All dishes were delicious! The sauces were rich and flavorful, making me want to come back again. The sommelier provided us with perfect wine pairings, making it a truly happy experience. I will definitely visit again!

JAL Chefs' Relay - A Baton of Fine Dining Craftsmanship - was featured in JAL's domestic First Class in December 2022. During mid-December (11th to 20th), the dinner served on the Haneda arrival flight included the following: Appetizer - Petite Cadeau "Tapenade" with Kabura Vichyssoise Salad Provencal Main Course - Poisson en Croute - Sea Bream wrapped in Potato with Saffron Sauce Served with petit bread and butter. Dessert - Creme Caramel This time, white wine was chosen to accompany the meal.

In December 2022, JAL domestic first class featured JAL Chefs' Relay - a gourmet experience curated by top chefs. The menu included appetizers like Escargot a la Bourguignonne, followed by a main course of Shuufarushi with a side of Cabbage Wrap. Dessert was a delicious Creme Caramel. The special 15th-anniversary sake, Hakurakusei Junmai Daiginjo, was a highlight, with a unique label design. The meal was served hot and the Escargot paired well with the Japanese sake. The featured chef, Nobuyuki Morinaga, runs a renowned French restaurant in Kyoto called Droit, known for its exquisite dishes made with carefully selected ingredients from across Japan. The restaurant has been awarded one Michelin star in the Kyoto-Osaka guide for five consecutive years.

Adjacent to the Kyoto Imperial Palace, "Droa," which has been in operation for 5 years with only Chef Nobuyuki Morinaga, has now been joined by veteran sommelier Masahiro Matsuoka. The collaboration between Matsuoka, who was a sommelier at the Hotel de Yoshino in Wakayama, and Morinaga has further enhanced the charm of the restaurant. During the visit in spring, the appetizer of white asparagus is served with a green olive sauce instead of hollandaise sauce. The acidity similar to tapenade, along with the texture and umami of shellfish such as mirugai, complement the dish. The main dish of shichitani duck is accompanied by red algae. The soft leaves with a slight bitterness balance out the richness of the duck. The highlight was the hot spring cabbage soup. The citrus ice cream on top of the hot soup is mixed with burnt powder of various citrus peels, enhancing the sweetness of the cabbage with its bitterness and citrus aroma. I also recall the cucumber soup I had during a previous visit in the summer, which had a great gin aroma. The restaurant is ideally located next to the Kyoto Imperial Palace, allowing guests to enjoy the greenery of the palace from both the kitchen and the dining area. Morinaga mentions that the unique excitement of a restaurant comes from the "sound" and the "wind" created by people walking. After the visit, two new staff members have joined, bringing the total to four employees. The restaurant is currently on an upward trend. You can also find updates on Twitter: https://twitter.com/caille2006/status/1561294483026636800?s=20&t=wXcZT8_12tGw_gPjjsZxxA Check out the restaurant visit reports and more on the blog: https://www.mdspplus.com/

Amuse-bouche, melon with port wine. The chef was inspired by his experience at a three-star restaurant in France, where they served a melon filled with rum as an appetizer. It was definitely delicious, with a caramel-like flavor from the rum. Cucumber, a challenging ingredient often considered a wine taboo, was also featured in the dish. The chef highlighted the difficulty of working with cucumber, especially during early summer in Kyoto. A classic French dish made with ayu, eggplant, and Chablis mousse was also served, showcasing the importance of fresh ingredients. Thymus, when served raw, has a great texture and flavor. Langoustine and leek are a classic combination in French cuisine. Sea bass was intentionally chosen by the chef, despite it being a fish that is often overlooked. The sea bass used was caught by a fisherman from the Naruto Strait, and the dish was prepared with attention to detail. Lamb, with its crispy fat and tender fillet, was served with a red wine sauce. The meal was paired with Burgundy 1997 wine and ended with a delicious forest fruit pudding with rum. The total cost for a meal for two, including champagne and red wine, was just over 100,000 yen.

