Bu Pun Su

After nearly 3 years, I finally made a return to Japan this Summer. Unlike my previous visits, this time I came with my parents, spouse and son. It was still a very fun visit but as far as the food’s concerned, I had limited opportunity to dine at (many) “elite” restaurants. Even worse, I only had about 1+ month to search for restaurants thus many of the places I initially asked had been fully booked. One of the gastronomy places I managed to get in was Narisawa. I brought my father to this restaurant as it could cater to my dad’s dietary restrictions best. Narisawa caught my attention when it has been consistently ranked high in “best 50 Asia restaurants”. Then, I think he’s the only chef I knew that had been trained by all 3 of Gault Millau’s chefs of the century. With such pedigree, theoretically, Narisawa-san had to be able to produce fantastic meals. So, how was it? The dishes that I really liked were … -2 of his signature dishes were splendid. The bread of the forest, freshly baked table side for 12 minutes in the hot stone was great in both texture and flavor. In addition, there was high quality butter covered by black olive and green moss – this made the bread even more enjoyable. Another classic was Sumi beef; in my case, it was the rump steak from Kobe (prepared sous-vide) coated by leek ash, resembling charcoal. The middle part was perfectly pink with tender texture and delicate flavor, intensified by the sauce, which was concentrated and refined. -For the soup dish, Chef Narisawa showed that he’s more than able to create top traditional Japanese dish. The dashi was clean, clear and flavorful like the one you would normally get at high-end kaiseki places. The main ingredient was Nodoguro with crispy skin, tender & ‘fatty’ meat. Furthermore, there were shinjo dumpling and junsai. -The 2nd fruit-based (the 1st one was so-so) dessert was simple and good. Caramelized peach pine (like soft pineapple) was not overly sweet, accompanied by perfect mango sorbet and sauce from oak and cedar whiskey. A nice way to end the meal These were very good dishes though not spectacular The rests (as you could see from the pictures – please check the link) were mostly alright. Several of them were more beautiful than delicious – still appreciate the hard work & effort the kitchen team put on creating those dishes. The positive part … many of the creations were playful and innovative; good for fun experience (and probably for ‘instagram’?) The service was fabulous; for me, this aspect was even slightly better than the food. Staffs were attentive, friendly and professional. My “maître d’” really paid attention to my father requests and Narisawa + team delivered with flying color. He mastered the details of the dishes well and answered any questions with ease – I could not recall the time when he’s unsure or had to check something with the kitchen. For the drink, I shared small portion of sake with my dad at the beginning. Then, I also tried a couple glasses of local wine … pleasant discovery. For instance, Toriivila ’16 with Koshu grape and tasted like Riesling; Inemankai (red sake) imitated the red wine taste and it accompanied my beef dish, a decent ‘pairing’ All in all, it’s not a bad meal at all. Narisawa deserved its 2-star Michelin. Yoshihiro-san had his concept + belief and he stick with them (beneficial and sustainable gastronomy). I think the restaurant can get better though I may not immediately return here in the future. It’s certainly a friendly place to foreigners and the booking was not complicated at all Pictures of the meal: https://www.flickr.com/photos/7124357@N03/albums/72157702390761015/with/30332241267/

As a (big) fan of gastronomy, it’s normal that I want to visit as many different restaurants as possible – in reality mainly Europe (and Japan). Often, the time and logistics prevented me from doing that. Sometimes, I think I even “failed” to dine at the places when the legendary chefs were still active in their kitchen such as the restaurants of Michel Bras, Harald Wohlfahrt etc. However, in May this year, I managed to dine (twice!) at Michel Guerard. Getting into Eugenie-les-Bains was certainly not easy, so I decided to stay there as well for convenience. The food was indeed fabulous. It’s been a while when I had a meal in France, but outside Paris that’s immediately got absolute 3-star (or “four”) in my notes. On the first night, my memorable dishes were mainly coming from the Chef’s Guerard’s classics: -delicate ravioli, filled with numerous earthy Morels and some Girolles, inside rich and creamy soup. There were also asparagus and black truffle. Everything worked well together – a perfect embodiment of silky and smooth creation of Michel Guerard -lightly poached lobster (in small portion sadly) was tender and delicious, covered by butter and herb sauce. Equally exceptional item was the side dish: sweet onion integrated with glazed peach and parmesan cheese; complex yet balance with deep flavor and slight acidity I was told that these 2 dishes were guaranteed to always be available all year. Yes, it means the restaurant bought lots of morels and had to preserve them -somehow, I loved this dish called Truffle zephyr. Essentially, it was an airy, light and ethereal floating island (white cream filled with intoxicating black truffle coulis) having deep flavor of ‘cold soup’. The soup was made of creamy leek, onion and potato – delicate and flavorful. The first few bytes were unforgettable … -dessert lover would usually come here specifically to savor the marquis de bechamel aka “ugly souffle”. The combinations of flavor and textures from soft cake, caramel, raspberries and rhubarb etc. were superb. I was a bit shocked with the size and only capable of consuming ¾ portion of it; I did not regret to have ordered it though it’s not my favorite dessert here -well, the wood fired beef medallions was dazzling with deep flavor and tender texture. The sauce was precise and tasty while the crisp and light potato souffle was one of the best I’ve ever had On the following night, I also had a few outstanding dishes. For instance, - plump and beautifully cooked scallops were meaty with their pleasant and naturally sweet flavors. It was enhanced by the lovely and delicious buttery brown sauce and balanced by the 'stir fry' onions & somewhat bitter chicory. The slight sourness derived from the citrus fritter provided a nice accent - The high quality herbs-stuffed Pintade was moist, thanks to the sauce - the best part when consumed with the guinea fowls skins. What made this dish better was that it came together with tender sweetbreads stew, earthy morels, fresh peas & their emulsion as well as little black truffles. Commonly boring bird was transformed into creative and tasty dish, kudos to Chef Guerard! -my favorite dessert was the delicate chocolate millefeuille displaying: light and bitter coffee cream, rich and decadent chocolate & sorbet, and rather sweet Armagnac cream sauce - magnificent flavor variations with different degree of intensity yet felt smooth and balanced -not my favorite, but in Landes region … savoring foie gras was necessary. The maître d’ allowed me to have both duck and goose liver side by side. Generally, I get used to eating duck liver (having beige-orange color) more which was rich and creamy; the goose liver (more of pink color) was delicate and refined with subtle flavor. The livers were accompanied by jellies of mushroom, duck and wine. As stated before, there’s no doubt that the cooking here was magnificent – perfect seasoning, sauce, texture, temperature etc. The presentation might not always be beautiful; well, the kitchen created the dishes with the main purpose for the palate enjoyment. The legendary chef, Michel Guerard (in his mid 80’s) visited the dining rooms in both evenings. Dressed in plain white, he tried to greet as many diners as possible. Given his stature, apparently, he was still shy sometimes and did not like to show off; proof? One of them was that he hardly wore his MOF tunic. The restaurant was busy in general. One the 1st day, 1/3 of the guests participated in the spa program thus they ate the slimming cuisine (2-3 courses per meal). On the 2nd day, there were nearly 60 people attending the dinner; by 9 PM it’s pretty much full house. The attentive, smooth and relaxed service showed a slight drop as everyone tried to move as efficient as possible – 5 sommeliers were on the floor on that Friday night. However, it’s not the reason for complain … just a personal observation. Had this Michel Guerard’s restaurant been located in Paris, I would’ve probably visited the place at least half dozen times. I am glad to finally make it! I would certainly would love to return here again and (if possible) bring my wife along next time More comprehensive review: http://zhangyuqisfoodjourneys.blogspot.com/2018/09/les-pres-deugenie-michel-guerard.html Meal photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/7124357@N03/sets/72157701424064875/with/44021093194/

