As the name suggests, the signature menu item at ''Kyoto Karaage Specialty Store Hiraki'' (9 Babadori, Oiwake-cho, Kameoka City, Kyoto Prefecture) is fried chicken marinated overnight in Kyoto seasonings. For the soy sauce flavor, we use ''Kyomurasaki'' from Takemo Soy Sauce (Hozucho, Kameoka City), and for the salt flavor, we use ''Kotohiki Salt'' from Kyotango City. The batter is thin, but when you bite into it, you get a crunchy texture.
We are also particular about supporting roles. After slicing the cabbage for garnish, soak it in water and keep it in the refrigerator. ''It gives it a soft texture,'' said Kayoko Yasuoka, 61, a cook in Sonobe-cho, Nantan City, Kyoto Prefecture. To make the fried chicken less greasy, the set meal is served with a small bowl of grilled foods such as dried daikon radish or meat and potatoes. The rice is produced in Kamiyoshi, Yagi Town, and is purchased directly from farmers.
Since June last year, she has been with Yasuoka, her eldest daughter Saori Uchida (33 years old), her second twin daughter Kaoru Yasuoka (23 years old), and third daughter Aoi Yasuoka (23 years old). operate Kayoko Yasuoka is an excellent cook and has worked at various restaurants for over 20 years. All three of them loved her mother's cooking, and she said, ''I'd like to run a restaurant with her family someday,'' but Kayoko thought, ''I don't know how to run a business.It's not realistic.''
The turning point was two years ago in the fall. The store, which opened in February 2021 as a take-out service, was originally run by an acquaintance of Kayoko Yasuoka, who approached her to take over the business. She was hesitant, but her daughters encouraged her and told her, ''You just have to push through with what you want to do.''
Developed menus other than fried chicken, such as potato salad, dashi rolls, and oden. ''We want to value communication with our customers,'' so they set up chairs and tables to allow people to eat and drink inside the restaurant, and started serving alcohol at night. Saori-san runs the business, and Kaoru-san and Aoi-san are in charge of customer service. They are said to be operating the business by taking advantage of their respective areas of expertise.
It's been over 8 months since I took over. "We want to make this a restaurant that people across the country will think of as ''super famous fried chicken.'' Our family of four has big dreams.
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Kyoto Karaage specialty store opened (Hiraki) 1st floor, Uchida Building, 9 Babadori, Oiwake-cho, Kameoka-shi, Kyoto. Lunch hours are 11am to 2:30pm, and dinner hours are 4pm to 9pm (last orders 30 minutes in advance). Closed on Mondays. 0771(56)9691.
