Salao

If you picture ketchup-seasoned rice when you hear “Grown-Up Chicken Rice”, Salao’s version may surprise you: rice is stuffed inside the chicken. Diners describe crisp, browned skin paired with gently flavoured rice. Cut into the chicken and the rice is revealed; one diner also reported finding a quail egg inside. This signature dish is distinctive both in appearance and in the way the chicken and rice come together in each bite. The menu lists it with salad and soup.

Choosing a sauce is part of the appeal. Diners have reported trying mild or bitter demi-glace, as well as sauces with onion and truffle or tomato and basil; seasonal options have also been available. Starting with the classic demi-glace and trying another sauce next time leaves room to find a favourite.

There are plenty of alternatives to chicken rice, including a Tamba Highlands pork hamburg steak, Spanish chestnut-fed pork tonkatsu and lobster cream croquettes. Some diners have chosen the hamburg steak with either a bitter or sweeter sauce, while others have had the croquette as part of a Western-style plate. It is also a good option when you would like to choose from several dishes.

Course options range from a set with a choice of main and coffee or tea to a plan featuring pasta and a main. They can suit a leisurely meal with appetisers and soup, or a meal built around one particular dish. A children’s plate is also available, with hamburg steak, nuggets and a choice of rice or bread.

Salao is in Seimeicho, east of Yanagibanba-dori on Nijo-dori, in Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto. It serves both lunch and dinner, and the restaurant recommends booking for dinner. The listing states that payment is by cash only, so it is sensible to bring cash.