate sauce

These were mind blowing in a good way.

For one, we believe we tasted vanilla bean in the gentle cream. And for another – THE CHOCOLATE SAUCE OMG – these were drenched with hot Narajan chocolate sauce. Much thicker, more bitter, and more ‘adult’ than regular hot sauce, it elevated the seemingly simple cream puff to a level of sophistication I couldn’t imagine.

Can I turn back time, just to have this again?

I’m going to be dreaming of these desserts for a while.

a messy affair

It was a wonderful meal, and we ended it with good coffee and an even better piece of madeleine. 

Complimentary Madeleine. And Cafe Latte (part of set lunch)

A truly lovely meal, and hopefully we would have the chance to return to Kyoto again for this, someday. 

American Express Platinum Charge Card (Image source: American Express)

Inspired by this post and want to apply for an American Express credit card? Apply through one of my referral links and receive either bonus Membership Rewards points or statement credit:

• The Platinum Charge Card: Use this referral link and receive up to S$100 statement credits and 100,000 airmiles (in the form of 160,000 Membership Rewards points) when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
• The American Express Platinum Card: Use this referral link and receive up to S$250 statement credits when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
• American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card: Use this referral link and receive up to 40, 000 Krisflyer miles and S$50 statement credits when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met. 

Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed on this page are that of Happy High Life and may not necessarily reflect the position of American Express. Happy High Life is not responsible for any decisions made by readers. The terms and conditions for each credit card's application and usage may be subject to change by American Express. Therefore, readers are recommended to check any matters with American Express or its partners; the list of all benefits of the Platinum Charge Card can be found here.

Want more of HappyHighLife? Follow me on Social Media!