"Excuse me!" I said sliding the wooden door open and poking my head in. "We made a reservation..."
We were at Heianraku 平安楽, a small restaurant serving Chinese-style food run by a couple perhaps in their fifties.
This tiny establishment in Takayama city will not take more than a certain number of guests per meal time, so make sure to reserve your spot. They were full for dinner when we went and we had to go there for lunch the next day. The easiest way to reserve is to message them via Facebook Messenger. (English OK.) Unless you'd like to hit on that cute hotel concierge staff and need an excuse to talk to him/her...
I ordered vegan Hida-miso ramen (JPY900) and vegan gyoza (5pcs, JPY450) while my omnivorous parents had non-veg fried rice and non-veg gyoza.
I'll be honest. I found my ramen to be a little on the bland side. However, after adding 醤油 (soy sauce) it was decent. (My parents said theirs was good.)
What made the meal memorable was how cosy that place was (there was only one other guest), and the owners' hospitality towards us.
The female host, whom I shall call Okaasan, was very talkative and chatted to us about how they transited at Singapore on the way to Australia for their honeymoon, and how the Toyota Automobile Museum had classic cars worthy of Sherlock Holmes movies. (We told them we were from Singapore, and we were going to the Toyota Exhibition Hall.) Our male host and chef, whom I shall call Otousan, was more reserved.
They served us a bonus of appetizers consisting of a mini potato, two small squares of 油揚げ aburaage (deep fried tofu skin) and extra beansprouts. After our meal, they gave me vegan rice crackers and my parents chocolate treats.
They even presented my parents with hand towels after they used their (squat only) restroom!
When we were getting ready to leave for Toyota city, Okaasan tied a red thread to a five yen coin to signify her wish to meet us again and gave it to us. ("Five yen" 五円 has the same sound as "fate/destiny" ご縁 in Japanese.)
Five yen coin or not, I will definitely go back some day and soak in the warmth of that tiny restaurant in Takayama.
Address:
Heianraku
6 Chome-7-2 Tenman, Takayama, Gifu 506-0025, Japan
(Opposite Kokubunji Temple)
Address in Japanese:
平安楽
岐阜県高山市天満町6-7
Phone number:
（0577）32-3078
Website:
http://j47.jp/heianraku-takayama/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/heianraku.takayama
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