A return visit to Le Pre Catelan (in last May) was rather unexpected. I decided to accompany my parents and siblings for the Euro trip half way. I met them in Paris and staying only for 2 nights there before moving to Madrid and Lisbon; arriving on Saturday afternoon. As they’re not too keen on having meals at formal restaurants, I only brought my sister and treated her for the maiden visit at Europe 3-star Michelin restaurant – preferably a standalone one outside hotels. L’Ambroisie was a natural initial choice for me, but alas somehow, they’re closed during that whole week. I ate at Guy Savoy in the same month one year earlier and the menu was almost identical, thus a return there would be unnecessary. That’s how we ended up with Pre Catelan. Since it’s my sister’s first visit, I let her try the tasting option (Le Menu du Pre) but only for a shorter option - a right decision since she started to feel full half way and could not finish the food from the main course onwards (only tasting 50-60%). Since 5-6 dishes out of 8 in total from the degustation menu were the same as my lunch 4 years ago, I decided to go for an a la carte. The a la carte was more like the ones in Pierre Gagnaire (albeit less ambitious and less grand). Diners would eat 2-3 different preparation of the main ingredient mentioned in the “titles”. I began with the tail season of Morel mushrooms whose main preparation was similar to Robuchon’s / Anton’s winter dish named Crispy tart with sweet onions confit. Instead of Perigord truffles, the kitchen replaced them with meaty and nutty French morels having deep flavors. The sweet onions and crunchy tart were good. On the sides, there were soft Zephyr and crispy bread with some morel underneath as well as “asparagus” sandwich. Simple, satisfying but not overly creative For the main course, my (sweet and a bit firm) blue lobster tail was beautifully cooked (until red). It was enhanced by the flavorful Maltaise sauce – sweet with some citrus flavor. The 2nd-ary preparation was, again, inspired from Chef Anton’s tenure at Jamin … smooth & tasty lobster jelly with briny caviar + some small lobster; safe and good. The claw part was the least good, served with decent emulsion and radishes. Dessert was the weakest part last time – one dimensionally sweet; having tried 3 of them (the apple, Paris brest and lemon meringue). This time, I went for the least sweet option possible was Tiramisu. My favorite part was Zephyr coffee and amaretto; there were the biscuit, intense coffee, strong powder etc. Altogether these elements worked harmoniously altogether. The more “normal” part like crusty Gavotte with mascarpone cream was fine – slightly better dessert, but in general still rather disappointing when compared to the sweet creations at Epicure, L’Arpege or ADPA. I did not expect much honestly. The most important part was that my sister was happy with the meal – she said Pre Catelan cooked better food than the one at Jean Georges and per se. The restaurant was about 80% full; half or more of the clienteles were foreigners. My two neighbors, if not mistaken, were middle-aged couple from Japan and Korea. I noticed at least 3 tables speaking Mandarin / Cantonese in the main dining room. Service wise, there was a slight drop since Jean Chauveau was off, thus my favorite maître d’ taking the role of his boss by standing between the entrance and main dining room most of the time. For example, after my sister’s 3rd course, the service of the dishes became slow. We’re waiting 15 min or more even after the previous plates were cleared (one time nearly half-hour). There was an occasion when staffs were a bit confused on who’s eating what so they put the wrong course. Re-fill of water sometimes late as we’re in the quieter side of the restaurant (fewer staffs checking out the tables). Well, it’s not really a big deal but by the highest fine dining standard, it’s the little details that count. At the end, my impression of the restaurant pretty much stayed the same that: Le Pre Catelan is a (very) good 2-star restaurant (2 ½*). In 2014, I came here in October. The fact that this time was in May 2018 but many of the dishes are the same or very similar (at least half of them) – unfortunately, I have to say that the kitchen / head chef was kinda “lazy”; simply stick in to the safe status quo and not too seasonal. As usual, below was the pictures of our meals - my a la carte and my sister’s tasting menu Meal photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/7124357@N03/albums/72157672684584288/with/43292809035/

Epicure (formerly known as Restaurant Le Bristol) was one “special” place towards my gastronomy adventure history since it was my first meal at multi-star Michelin restaurant in Europe (the lunch took place during the Easter Monday of 2006 when most places were closed). Since then I’ve come there twice (another meal in ‘10) and believed it’s a more than a decent 2-star dining place. I kinda ‘ignored’ it since then until recently that under the new name Epicure, rebranded in ’11 or ’12 I think. In addition to the 3 star awards, Epicure has nearly unanimously perceived as the finest hotel-restaurant in Paris & the world + some other awards. I thought perhaps I should return again to try the food as well as check out the new dining room. In fact, I eventually came again twice! Firstly, in Fall 2017 and the latest one in May 2018. The most recent one happened by “accident” since I was on schedule to travel, eat and stay at Assiette Champenoise on that Sunday. However, due to the SNCF strike, my trains were cancelled and as I had to return home on the following day; to be safe, I just decided to stay in Paris and thus another meal at Epicure took place. Both of my meals were for lunch and the restaurant was doing really well (full house in both occasions). The trend still followed in that there were many international clienteles in particular from East Asia occupying the tables and they tended to order either the lunch set or the bigger tasting menu. Unlike them, I went for a la carte dishes. The most outstanding part of my meals, as far as the food’s concerned, happened to be the desserts!? It did not happen very often actually … -The creation of Laurent Jeannin named “Lemon”. The lemon-like shaped was frosted and filled with some cold pear, lemon and a little herbal. The outside was lemon meringue covered by limoncello – pretty, delicate and pleasant. It showcased a few different textures and truly fragrant, every time I scooped this wonderful creation, my nose also enjoyed the aromatic lemon scent. Fantastic! -The season of Burlat cherries was rather short, hence when I saw it on the menu – it’s a no brainer that I had to order it; fully deserved to be written as one of Epicure’s signature desserts. To make it more fun, it was actually prepared a la minute in front of you – similar to Passard’s iconic tomato confit dessert. The sweet red cherries were soaked with kirsch, then flambeed. In addition, there was a rich & creamy cherry sorbet as well as crunchy crust pistachio nuts on the sides. The "huge cherry" was a big blown sugar of burlat cherries filled with cool, tasty and nutty of superb Sicilian pistachio. The interplay of texture and temperature contrasts were wonderful Well, by no means, the ‘normal’ food was not good – many were also remarkable. For instance, 1st meal: Eric Frechon was generous by giving roasted artichokes (light and distinct) served with white truffles and egg powder; nearly every table got this free appetizer. The soft potatoes mousseline smoked with (infused) haddock + Sologne caviars was awesome; half portion was sufficient. Another demi portion dish I ordered was seared tender & sweet scallops with nutritious watercress sauce, aromatic shaved Alba truffles and soft gnocchi (not as airy as I expected); it was delicious. My main course was the least impressive one though very beautifully presented. I ordered a roasted lobster with sautéed vegetables, squids, chorizo, sweet peppers etc. and no sauce – fully dependent on the lobster’s natural flavors, the side dishes’ taste and seasonings. Without the sauce, it’s not that amazing. The plenty of firm & quite chewy textures were interesting 2nd meal: Contrary to the above, the blue lobster (de-shelled and plated table side) I had was fabulous. It was perfectly roasted, delightfully firm with succulent flavor. It was served tasty lobster jus from its head, crisp asparagus and its mousse + a bit of black truffle. The main course was lovely - my (young) rack of Aveyron lamb was well-seasoned, delicious and very juicy. Beginning from the skin, it was slightly broiled until brown / a bit crunchy, then there was small but heavenly lamb's fat; comes to the meat, it's simply tender and flavorful. Eat with your hand to "clean up" the lamb. The side dishes were potato souffles with spinach anchovy. The 2nd meal felt slightly more impressive after having learnt that Vincent Perrin (chef de cuisine?) was actually in charge of the kitchen as Sunday was the off day for Eric Frechon, the hotel’s Executive Chef. The service was consistently impeccable. Epicure was ‘blessed’ with nearly 20 dining room staffs (including the sommelier team) to serve about 40 people max. The pacing was good; staffs were cordial, efficient and sincere. Everything was beautifully choreographed. During my 2nd visit, I selected a glass of red Bordeaux for my lamb which’s not a perfect match. One of the assistant sommeliers checked whether I liked it since he noticed something “not right” with my face … then he happily offered me to replace it with a more suitable one (red Burgundy) while I was allowed to keep my initial red. After these 2 visits, Epicure rose among my favorite restaurants in Paris. Another return here when I re-visit the French capital was quite probable. Food, wine, service, ambiance – everything just worked harmoniously together. Kudos to Eric Frechon and his team! More detailed review: http://zhangyuqisfoodjourneys.blogspot.com/2018/07/epicure-eric-frechon.html Pictures of the meal: https://www.flickr.com/photos/7124357@N03/sets/72157692501786730 and https://www.flickr.com/photos/7124357@N03/sets/72157699217140555

Considered as one of the greatest chefs, Joel Robuchon made an innovation in the early 00’s when he came back from retirement and decided to ‘simplify’ the formal and glamorous French fine dining with what’s now known as L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon. There are more than 10 L’Ateliers these days around the globe. The setting is more like a sushi counter in which a more direct interaction between the staffs (including chefs) and customers are ‘encouraged’. I am a fan of JR cuisine and have been to many of his more formal restaurants – probably it’s the main reason why I often didn’t bother to dine at the L’Atelier since the price points are not that much different. However, in March this year, I visited my 2nd Atelier JR in Hong Kong … it was on a Sunday evening, relatively quiet. This place has been in operation for more than a decade and managed to also hold the 3-star awards this long, so I think it’s deserved a visit. In any Robuchon dining places (both the JR resto and Atelier), the venerable chef has always emphasized on the consistent of high level experience especially on the food. The expectation is that his fans around the world would be able to savor the langoustine ravioli whether in HK or in Las Vegas the same way that’s delicious executed with high precision, you got the point. Not sure it’s a good or bad thing, the dishes in any Robuchon restaurants around the world are very similar, half of them generally the same, although the ingredients are locals if possible. It was a late Winter / early Spring season and I opted for the discovery menu. To my surprise, I have not tasted half of the items listed – I liked trying new dishes. Some dishes I truly enjoyed were: -perfectly seared Hokkaido scallop was sweet and a bit raw inside. It was beautifully complimented by slices of the earthy Perigord truffle, musky and rather intense truffle coulis, as well as creamy + savory pumpkin sauce -carefully prepared soft-boiled egg with its bright runny yolk was in harmony with earthy and pungent shavings of Tuber melanosporum and crisp sticky rice cake. The parmesan, a little lemon juice and spinach provided accents to this delicious dish. A “simple” dish that let the black truffles to shine JR dishes do not usually blow me away; they’re just reliable and tasty. For instance, -the grilled Maine lobster was savory with good texture; enhanced by the creamy and piquant bisque made of lobster jus and saffron -Black cod was flaky and flavorful after having been marinated in the miso and served with the Malabar pepper sauce as well as coconut emulsion We could see Robuchon’s cooking was very international: influenced by Asian (mainly Japanese) + in terms of the ingredients used. The rest of the dishes were fine … but not as good as the four mentioned here In addition to the L’Atelier, Robuchon in the Landmark has a more elegant dining rooms named Le Jardin, which was closed as there were a few private events during my visit. Only half of the seats at the bar was filled, so the attention and pacing of the food was prompt. Chef de cuisine and the restaurant manager diligently monitored the diners and made attempt to have some chats – relaxing, convivial and fun. The design of the restaurant might not be opulent, but stylish dominated by red and black color. Despite these (casual stuffs), I found the food here was performed at high level, not necessarily inferior to the Robuchon Macau. They also cooked several dishes that’re exactly the same. Overall, I received what I expected: a satisfying meal with good wine, professional service delivered in a pleasant ‘bar’ in which I could see the live action of the open kitchen. Michelin 3-star? Well, it’s too generous IMHO; 2-star would be more suitable. That being said I hope here and many other Robuchon restaurants could still perform at high level in the future – I could not think of better ways for his teams & staffs to honor him after the legendary chef leaving this mortal world for good earlier this month More detailed review: https://zhangyuqisfoodjourneys.blogspot.com/2018/08/latelier-de-joel-robuchon-hong-kong.html Meal photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/7124357@N03/sets/72157694247412190/with/43900718062/

