The Congif Table: A Kyoto Evening for Eighteen

Guests are met at the lane gate of a wooden townhouse in Gion and walk through the inner garden to a single long table set for eighteen. The evening opens with a standing pour of sake in the front room while the kitchen finishes. Service then runs to eight courses over roughly three hours, built around what came from the morning market, with each course introduced by the floor team and paced so the table talks between them. Halfway through, guests move outside for a short garden interval and a clear soup served standing. The last two courses return to the table, followed by tea on the edge of the tatami room. The kitchen comes out at the end, and the night closes without a bill at the table.