Scorpione

Delicious, well-executed Italian with a twist of French in Kyoto. In a nutshell, that's Scorpione, located in the Gion district. Excellent service, excellent food - highly recommended if you need a break from all the kaiseki and tofu in Kyoto (which we most definitely did).

Lunch appetizer plate - ratatouille, marinated seafood, cured meat, bean salad and curried mashed potato salad

Kyoto beef filet - amazingly tender and flavorful

Pan fried fish of the day - the skin was perfectly fried to a crisp and offered a wonderful complementary texture to the silky fish

Boullaibasse

Delicious strawberry shortcake dessert - everything about this dessert was perfect, from the gelato to the sweet strawberries to the buttery cake-biscuit

Food rating: ****
Bang for buck rating: 3

The essentials:
http://www.kiwa-group.co.jp/restaurant/i100085.html
Location: in Gion, Kyoto
Average price of lunch for two: 9000 yen (~$100)