The meal was 5 months ago ... I believe it was the 300 tasting menu

The popularity of Wagyu (or Japanese beef) has taken off in particular in the 21st century. Kobe was probably the most famous one, but many people are also familiar with Ohmi, Matsuzaka, Kagoshima etc. The restaurants mostly only served either the sirloin or ribeye / tenderloin. Nowadays, anybody with deep pocket / willingness to splurge can quite easily access these luxury beef in Singapore. However, there’s yet any restaurant in the island specializing in cooking all parts of the beef from tongue to tail … until Ushidoki. Ushidoki has been around for a couple of years or so. The restaurant describe itself as a Wagyu kaiseki dining place. Hirohashi Nobuaki (Nobu-san), the executive chef, is actually an expert in traditional kaiseki. He was the head chef of Kumo and used to work at the prestigious Kitcho for more than 5 years. When opening Ushidoki, he wanted and was challenged to create something new that’s not yet existed in Singapore. Ushidoki utilizes Ozaki beef (named after the farmer’s patron) from Miyazaki prefecture. Ozaki-san slaughtered his cattle at about 34 months, about 6 weeks longer than many other beefs because he believes it’s the optimal age for the beef’s flavors. My tasting menu consisted of 10 courses, including palate cleanser / refresher – cold tomato and cold soumen. My favorite dishes were: -Sukiyaki with onsen tamago, onions, shaved black truffle and rice. The sauce was amazing – the base has been simmered regularly since the restaurant’s opening. It’s full body with delicious layers of sweet, savory and umami flavors. The melt-in-the-mouth Ozaki perfectly absorbed the broth and went along nicely with all of the ingredients above. -The main course was a ‘simple’ slowly char-grilled of sirloin (fatty and very marbled) and tenderloin (tender with unique beef flavor). Nobu-san hardly put any seasoning on the beef. As expected, they’re delicious with the beef natural flavor and some charcoal aroma. The side dishes did not really improve the overall enjoyment; the beef portion was quite small though. -The small appetizers of beef and seafood were in general very good. You could see the picture from the link below, whereas some other dishes such as gyutan, age-croquette and braised beef brisket were alright – not too impressive As a whole, it was still a good meal. 1-star Michelin is actually a well-deserved for this place. I wonder how creative Chef Nobuaki can be for repeated guests given he limits himself where nearly all dishes had to contain some elements / parts of the beef. Meal photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/7124357@N03/sets/72157695805426292/with/42248894984/

After having had an impressive meal at 8 ½ in late 2016 … I seemed to be ‘addicted’ to the cooking of Umberto Bombana. Given that I’m usually in Hong Kong for 1 week at most in a year, it was kinda unexpected that by now I would already have eaten there two more times. The simple, clean and delicious cooking by chef Bombana was one of the reasons. Another one (almost equally as important), Otto Mezzo served its truffle dish by shaving the raw mushrooms generously – more than I usually get at any other fine dining places. My 2 visits happened to be coincided during the seasons of Australian winter truffle (2017) and French Perigord truffle (1st quarter of 2018). I had the usual suspects such as (Taiyouran) egg ravioli, risotto with lots of black truffle as my appetizers – they’re good and pleasant. For the main courses, I ordered: -Roasted Bresse chicken having tender meat, deep flavor though slightly dry with some truffle under the skin. It was complemented by black truffle sauce, mushrooms, artichoke and mashed potatoes. It was a flavorful dish and not that heavy -I noticed that Chef Bombana also likes using “lean” meat. Last time I ate Fassone veal and this time a succulent lamb (cooked medium-rare) from New Zealand called ‘Te Mana’. It was succulent but not too flavorful by itself – it’s assisted by the marsala sauce with black truffle. The bread crumb around the lamb kept the meat moist. Both meals were satisfying although neither reached the ‘height’ of my dinner in 2016. In general, the dishes performed at 2-2 ½* levels consistently. In both times, Chef Bombana was present .. sometimes he visited the dining room when there’re Vips or regulars to greet. Given its central location, friendly service, pleasant wine and good food – Otto e Mezzo were always busy especially for business lunch. I was happy with the success of Umberto and his team; his empires kept expanding and (I heard that) they also perform at high level in Macau, Beijing and Shanghai. Will I return again here? Sure but probably not so soon Meal photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/7124357@N03/sets/72157667566643967/with/41568845705/

Basel, a city with plenty of museums, is known as a rich city. My friend who’s familiar with banking world called this place was filled with lots of “old money”. However, what drew me to this city was the latest 3-star Michelin at Switzerland bestowed in 2016 to the flagship restaurant of the only grand hotel in town – Les trois rois. The restaurant was called Cheval Blanc, named after the respectable wine producer in St. Emilion. Cheval Blanc reached many foodies’ radar ever since the arrival of Peter Knogl, originally from Bavaria, in 2007. He was trained under the reputable chef Heinz Winkler in both Tantris and Aschau’s Residenz. Within 2 years in charge of the restaurant, Chef Knogl already attained 2-star. Gault Millau’s chef of the year was other prestigious awards he received … twice. Although my wife and I came here during lunch time, we ordered the full tasting menu. The sign that the food at Cheval Blanc would be wonderful could be seen from the beginning. The amuse-bouches … 4 of them were dazzling. Then, we had the smooth and delicious foie gras as our first real appetizer with sweet fig confit and kinda acidic cassis. From this, I was convinced that I needed to order some extra items from the a la carte. The fish & seafood were really strong here while the meat parts were also very good. Some of my favorites were: - The lightly cooked scallop was of outstanding quality: plump, tender and naturally sweet. It was accompanied by fresh carrot and seasoned with vadouvan (fermented spices) having interesting + complex taste & aroma. A very good classical dish with modern touch. - Japanese kingfish was moist, clean & buttery. It was beautifully enhanced by the crisp radish, nutty avocado & savory miso. The combination of the sides produced plenty of vibrant flavors with pleasant texture contrasts - really refreshing! A simple cold appetizer that turned out to be awesome - Juicy and rather firm red Mullet nicely absorbed the saffron sauce and tomato vinaigrette. It was cooked with its crispy scales - Our meat course was solid – an earthy and wild Styrian venison; relatively tender, tasty and a bit gamey. The Rouennaise sauce was rich but balanced by the celery mousseline. There were a few more dishes and I will let find them by reading the more comprehensive review below. The food was definitely stunning, arguably the best one I’ve eaten in the country (pretty much toe-to-toe with l’Hotel de ville). The dining room was not that big; it could only cover about 30 people. Yet, it’s spacious and designed with classical style interiors: crystal chandeliers, dark parquet floor & partly covered with carpets, some fine paintings on the wall, big & heavy purple drapes, large table with crisp white linens on top etc. The only issue was possibly the service. It was not bad per se but did not deliver at the height of its food. Again, you could find more details from the link’s below. Peter Knogl, the amiable and gentle chef, visited the dining room near the end and took time to talk to each table. My meal here (purely on food) scored 96 pts in my notes … about 2 ¾* by Michelin standards. Thus, the red guide book highest honor to Cheval Blanc was very well-deserved. I look forward to making a return here should I be near the Basel area in the future. More detailed review: http://zhangyuqisfoodjourneys.blogspot.com/2018/06/cheval-blanc-peter-knogl.html Pictures of the meal: https://www.flickr.com/photos/7124357@N03/albums/72157667799106717/with/41680086125/

