grace_elliott
I visited for lunch from a distance. I will omit comments on the scenery and hospitality as they have been praised in other reviews. What surprised me first was the menu placed at each table. At first glance, it looks ordinary, but if you look closely at the corner, you will see the date written on it. As a working adult, I think many of us have made mistakes like this before, but normally, this is not done because it can lead to errors. However, from the customer's perspective, it feels like you are hearing the voice of the restaurant welcoming you, which is a pleasant surprise. You can sense the meticulous workmanship even from such a trivial detail. Now, about the wine, there are many bottles lined up for by-the-glass wines. The number of bottles is astonishing. Even for white wines alone, several bottles are always chilled on ice. Among the champagnes, reds, whites, dessert wines, this selection alone makes it one of the top restaurants in Kyoto. In the current season, many restaurants try to minimize opening bottles, so I was impressed by this. I love wine, but I am not a wine connoisseur, so I asked the sommelier for a pairing, which was already listed on the menu. "Loire - Top Pairing Luxe", "Pairing for the number of dishes", "Souvenir - 3 wines", the first champagne is an extra charge, but I asked for white, white, red, and dessert wines, and it was really good. The food and wine paired perfectly. Also, I was surprised to see multiple people enjoying wine during lunch. Normally, I am the only one drinking wine, but at this restaurant, younger people than me were also enjoying wine. It's not just one glass! The sight of the sommelier busy moving around for the wine is not often seen in other restaurants. Now, onto the main topic, the food. From appetizers to desserts, everything was simply delicious. It's the taste that Japanese people love. It's the seasoning that Japanese palates desire. I lack vocabulary, so it's hard to describe in words. The flavors are elegant, distinct from Japanese cuisine, the flavors of the ingredients are rich, the soups and sauces are rich, the seasoning is firm but not heavy, and it pairs well with wine. The appetizers alone were deep in flavor, and I enjoyed them for about 30 minutes. It's almost like magic. For the dishes, the menu included: Red bell pepper mousse, Hokkaido scallop poêlé, Wild cod meunière with shirako tempura, Mainland deer loin meunière, Vanilla-flavored crème Chiboust with pear jelly, Caramel ice cream with espresso, and petit fours. Personally, I really enjoyed the shirako (milt) tempura. The deer meat with whole peppercorns and rock salt was also delicious. I think deer meat is usually not heavily seasoned, so this was surprising. The roasted apple that was served with it also paired exceptionally well. Normally, I think jam is often served with this. The bread was cute, like the white bread from the anime "Heidi." The Echiré butter was excellent. Now, here comes the cheese trolley. It was a real surprise. Several types of cheese were available, and you could choose. I chose blue cheese and Camembert. Paired with a delicate sweetness Kyoto dessert wine, it was an exquisite dish. However, the cheese is an additional charge (laughs). It was 1,800 yen for two types. I was already full from the wine and food, but the dessert was subtly sweet and I finished it in one go. For the after-dinner drink, just having espresso as an option made me happy, but this restaurant has three types of espresso. In many places, only regular coffee is available, so this was a delightful surprise. I enjoyed it with petit fours. I had estimated about 2 hours for the meal, but time was not enough at all. I didn't know there was a restaurant where you could enjoy food and wine so much. It was outstanding among the French restaurants in Kyoto. Avant-garde!