孤独のグルマー
I visited the French restaurant "Restaurant Hiramatsu Hakata" located in Shimokawabata-cho, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City. It has been selected as one of the "Tabelog French WEST Top 100 Restaurants 2021" and also holds one Michelin star. I ordered the weekday lunch course for about 5000 yen. In conclusion, the cost performance was excellent in terms of the content and experience. The service from the amuse-bouche onwards was excellent, with a freshly prepared and delicious taste. The service was also very good, with a 13% service charge that initially surprised me, but the luxurious feel and service made it worthwhile. It was a rare experience to spend time in a "proper restaurant" like this. The appetizer was a French-style reconstruction of bonito tataki. For the fish dish, I had the option to choose, and the rare cooking of the sweet shrimp from Kagoshima, particularly the head side, was very delicious. There was a sense of terroir. The meat dish, despite being a budget course under 5000 yen, was skillfully presented with pork, showcasing the essence of autumn without appearing cheap (using Kinunton pork). When choosing pork as the main dish in a restaurant, one concern for the middle-aged and older age groups is the amount of fat. Here, the fat was neatly trimmed and only a small amount was left as a point, making this pork dish truly fitting for the Reiwa era. In the past, when fat was considered essential, it was a time when physical labor was predominant, and I believe that those who ignore this background and worship classical cuisine are not true lovers of the classics. Furthermore, by serving risotto, they created a sense of satiety that would please the Japanese DNA while using low-GI ancient rice instead of white rice, which would surely appeal to the target age group of this restaurant. The chef did a commendable job of finding the right balance in the menu. In this price range, it was much more satisfying than using inferior Wagyu beef. Wonderful. The wine selection included bottles of red wines like Saint-Émilion and Saint-Emilion starting from around 8000 yen, with a good balance of reasonably priced wines. It was also nice to see a "cheese platter," which has become rare in this day and age. They had all Kyushu-produced cheeses, and they seemed to be well managed and aged. This came with dessert, petit fours, and tea, making it a great deal. I chose herb tea from coffee, black tea, and herb tea options, and it was delicious. If they offered to bring the petit fours to the table for a photo opportunity and then said, "If you're too full, you can also take the sweets home," it would be more fitting for the Reiwa era and would likely garner more support from the clientele of this restaurant. Overall, it was a great restaurant.