In 2007, I was traveling alone to visit a few 3-star restaurants in Belgium and Holland such as Hof van Cleve and Oud Sluis. Looking back to those times and my restaurant notes … I just realized that I’ve never returned to that regions for about a decade. My meals at both places above were memorable, but not really sure why I “didn’t bother” to return or try some other places around there. Well, finally I made another return to Netherlands using Amsterdam as my base last year. One of the most important reasons was a visit to arguably the current finest restaurant in that country – De Librije. The access to De Librije was not too complicated; just a short train ride to the small & beautiful town of Zwolle. “The Library’s” current location used to be an old prison building in which the main dining room was located in the ‘jail courtyard’. It was a huge and impressive dining room with very high glass ceilings stood elegantly under the support of black steel structures – plenty of natural lights but the temperature inside was still cooling. There were plenty of big and real plants as well. Given the space and kitchen’s size, De Librije could easily accommodate more people but the owners (Jonnie and Therese Boer) chose to keep it as it is to maintain the quality. As my spouse and I were enjoying our aperitifs and canapes, we could spot the owners right away. Chef Jonnie Boer was even the one who passed the menu to us and explained how the meals would work. Unlike most gastronomy restaurants which require the whole table to order the tasting menu with the same courses, at De Librije, the kitchen was comfortable and welcomed each guest to order different dishes with the aim so that guests could share some dishes. After a few snacks, Therese came and took the order. Then, one by one tables at the main dining room were filled and then the real show began. The degustation menu was impressive. The whole experience was probably even better than the sum of its parts. That being said, there were many remarkable individual dishes nevertheless such as: -In river Perch dish, Jonnie Boer elevated the humble kruudmoes (a combination of buttermilk, bacon, barley etc.) to the gastronomy level. His version was refined and sophisticated yet still faithful to its origin. This perfectly complemented the freshwater Perch which was lovely, tasty and rather firm. It looked complex, but all elements worked harmoniously. -The monkfish was perfectly cooked and succulent. The dish was carefully balanced by the fermented bell pepper, butter sauce and eggplant. A well-deserved classic dish. -Strips of dry-aged local beef (luscious and tender) were carefully seared on one-side only, then dusted / seasoned by the ceps powder and middle eastern spices. -This one was a very interesting dessert as the main ingredient happened to be a duck liver. The litchi with some aromatic vinegar nicely cut through the poached foie gras rich flavor while the apricot seed gave some bitter sweet and nutty flavor to the dish – innovative There were too many to mention all of the dishes we had; please check the link below for more details. Oh, don’t forget to order for at least 1 dish from the restaurant’s classic selection – proven to be ‘safe’ and superb. The wine selection by the glass had many international selection, reasonably priced and matched really well with the dishes. Therese Boer carefully & closely worked with her husband for years to produce this great pairing. Next time, probably I should order the full wine pairing. The hospitality at De Librije was fun, relaxed yet professional. We could see that staffs enjoying their work; they did with ease and smiles. Laughter could easily be seen & heard during the waiters and guests’ interactions. Each table did not really have any assigned maître d’, yet (surprisingly) most staffs pretty much knew what’s going on and the sequence of your meals. Therese and Stefan de Wilde (the manager) did not only observe from a distance, but they lead by example - did hands on and sometimes served the guests themselves including our table. The cooking at De Librije was indeed sublime and exciting. Even more impressive, most of the ingredients were sourced locally; Jonnie Boer has consistently been doing this more nearly 2 decades even though getting overseas luxurious produce couldn’t be any easier nowadays. It’s been a while since I ate at a restaurant for the first time in which the experience for both the food and the service was as amazing as this in Europe especially outside France. There’s no doubt that De Librije was an absolute 3-star establishment in my book. More detailed review: http://zhangyuqisfoodjourneys.blogspot.com/2018/05/de-librije-jonnie-boer.html Meal photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/7124357@N03/albums/72157692526036402/with/27496860868/

awesome pictures and thanks for sharing

Hideaki Sato’s name is no stranger to Hong Kong’s foodies. He was the former head chef of Tenku Ryugin. The Global Link group then invited /challenged Sato-san to open his own restaurant in which he would have more freedom to express his passion and creations. It was his dream and it became reality when Chef Sato opened Ta Vie by mid 2015. (Global Link owns both Ryugin and ta vie; Hideaki is also part-owner of Ta Vie) Ta Vie only serves one seasonal tasting menu – normally consists of 4 appetizers, 1 seafood, 1 meat and 2 desserts. Unless you have some dietary restrictions, everybody would eat the same thing. During my dinner in the Spring this year, some of the highlights of my meal were: -the first 2 appetizers, Sato-san re-interpreted US common dishes: Caesar salad and Clam chowder. We could expect they would come with some twists. For Caesar salad, the main ingredient was Hotaru ika – tender and filled with oceanic flavor inside. The dressing was mixed with the Hotaru squid; interesting and tasty. For the clam chowder soup, instead of clam, Chef Sato utilized crunchy Tsubugai. It was accompanied by green peas while the creamy soup was light and not cloying -the simple ‘fruit dish’ happened to be very good. I was referring to juicy white strawberries, sweet Italian beetroot, and fresh tomato – these were tossed with milky burrata cheese and aromatic basil + vinegar -Large Japanese langoustine (cooked simply & perfectly) with elegant flavor and firm texture. Believe it or not, it was the first time I ate Tenaga-ebi and it was outstanding, even better than the more well-known Ise-ebi. It was served on top of balanced broth. On the side, there was cabbage dumpling filled with pork tail and Yunnan ham; this part was alright. The rests of the dishes? you’re welcome to see from the link below. For the beverages part, Ta Vie provided some non-wine as well as non-alcohol drinks (such as different kind of high quality teas). The food’s quality was very high, balanced and flavorful. I respected Chef Sato even more after having learned that many of the kitchen staffs left so the man power was thin (4 people including Sato-san; the restaurant was nearly full on Saturday night) – the common case in HK or Singapore where staff turnovers were high after having received year-end bonus and CNY hong bao. The butter, bread and many other elements at Ta Vie were still created homemade from scratch despite this situation. I noticed Sato-san looked thinner and tired (compared to when I met him at Ryugin) that night, still the commitment and pursue of excellence never waiver. Honestly, this condition did not seem to affect the quality of my tasting menu … well, they have stopped the lunch serving though since early March Throughout the night, I was served mainly by one Japanese staff and Ms. Hiromi (the manager and Chef Sato’s wife). While the Japanese waiter might not have the perfect command of English, it was still clear / good enough. More importantly, in the busy evening, she was consistently sincere, energetic, passionate and knowledgeable. Thus, the service was efficient; my water was consistently topped up and the food served was well-paced. The special part of Ta Vie was probably the fact that the food was unique and inventive … owing to Hideaki Sato’s backgrounds. He was trained in western cuisine for nearly a decade (mostly French), then he focused more on the Japanese cuisine. In the process, he also studied about bakery, pastry and wine. That’s why he wanted and was able to handle all aspects of the guests’ dining experience here. To achieve this, he decided to utilize Asian produce whenever possible. It was a very good 2-star restaurant and Ta Vie should have no problem to keep it. Though I had a feeling, it could lead to the path of Amber if 5 years later, Sato-san still does not receive Michelin’s 3rd star … More detailed review: http://zhangyuqisfoodjourneys.blogspot.co.id/2018/05/ta-vie-hideaki-sato.html Pictures of the meal: https://www.flickr.com/photos/7124357@N03/sets/72157696278637334

In the mid 00’s, Alleno, Barbot, Piege, Moret (and a few others) were considered as young and talented chefs that would carry French cuisine in the new millennium. Fast forward a decade later or so … Alleno and Barbot were already 3-star chefs for a while, even the former had 2 restaurants with 3-star. Many expected that Jean-Francois Piege to be among the elite with 3-star in Paris, however his name was gone / under the radar for some times especially after he decided to leave Hotel Crillon in ’09. Even when he re-claimed the 2-star at Thoumieux, not many talked about it. However, his name appeared again and often, after he (finally) opened his own dining place – Le Grand Restaurant situated in the small street not too far from the Elysee palace. 2016 onwards, Chef Piege has appeared in plenty of magazines and tv programs in addition to receive a couple of “chef of the year” awards (again) from Pudlo and Champerard. I first encountered Jean-François Piège’s cooking more than 10 years ago during his tenure at Les Ambassadeurs. Some of the dishes were ‘in principal’ similar to the ones at Ducasse Plaza but somewhat inferior, especially in terms of meticulous execution, nevertheless they’re quite promising. I was not very much aware of Chef Piege’s presence until last year when I continued my mission to try other 2-star restaurants in Paris. It was a late evening with lots of rain that delayed my arrival to the restaurant by nearly half-hour. As I entered the restaurant, the maître d’ knew and expected me as I was the last diner arriving. The open kitchen was bright in contrast to the low-lit dining room. Contrary to its name, Le Grand restaurant was actually an intimate dining place with only (about) 25 covers and it was fully booked on Monday night. I was seated near the kitchen and heard French was spoken pretty much at every table. I recalled 3-4 tables celebrated special occasions. I also noticed several groups ordered the chef’s menu with Grand vins pairing – if tonight was the barometer, I would say the restaurant was doing really well financially. For my case, I ordered the (mijote moderne) tasting menu - there were 3 courses + cheese + dessert. I could not help but realized that since his days as the head chef of Ducasse Paris, the gastronomy restaurants that Jean-Francois Piege has led always have dishes utilizing caviar and langoustine as his specialties. These were usually the best stuffs like what I experienced during this dinner. -The first dish came in a chic & shining silver egg-shaped ‘metal’: as I opened the top, I found a crisp potato puff with light cream inside and a dollop of caviar on top – stunning. For the bottom part, I was treated with shellfish extract jelly and caviar – lovely -Two large langoustine tails were fresh, sweet and succulent. They were served in mariniere sauce with hazelnut butter and nasturtium flowers -The pre-dessert was fabulous. It was a pristine and soft blanc-manger with runny vanilla cream inside and crisp caramel disc on top – easily the best blanc manger I’ve ever had I let you see from the links below for the rest of the dishes. In short, the meal was exquisite. Although not every dish was perfect, the dishes were delicious and harmonious. I could sense that the chef-patron devoted lots of energy and emotion in creating his food. The service was competent with plenty of staffs worked efficiently. For those celebrating something, similar with what happened in Alain Ducasse Plaza, staffs would take and give polaroid photos to capture guests’ memories. When the kitchen only left with serving sweets, Jean-François Piège visited and greeted every table. He would take time to answer any questions – he was in one table for more than 10 min. I enjoyed my meal and Le Grand Restaurant very deserved its 2-star. Along with Taillevent, it’s my favorite non-3-star restaurants in Paris. With some luck, Chef Piege will eventually get his 3rd star … probably sometimes in his early 50’s – my 2 cents More detailed review: http://zhangyuqisfoodjourneys.blogspot.co.id/2018/04/le-grand-restaurant-paris.html Meal photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/7124357@N03/sets/72157664938985407

Joel Robuchon and Alain Ducasse are probably the most well-known among active chefs from France especially since they have the most # of Michelin stars. Behind them, Pierre Gagnaire (in slower pace) has also expanded his empire around the globe. Even Pierre Gagnaire won the “battle of Bordeaux” against Joel Robuchon when the Bernard Magrez decided to close Robuchon’s only fine dining restaurant in Europe – probably due to high operational cost and the restaurant’s failure to attract lots of clients regularly – and replace it with the one managed by Gagnaire; holding 2-star. Despite his many new restaurants everywhere, nothing beats Pierre Gagnaire’s flagship restaurant in Paris Balzac. After L’Arpege and L’Ambroisie, Pierre Gagnaire was the restaurant that I visited the most often in the French capital. Prior to this meal in early Fall ’17, the last time I came here was with my wife nearly 4 years ago. It was a rare occasion to actually see Pierre Gagnaire himself in the kitchen given how busy he has always been. I only noticed this halfway through my meal when he came out of the kitchen to visit a table of four (likely to be the regulars or friends of the house). He would come out again after 2 PM, to greet every table, express the gratitude for visiting as well as check whether everything was fine. What a humble chef given his stature .. Somehow, I was not too hungry coming to this lunch. Thus, I decided to skip any meat dish. Maybe ironically, instead of having an appetizer, I opted for 2 seafood main dishes. In past few years, I learned that langoustine from the a la carte was one of Gagnaire’s signature items – it’s almost always there in the menu. I made sure not to miss it this time. Prior to the entrée / main courses, a meal here will begin with an array of amuse bouche (there were 5 of them). I think it’s widely known that describing and understanding Gagnaire’s food was a challenge even for the restaurant’s staffs. The opening small dishes were stimulating and imaginative but just too long to be mentioned here. Readers can follow the links below for pictures and details. -Langoustine (my appetizer) 1st service: a very large & sweet langoustine tail prepared a la ‘tempura’ using a recipe that Gagnaire already applied since early 80’s. The batter was so light that it barely interfered with the langoustine delicate texture. The notable side dish was airy potato soufflés with versatile sumac powder 2nd service: smaller langoustine was flambeed in front of you; served with sophisticated ‘green’ sauce. There were also, fresh and tasty raw langoustine An outstanding dish indeed – this could give Pacaud’s langoustine a run for the money -Turbot (my plat principal) This one was “simpler” than the langoustine. The kitchen served 2 large and thick slices of meaty and flaky Turbot, which was cooked on the bone – fantastic flavor and texture. The sauce was earthy, derived from a mixture of the fish’s jus, cepes and amontillado etc. The 2nd time I ate the king of fish here and both were wonderful. My dessert was terrific. After a little bit disappointed with le grand dessert during my last visit, I chose a safer option that turned out to be very satisfying: aromatic & tasty pistachio soufflé (smooth inside and a bit crisp outside) accompanied by deep-flavored Tahiti vanilla ice cream. Great taste; nice temperature and texture contrast. This was my best meal at Pierre Gagnaire and one of the most memorable meals I had in 2017 (top 3) Not only the food, but also the hospitality was the finest one I’ve ever experienced here. Herve Parmentier was nowhere to be seen, but a capable maître d’ named Alexander took good care of my table. He delivered impeccable service – patient, polite and knowledgeable. Prior to the dessert, I was invited to the kitchen (surprisingly rather small) and had a short chat with Pierre Gagnaire. Thierry Mechinaud was chef de cuisine and he would always be here whenever the restaurant opens; executive chef Michel Nave has to travel often these days given how big Gagnaire’s empire has become. By the way, the restaurant was nearly full given it’s only a lunch on the weekdays More detailed review: http://zhangyuqisfoodjourneys.blogspot.co.id/2018/03/pierre-gagnaire-paris-5th-visit.html Pictures of the meal: https://www.flickr.com/photos/7124357@N03/albums/72157665933509828

When Hashida sushi opened in 2013 at the 2nd floor of MG (now occupied by Beni), this sushi-ya and its charismatic head chef quickly rose among the top sushi places in Singapore. I went for lunch within 1-2 years after that and was satisfied with the food offering despite not seeing Kenjiro Hashida around. To get the full experience and assess the restaurant better, I tried to go for dinner but often Hatch was not available on my preferred date (He regularly returned to Japan to meet his suppliers as well as running his father’s restaurant in Kachidoki – well, not it’s closed or under renovation). That finally changed when I had dinner at Hashida in late Spring last year – I know it’s very late, but better than never? I spent more time reviewing the restaurants I visited in Europe … My omakase menu had around 9 appetizers, 11 sushi and a dessert. The otsumami (not simply a few of simple sashimi) was quite a lot for a sushi-ya; during lunch guests were asked whether they wanted more cooked food or raw stuffs. Chef Hashida was passionate about arts and it can be clearly seen from the presentation of the appetizers including the tableware’s used. His sushi was essentially edomae style, but he would not shy to do something different like “smoked, seared, or torched” the neta and thankfully most of the time, it worked well. For this dinner, I liked: -creamy & sweet Murasaki uni served in its ‘shell’ with shiro ebi and stock jelly -Kinmedai (slightly cooked) served with its liver and chef’s special sauce (very flavorful) The awabi, zuwai gani and nodoguro were simply steamed in low temperature. They were fresh, clean and tasty … though I expected something more creative with better flavor and sauce From the sushi selection, fatty tuna / toro-related items were Hashida’s strength. For instance, Kenjiro-san prepared the raw fatty Tuna differently … he sliced several layers thinly across the grain, this made the amount of Otoro was much more than what one would normally eat. It was really marbled, sublime and very umami. As soon as I chewed it, I would straight find the shari - super smooth, soft and 'oily' otoro. Then, Hashida-san partially grilled the kama toro. He put some horseradish (to clean any intense flavor) and bonito flake (to intensify the taste) inside the neta. The amount of Kama Toro was overwhelming, which I didn't mind. This nigiri was so sumptuous that I hardly 'recognized' the shari - divine These 2 were my favorite pieces. The torched baby kamasu and anago with chef’s secret-recipe (135 years old?) tsume were also delicious. As with many Japanese restaurant, the dessert was simple – fruit, ice cream and mochi. Unfortunately, no macaron … Hashida sushi’s new location at 4th floor (still at Mandarin Gallery) was bigger and more spacious. It was not a busy night – only 7 people seated in the main counter and a few more served by chef Sato Yuji. Hashida liked engaging a conversation, so it was not boring though I ate alone. Moreover, the food was well-paced and the waitresses were friendly and gracious; my tea was pretty much warmed all the time. I liked the sushi part better than the appetizers – still appreciate Hatch’s effort and creativity. This dinner was about as good as my meal at Shinji so I think Michelin should appreciate this place with at least 1 star in the future (it was worthy of 2-star in my note based on the Singapore & Hong Kong standard). More detailed review: http://zhangyuqisfoodjourneys.blogspot.co.id/2018/02/hashida-sushi-singapore.html Meal photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/7124357@N03/sets/72157690341473171

Amsterdam has plenty of multiple star restaurants, but the ‘problem’ is there isn’t any 3-star so sometimes it’s not quite obvious which one is a “must go”. Librije’s Zusje and Ciel Bleu are famous, but at the end my wife and I went to Bord’Eau, located in the opulent and historical hotel de l’Europe. The review of this restaurant can be tricky because Richard van Oostenbrugge (with his sous chef) left the restaurant to run his own at the end of last year. Therefore, the report here may not be too ‘useful’ except for a historical perspective of Bord’Eau … unless Chef Oostenbrugge’s new restaurant would serve of Richard’s old dishes here. By the way, we had dinner in Oct ‘17 The food was based on classical French adding modern elements and contemporary techniques. Some Asian influence could be seen in a few dishes and I think Richard van Oostenbrugge (RvO) executed and integrate them smoothly. Some of its signature dishes such as oxtail with marrow & creamy polenta; green apple dessert; and chocolate balloon were up to their reputations. The other dishes were of high quality though not necessarily mind-blowing. You could see the link below for more details. The service was good in general but uneven. The below average one was surprisingly delivered by the manager / maître d’ who was very rigid and the smile looked forced / fake. Maybe he had a bad day. Water and wine were not promptly refilled sometimes. The best part, there were 2 junior staffs (ladies, one was local and another one was French) who did fantastic jobs. Despite their young age, they were helpful, enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the food and a few other things. They sincerely wanted us to have a great time and put us at ease. The dining room was chic with white and gold highlighted its interiors. It was intimate, so the space between tables was a bit too tight. Try to get the window seats if possible for a beautiful view of the canals and the city. Overall, it was a convincing 2-star restaurant and I think if RvO keeps honing his skills, 5-7 years down the road, he has a decent chance to gain the 3rd star at his new place. Pictures of the meal: https://www.flickr.com/photos/7124357@N03/sets/72157692106735584

Andreas Caminada is likely to be the most popular chef in Switzerland at the moment. However, talking about the ‘best’ & most respectable restaurant in the land of milk and honey, L’Hotel de Ville in Crissier (located not too far from Lausanne) must be the one. Ever since Fredy Girardet opened this establishment in early 70’s, it quickly rose to be one of the finest French restaurants outside France. Since then, l’hotel de ville pretty much has held the Michelin’s 3-star every single year with relative ease. I had my first meal here (dinner) in 2008 when Philippe Rochat was the chef-patron. Then, in Oct last year, I had another opportunity to have a memorable meal but this time was for lunch. L’Hotel de Ville was one of those restaurants that had lots of resources: excluding desserts, there were about 30 different dishes; the front + kitchen staffs were approximately 50 people (about 1:1 ratio for staff vs guest). For those who love game (gibier) menu, this restaurant was possibly THE place to be for both quality and variety. My maître d’ was kind and flexible that due to some time constraint, he allowed me to design my own tasting menu from scratch. My favorite dishes were: -Perfectly poached egg hidden under the al dente spaghetti dome served with Alba truffle and creamy + delicious sauce (the signature dish of Chef Rochat) -Local tenderloin beef was carefully grilled resulting in tender, pink & flavorful meat while the ‘outside’ was a bit crisp and salty. In addition, it was accompanied by the smooth green peppercorn sauce and some vegetables such as eggplant and zucchini I had lievre a la royale last time and was curious to see what it would look like nearly a decade later … it did not disappoint. The hare confit was slowly cooked for 6 hours until the meat became soft. It was covered by dried mushroom powder and served with delicious, gamey yet not overly powerful sauce – suitable to my taste. You’re welcome to check the rest of the dishes from the link below The dining room design was elegant and classy; the space between tables was generous. During a sunny day, the natural light was very pleasant. There were about 25 people enjoying lunch and many of them ordering the ‘big’ degustation menu. The service was polished and friendly; many staffs were capable of assisting different tables. Chef Franck Giovannini came to the dining room near the end of the meal and greeted each table. I was invited to visit the kitchen; there was a chef’s table inside and the kitchen was huge and spotless. L’hotel de ville, once again, proved that they’re more than capable of performing at high levels consistently. The menu changes every season and every year, diners could expect new dishes are constantly added. My good friend said that the restaurant was also very kind to a young child; they had enough resources to tailor a special and simpler menu for her daughter. This was a special institution indeed that could cater to different needs to different guests yet the quality of the food was never compromised. Generally, I liked this meal more (more “authentic”) than my previous one as under Chef Rochat. I found that the dishes in my tasting menu had too many of Asian’s influence, especially the Thai flavors. More detailed review: http://zhangyuqisfoodjourneys.blogspot.co.id/2018/02/lhotel-de-ville-franck-giovannini.html Meal photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/7124357@N03/sets/72157663386363357 Rochat’s time - https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOLjbBO0eHAHqytELg4ziytf-skcsEphtjYGL5SoYdK-HxUhH-c9yJPWyWD9Ob9EQ?key=czZudmdHTUZSOURCUVZ1Rk83Nkd6cXpLS2tMN1FR

Yannick Alleno returned to Paris with a mission – to make Alleno Ledoyen restaurant to be the “best” restaurant. Additionally, he has expanded his ‘empire’ all around the world. His effort and hark work were paid off as Ledoyen received the 3-star and (if not mistaken) his sous chef at Alleno Paris was good enough to lead the 1947 Courchevel to be his 2nd restaurant with Michelin’s highest accolade. With “aggressive and smart” tactics, Alleno restaurant also returned to the top 50 best restaurant (which many people believe they’re mainly about marketing, lobbying and influence). That being said, I found the food at Ledoyen to be very good especially the dishes from the a la carte. Similar to his days at Le Meurice, the restaurant had a lot of resources and this would explain why Ledoyen’s menu was very extensive. It was the main reason why I made a return last Fall – to try a few more and some seasonal creations of Chef Alleno. As I was seated in the opulent dining room with classic yet minimalist design, I was given a menu to go through while enjoying some nibbles like veal tartare, aloe, and smoked eel. The menu cover was still the same as even during the days of Christian Le Squer but I encountered that the inside to almost entirely different this time. I still found a few of supposedly Alleno’s specialties such as langoustine tart with caviar and Gunma beef (surprisingly no homard at all in the menu) – we ordered them in 2016. Then, my friendly and knowledgeable maître d’ named Michael came and explained that starting this week, Yannick Alleno decided to redo his menu and basically guests were left with and encouraged to order the new and only tasting menu available. It was divided into 3 sections: salty emotions (3 small appetizers), le principal (2 small dishes and 1 main, either a red meat or a fish) and sweet emotions (2 small desserts). Then, I had no choice but to try the new degustation menu. As far as I’m concerned, all of the diners that night (nearly 20 people) French and foreign alike ordered the tasting menu. Business-wise, it seemed to be a successful strategy From the 8-course menu, I liked 2 of them very much: - Steamed scallops served with Cime di rapa with corn extraction and caviar. The scallops (from Normandy) were small, sweet and well-absorbed the corn extraction flavors. To balance them, the kitchen provided briny caviar as well as bitter but pleasant turnip tops (green vegetables with mustard-like taste). The 'soup' might look very liquid but it had a strong and clean flavor. - Milk-fed lamb (from Pyrenees). The piece was wood fired and served with truffled modern sauce and pickles. The meat was succulent indeed; the rack part was very flavorful while the saddle part had a lovely texture. The sauce was concentrated but not too overwhelming; the veggies neutralized any (too) intense aroma and flavor. There was a small portion of decent lamb liver. The rest of the dishes: a few of them were unusual and a bit disappointing when compared to my previous experience eating Chef Alleno’s cooking. My first 2 appetizers were hare galantine with beet and cocoa sauce; foie gras confit with spaghetti butternut and smoked eel. There were other interesting dishes (quite good actually) like quince pie with lamb shoulder and fruit; barley curdled fresh milk with bacon. The desserts were alright but I was “mad” after knowing that the Guinness beer tart brulee was no longer offered as the mignardise. While I would rate the food from this meal to be at 2* or 2 ½* level only, I respected Yannick’s bold move to revamp his menu. Most 3-star restaurants would normally play safe, but Chef Alleno was not afraid of making changes although his foundation / basic philosophy about the importance of sauce (pure, extraction, fermentation etc.) did not change here. The bright sides: there were ‘surprisingly’ 2 things that I thought was better than the food. First, the service was pretty much immaculate – friendly, warm and staffs always tried to please the guests. For instance, initially I would like to have a dish with white truffle which was not part of the tasting menu but since it was still early in October, I was not sure about the truffle’s quality. 5 min later Michael returned to my table with white glove and a box of Alba truffle (asked me to smell it), then he sliced about 0.5 gram of the truffle and let me tried it. It was not as pungent and strong as I would like it hence I skipped it. The extra mile that he did was remarkable. Secondly, the wine was satisfying. Before having decided for the pairing, I perused the wine list and apparently Ledoyen had plenty of “exceptional” wines by the glass. The tasting (5 cl each) of Chateau Troplong-Mondot of Saint-Emilion from 3 different vintages (‘99, ‘06 & ‘11) caught my eye. And after some discussion and learning that I had some interest for these red Bordeaux, the sommelier allowed me to replace the initial choice of Napa valley red wine for the wine pairing. The wine quality and selections were also good; I found that some of the ‘average’ dishes became better by drinking them with the right wine. I truly appreciated the hospitality of the restaurant – these were done neither by the restaurant manager nor the head sommelier, but they (Michael and the wine assistant) had some freedoms and knowledge about how far they can go to make the guest happy. For the pictures of the dishes, their descriptions and more details about the wine pairing – please check from the link below. I don’t think I would return here anytime soon. And from my last 2 meals here, Yannick Alleno happened to be not present in his restaurant. Pictures of the meal: https://www.flickr.com/photos/7124357@N03/sets/72157690797066085/with/25085509528/

After Tokyo, Paris has the most 3-star Michelin restaurants in the world and in Paris, L’Ambroisie has had the honor to be the longest 3-star dining place (about 30 years and counting). While the views about L’Ambroisie are often divided among foodies, it’s usually the favorite and most respectable institution among world’s elite chefs such as Gagnaire and Humm. It officially became my best restaurant in Europe, if not in the world at the moment. 2017 was a special year in the sense that I somehow managed to visit this place twice in separate seasons: Spring and Fall. I decided to go for lunch in both occasions since based on my experienced, the restaurants were never full during lunch and hence I could interact better with the staffs. Furthermore, anytime I was full usually after the main course, I could go out and walk around the arcade, square or garden at Place des Vosges. For me, to have 2 meals at L’Ambroisie in the same year was “an achievement” until I found something “fascinating” during my Oct visit in the late afternoon: Laurent (the staff): thank you Sir, and see you (again) tonight Male Guest dining alone (looked like a Japanese): see you - with a smile Then, I turned to Mr. Pascal, the directeur de salle – he smiled and understood what I meant. Before asking the obvious question, Pascal told me that this gentleman had come the day before, would come again in the evening and also the following day. I was dumbfounded! Then Pascal said he definitely would not recommend me to ever try to do such things, LOL. By the way, I observed that this guest had eaten 4 courses including a dessert, so I assume he would have tried all of Bernard Pacaud’s Autumn creations in less than a week. So, compared to him – I seemed ‘normal’ I have been fortunate to be able to eat many delicious foods. However, in recent years, the ones that would come close to the things called perfection – that would be my meals at L’Ambroisie. In May, I loved the egg with caviar as well as the escalope de bar. Pascal was kind enough to allow me having the veal-chop, a dish that’s usually reserved for 2 people. In Oct, I tried the supreme pigeon and scallop with ceps and white truffles (who said Pacaud no longer created “new” dish?). Then, Pascal let me split the sole braised with wine sauce with my wife. Having visited this place several times, I appreciated some freebies the restaurant often gave me such as the small portion of the chocolate tart, a glass of rum (for digestive) and madeira (for the cheese). I would let the readers see the link below for more detailed descriptions otherwise they’re too long There was a time when I wondered when would be the best season to visit L’Ambroisie. Some people may have strong preference towards particular ingredients and thus could go accordingly. As I was reflected towards my past meals here, actually you can go any time since most of the restaurants’ classics (they were generally outstanding) such as langoustine tail with curry sauce & spinach, slices of sea bass with artichoke & caviar, and flourless chocolate tart with vanilla ice cream … all of them are always available. Then, there were dishes with lobster, foie gras, lamb and pigeon etc. prepared differently according to the season. Really, the food was actually excellent and never boring here Lastly, I would like to discuss about the hospitality. It’s known that the service at L’Ambroisie was old-fashioned and tend to be more formal (a la Francaise). However, from these 2 visits, I believe that the restaurant has also evolved. Mr. Pascal and Mdm. Pacaud would always be elegant yet they tried to be more relaxed and adapt to their clients at the same time. I was more of the old school, thus would dress up whenever dining at Europe’s multi-starred restaurants. Among all of the international clients that I met at L’Ambroisie, none of them wore a jacket and a few of them even wearing jeans and sneakers albeit branded ones. One local guest also dressed casually while many of them still wore jackets and blouses. Nevertheless, the service still went smoothly and the staffs simply “ignored the formality” and treated the guests the best they could. If the restaurant was relatively quiet, then Mdm. Pacaud usually stayed put near the entrance. But, during the busy evening, she’s always greeted everyone and made an effort to have a short conversation at each table. Whereas for Mr. Pacaud, once in a while, he would walk pass by discreetly and in the late night, he apparently went out to bid farewell to mainly his regulars or entertained any questions or picture-taking requests. Overall, once you’re more familiar with the situation, the service at L’Ambroisie could be as good as at any other Europe top tables. More detailed review: http://zhangyuqisfoodjourneys.blogspot.co.id/2018/01/lambroisie-bernard-pacaud-6th-and-7th.html Meal photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/7124357@N03/albums/72157689875222471 - Spring meal https://www.flickr.com/photos/7124357@N03/albums/72157691544139664 - Fall meal

Yes, it was somewhat dark but there were a few windows with natural lights. Moreover, each table has some standing lights carefully directed to the guests' tables especially at the location where the staffs would put the dishes. I imagine dinner will be more challenging to see clearly what we eat or to take good photos

Andreas Caminada and his beloved restaurant Schloss Schauenstein (it’s a 6-room hotel as well) have been one of the hottest chefs and restaurants in their country and the whole Europe. The restaurant is located in the valley of Domleschg – to be exact in Furstenau, arguably the world’s smallest city. It was not an easy area to reach as it’s pretty much another in-the-middle-of-nowhere dining place. However, as long as the restaurant can be “comfortably” reached by public transport, whenever the opportunity arises, I would make an effort to visit that place. That’s what I did in October this year … having a lunch at Caminada’s temple of haute cuisine My wife and I ordered a 6-course menu (including cheese and a dessert). By now, many people should know what this meant … in addition to the real dishes from the tasting menu, Andreas and his team would provide 5-6 nibbles / finger food items, then 4 different amuse-bouche served separately before the 1st appetizer and 6-7 mignardises in the end. For the menu … I tended to like the meat items more than the fish ones. During this lunch, we had: -Sweetbread prepared until the outside was golden and ‘crispy’ but the inside was still tender and flavorful. It was served with tasty and sweet orange sauce (apple, honey and balsamic), fresh pickled celeriac foam and rather bitter parsley cream. -Local pork prepared 2 ways: the crispy pork belly was heavenly and sinful, the most delicious thing I ate here. Another one was a more refined and carefully cooked pork fillet – the texture and temperature were great but the succulent meat was not as flavorful as I expected. The pork was accompanied by vegetable cream, tomato and pickled button mushroom to balance anything you might find to be too rich / intense For more details about the rest of the dishes, I will let you see from the link below As you could see, Andreas Caminada seemed to like anything “pickled”. Well, over the course of this lunch, I found that he’s indeed the master of creating acidity / sour flavor naturally. Like the ingredients used previously, even the cheese dish was all local. The dessert was unfortunately rather weak … the technique and execution were good but both of us were not too fond of the main produce – plum with yoghurt. Then, the pastry team also prepared soufflé and granite but the flavors used were derived from curd and verbena respectively – we’re not too keen on them either. Our lunch package included wine pairing and they’re sourced locally from Switzerland and most of them were relatively young wines. I kinda liked the selection and in fact, it’s been a while I’ve never consumed this much alcohol (7 glasses – at least equivalent to the whole bottle per person). Around the dessert time, honestly I felt somewhat “tipsy” or nearly half drunk The castle was really old obviously (from the 12th century) and Andreas Caminada tried to preserve it as much as possible. The interior of the dining room itself was modern and minimalist with some paintings and pictures on the wooden walls / panels. There were 2 dining rooms and altogether they could fit about 25-30 people; yes, it’s relatively small. 2-3 months advanced reservation especially over the weekend was essential. Chef Caminada paid attention to the guests’ overall experience. He himself led and trained his service staffs. He wanted to make sure guests received great service even from the reservation process. During a nice weather, guests were encouraged to eat their small-bytes and amuse at the partially covered terrace with beautiful mountain in the backdrop. In the evening, I was told that diners were welcomed to the opulence bar and lounge located 1 floor above the main dining room to enjoy their petit fours. Given the long meal (4+ hours), the restaurant wanted to make sure that guests not feel bored to be seated in the same room throughout The meal was indeed memorable. The service was impeccable, the best one I’ve ever experienced in Switzerland. The front team staffs were predominantly female dressed in black; they were very competent – amiable, attentive and knowledgeable. The pacing for both the food and wine were just nice. Had the location been more accessible, I would’ve visited this place more often in the future. A foodie looking for modern and complex cooking with good balance optimizing the use of mostly the best produce from Graubunden canton … there’s hardly any better place than Andreas Caminada’s flagship restaurant. Pictures of the meal: https://www.flickr.com/photos/7124357@N03/albums/72157689832270604/with/38654734941/

After having dinner at Aqua last spring, the following day my food journey continued with a lunch at La Vie, located in the old town and historical city of Osnabruck. Prior to this visit, I did not know much about Osnabruck. If you have some extra time, 1-2 hours strolling around the area before or after your meal would be an enjoyable thing to do. I did this kind of activity at Sluis, a small town in Holland, a long time ago. Like Sven Elverfeld, Thomas Buhner, la vie’s chef-patron, was also a prominent chef in the ‘new German school’. Chef Buhner consistently delivered innovative cooking with maximum ingredients that were meticulously crafted for each dish. Classical French cuisine was the fundamental, integrated with contemporary technique while ensure German would always be the soul of the dish. la vie was very open about using produce form all over the world and it’s reflected from the dishes I had as well as the wine selection I drank during this lunch. Normally, I opted for the chef’s classic tasting menu whenever I visited the restaurant for the first time. However, as the avant-garde degustation menu offered more dishes, I decided to go for it plus ordering a couple of extra dishes from supposedly Thomas Buhner’s signature items. I observed that Thomas liked using “surf & turf” pairing for the dish. For instance, there were raw wagyu beef & cod, pork belly & octopus, oyster & sweetbread. Low temperature cooking highlighting the (many) ingredients’ natural flavors and textures contrast was pretty much the core of la vie’s approach. While sometimes I found certain flavor was too dominant, when the combination worked well such as in the case of ‘huitre’ with ‘ris de veau’; you will be “wowed” by the Buhner’s exquisite creation. For the main courses, the method was simpler by carefully preparing and perfectly executing the (main) produce. The results were indeed excellent especially the etouffee pigeon. Please see the link below for more details The dining room was moderately small and it was not a busy lunch. Contrary to the classic exterior, the interior décor was more modern and graceful. The table was big, the chair was comfortable and distance among tables was spacious. There were about 10 guests and we’re served by 4 attentive, warm and genuine staffs. Thus, you could expect from a restaurant at this caliber, everything went smoothly from the topping of water/wine to the pace of the food. As a bonus, Thomas Buhner himself, after having finished conducting a weekend cooking class, showed up and greeted each table. A meal at La Vie, once again, showed that at the 3-star level, the restaurants in Germany truly capable of performing at high level. Along with Aqua and restaurant Vendome … it’s not an easy task to say which one is “the best”. The review of la vie marked the last fine meals I had in Germany this year. Hope I could savor a few more new places around this country in the future More detailed review: https://zhangyuqisfoodjourneys.blogspot.co.id/2017/11/la-vie-thomas-buhner.html Meal photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/7124357@N03/sets/72157662726330918/with/38423401766/

Along with Le pre catelan, restaurant Guy Savoy is among the Parisian 3-star places where I may not have much enthusiasm. Not because it was not good, but the competitors were simply much better (L’Ambroisie, Pierre Gagnaire etc.). This should explain why I only visited this place once, nearly a decade ago. However, it caught my attention again when Guy Savoy announced that his main restaurant will move to a much better space – hotel de la Monnaie. Since then, I also kept reading many favorable reviews about this place and ultimately La liste recognized it as the “best restaurant” in the 2017 edition. These are sufficient excuses for me return here in the Spring. I did not see any dishes attracted my attention, so I ordered the restaurant’s set menu. It’s been a while … except the famous artichoke soup, I was pleased to know that I would eat mostly new & different dishes compared to my 1st visit when Guy Savoy was still located at rue Troyon. The basics / ingredients were similar but different preparations: I could still find dishes with oyster, caviar-based, lobster as well as seasonal vegetables. The ingredients were superb, the kitchen performed high level cooking and the dishes tended to be more flavorful and sometimes concentrate this time around. I could appreciate the chef’s creations more and very much enjoy the turbot and lamb dishes (sadly I forgot to take a picture of the lamb). But, the part that elevated my experience this time in terms of food was the dessert – it’s better than the entrée & plat principal – I hardly encountered this kind of situation. The vanilla millefeuille (about as good as the Passard’s version) and dark chocolate parcel (pure chocolate lovers would adore this) were outstanding. The dessert trolley was, as usual, awesome in particular the rice pudding. I am happy to see that Guy Savoy finally got a much grander dining room. He’s among the most respectable chefs in France and Europe and I always think his place of flagship restaurant should reflect that as well. The restaurant was divided into at least 5 (big) salons; each room has a very high ceiling and large windows. The color was predominantly black, in contrast to the white tablecloths and some colorful tableware. Oh, you would still find many of Chef Savoy’s art collections from rue Troyon – paintings and sculptures. In this new place, the restaurant could accommodate 70 or so people, very big for a 3-star restaurant standard and it’s almost full. Given that it’s “only” on Tuesday, it looks like business-wise, Guy Savoy is doing very well. The consequence of this was that the service could not be as charming and personalized as before. The affable staffs still worked hard to make the experience to be fun and comforting, but I understood that they had to move fast clearing and brought in dishes – just imagine at least 40 people ordering the set menu (10+ dishes) plus a few diners asked for vegetarian options … no wonder the friendly and usually agreeable Hubert immediately said no to any tables who wanted a mix (different dishes) of a la carte and degustation menu; realistically the kitchen would have a hard time to cope with such demands. Even this time, I did not see the chef-owner to be around near the entrance or visit guests in the dining room like what he usually did in the past. The overall experience here has always been consistent: delicious food (though nothing blown away, the closest one would be the dessert), comforting and generous environment; warm, attentive and friendly service (felt this early when the restaurant was not that busy). If all aspects in the dining are important, Guy Savoy is your right place but if you’re very picky about having fantastic food … maybe not. After this meal, Guy Savoy still didn’t make the cut of my top 10 or 20 restaurants in the world. But, if you’ve never been here, please come once – Guy was a living legend in the French gastronomy and a great person More detailed review: https://zhangyuqisfoodjourneys.blogspot.com/2017/11/guy-savoy-paris.html Meal photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/7124357@N03/sets/72157665737434069

Selecting where to dine at 2-star Michelin in Paris could be tricky sometimes. Based on my experience, it’s often hit (Taillevent / old Le bristol) and miss (Rostang / Carre des feuillants); well the miss was not too bad but I often expected more. When I was in Paris with my wife, I tended to try a new restaurant and if possible having a beautiful dining room as she loves taking pictures. From the recent visit, my choice fell into the “relatively” new restaurant in town – Le Gabriel. It’s the flagship dining place of La Reserve hotel, one of Parisian palaces. The executive chef, Jerome Banctel was the former head chef of Senderens. His (contemporary) French cooking was often influenced by Japanese cuisine; he also likes using Asian spices. Therefore, I thought the food would be suitable to her palate. It was a dinner and since we would be leaving Paris the following day, I selected dishes from the a la carte menu. We split the appetizers and main course. I loved the succulent roasted lobster with butter served in fruity emulsion; moist and delicious Bresse hen thigh with its crispy skin in yuzu vinaigrette sauce; and the side dish of the 1st serving from the chicken: excellent girolles - meaty & firm, nutty and rather sweet. You can see the rest of the dishes from the link below. Some of the combination might not always work unfortunately. For instance, the chewy artichoke heart, the most popular dish at Le Gabriel, was nice served in a complex and intense sauce (the salty, sour, buttery flavors all ‘bursting’). It was good for a couple of bytes, but became kind of cloying as you ate more and more – probably since we had it as an a la carte and the fact that it’s vegetables, the portion was generous. Another example coming from our ‘neighbors’; the American couple ordering tasting menu and their main course was pigeon marinated in miso. When the staffs explained the dishes to me, I already imagined and had doubts whether this combination would work. I did not order it, but I saw my neighbors had this pigeon (another house specialty) as their main course. They did not finish them – the wife ate more than half, the husband savored nearly 1/3 of the portion – well, they politely told that they’re full when the staffs asked. However, I overheard from the discussion that they’re not too fond of the pigeon dish. The fact that my wife and I sometimes can effortlessly heard other people conversation … yes, it’s correct if you guessed that it implied the distance between tables was not too spacious. The tables and chairs / sofas were comfy though. It’s just that the dining room was quite small – fit in about 30 people. For a new luxury place, I was surprised that Michel Reybier did not go for a grand dining room. The room was filled with black and brown color – it looked quite dark in the evening nevertheless the interior was elegant and rather chic. At first, I wanted to order a bottle of “house wine” – probably due to my limited knowledge, I did not expect that the bottles carrying owner’s label would be very expensive (> EUR 200). Hence, I ordered something else It was a Friday evening and the restaurant was full. Staffs were chatty, enthusiastic and busy. Once in a while, our wine and water were not promptly topped up but the napkin was always changed to a new one. Le Gabriel was a young restaurant compared to many gastronomy places in Paris. However, chef Jerome Banctel and his team worked very hard; he was ambitious, developed his own style and wanted to attain the ultimate goal of receiving 3-star Michelin award for Le Gabriel … perhaps one day. As of now, I think 2-star was more suitable and I got a feeling that this restaurant could be one of the most exciting restaurants to watch in the city of lights. I expected plenty of new creations by chef Banctel in the next 3-5 years. Pictures of the meal: https://www.flickr.com/photos/7124357@N03/albums/72157690444216526/with/38183680682/

Like Singapore, Hong Kong has been blessed with numerous high quality Japanese restaurants. For the summer visit this year, I decided to have lunch at Sushi Tokami, tucked away inside an Ocean Centre – a bit unusual to find a top sushi-ya in the shopping mall. In Tokyo, Sushi Tokami is relatively new but quickly rising among the favorites in the past few years especially among the fans of ‘progressive’ edo mae style. Similar to the one in Tokyo, the HK branch also received the 1-star Michelin. This Sushi-ya is very famous for its maguro as the chef-owner’s family has been running a shop dedicated to tuna in Tsukiji market named Yamasachi for 2-3 generations. You can find their maguro in plenty of Tokyo’s elite sushi-yas In addition to the ‘best’ maguro, to keep the high quality of the place … Sushi Tokami even paid particular attention to the water - only Japanese spring water was used to prepare for its shari (for better texture and rice flavor). The rice was none other than ‘Tanada-mai’ from Niigata that’s rich in minerals and seasoned with red vinegar that has been fermented with sake yeast. During this lunch, my Itamae was not Taga-san; the replacement looked quite young and has been working in Kyubey flagship restaurants for several years, thus actually a capable one – he handled nearly 10 guests with ease I ordered the omakase menu consisting of 8 otsumami (including the maguro temaki) and 12 sushi (excluding tamago, tuna collagen soup and fruit dessert). For the appetizers, my favorite were: -Chopped tuna neck handroll, the specialty of the house; generous, buttery and flavorful with crisp nori, wasabi and well-seasoned rice -Steamed awabi and cooked tako often went together in any top sushi-ya. The mushi awabi was thick, tender (a bit bouncy) and delicious but the liver sauce was not as creamy & delicious as the one at Sushi Yoshitake. The tako was sweet, tasty and chewy – it took me a while to finish it, but an enjoyable ‘activity’ in the mouth The rests were quite good but nothing memorable. The weakest ones were probably = the eggplant with miso sauce was not too impressive while the shiro ebi was fine but the sauce (made of the stomach of tai and snapper) was too overpowering, hence spoiled the enjoyment. For sushi, anything with maguro (the usual trio and the soup) was indeed really good. My favorite one during lunch was arguably the Akamutsu; Rosy seabass has fatty flesh and oily that were nicely balanced with its red vinegar shari. Any (bafun) uni fans would love this place; in addition to its creamy and sweet uni, the ratio of uni vs shari in gunkan style was 3:1! Honestly, I barely tasted the rice … maybe trivial, but the nori used here was always crisp and delectable. Lastly, the tamago was more dense (& sticky) than “normal”, its texture was more like a cheesecake but still flavorful. You can see the others from the pictures below – not every piece was really refined / in perfection, it’s still a work in progress for this place. The staffs spoke good English, Japanese and Cantonese. The service has been good and consistent; my hot ocha was pretty much hot most of the time. They also provided a cover for my camera and notes – a nice gesture. Despite its location, inside the dining room, the atmosphere was calm and peaceful with sufficient light. Another solo guest next to me (Japanese who keeps talking with the Itamae) seemed to love this place a lot. He probably consumed 20+ pieces as he asked for more and more including awabi sushi after he saw me eating the mushi awabi. Pictures of the meal: https://www.flickr.com/photos/7124357@N03/albums/72157687537040494/with/37398599276/