I was invited to dine at the Michelin-starred French restaurant Droit, located right next to the Kyoto Imperial Palace Gardens. I had been wanting to visit after sitting next to Chef Morinaga during a previous meal at the Western restaurant Ogata last year. The restaurant was cozy and the kitchen looked impressive. Here is a list of the dishes we had in order: 1. Crispy black truffle gougère with a rich cheese flavor. 2. Turnip soup with vinaigrette of lobster, combining the gentle sweetness of turnip with the aroma of lobster. 3. Droit-style Langoustine with beef tongue, foie gras, and layers of black truffle. The beef tongue was sourced by Mr. Arakawa from Sakae-ya. It was incredibly delicious. 4. Wine-braised raccoon dog, incredibly tender meat with a perfect balance of apple acidity. 5. Tilefish wrapped in chiffon cabbage with trumpet mushrooms and shrimp inside. The sauce with ginger was a nice touch. 6. Roasted venison from a 3-year-old female deer sourced by Mr. Arakawa. The meat was tender and flavorful. 7. Roasted duck, with a rich sauce made using blood and a skewer of liver. A satisfying end to the meal. 8. Cheese from Yoshida Ranch. 9. Morinaga's pudding, a caramel sauce that adds an adult touch to the dessert. I enjoyed the wine pairing and left feeling a bit tipsy but reluctant to leave. I eventually made my way home on the Shinkansen, already looking forward to the next opportunity to visit this wonderful restaurant.

From Teramachi Marutamachi to the north near Demachi, around 6 pm in December, the scenery becomes quite dark. In this dimness, you can spot a French restaurant quietly standing in Goshohigashi. If you're on foot, it's easy to find, but if you're in a car, you might accidentally pass by. I had been curious about this place for a while. The meal consisted of 8 dishes (plus bread), with each portion feeling slightly larger than other French restaurants. The soup, made with celery, was flavorful and delicious. One of the meat dishes featured moon bear meat, which had no gamey taste and was quite tasty. For dessert, there was "Morinaga Pudding," a play on words as the chef's surname is Morinaga. The dishes were minimalistic and tasty overall. I opted for wine pairing, and the selection was excellent. The only downside was that there was only one staff member assisting, and the chef had to handle everything from serving dishes to choosing wines. This led to some delays in getting the next wine when one ran out. Despite this, I would like to revisit this place as the food is good, and I hope they can improve their operations in the future.

On the last night in Kyoto, dine at Droit-sama along the Nashi no Ki Shrine. Although there were few samples on the food blog, it has Michelin stars in Kyoto. The water selection is from Orezza in Corsica. The appetizer consisted of figs and foie gras pate, which had a sweet and fragrant taste. The domestic root celery potage has a short season and is followed by white turnips direct from a Kyoto vegetable farmer, served with galette. The chef has been baking galettes for 3 years. The combination of the sweetness and bitterness of the vegetables, the aroma of the galette, and the herb fromage blanc was truly amazing. The Tsukinowagyu, cooked with Carboarde Shimeibu red label, is a favorite. The Tsukinowagyu from Kurobe has a tender tendon and lean meat, similar to beef tongue stew. The gelatin is tender and full of flavor. The Kuro Mutsu, with its perfectly cooked skin and saltiness, along with the sweetness of the flesh and the acidity and buttery richness of the sauce, has an exceptional balance. The main dish is aged milk cow sirloin, known for its clean lean meat. With the expertise of an aging specialist, the red meat is tender and has a sweet aroma, capturing the essence of the cow before it started eating grass. This Michelin-starred meal is truly a remarkable experience.

Nowadays, it is probably a minority. A nostalgic French cuisine that focuses on the harmony between sauce and ingredients. Even though it may evoke nostalgia, the taste of the sauce is not old-fashioned, but rather adds a modern nuance to the dish. The true essence of Chef Nobuyuki Morinaga's cuisine lies in this freshness. Morinaga was born in 1982. The catalyst for his career in cooking was Bernard Pacaud, who appeared in the book "The Kitchen, a Battlefield" by Masao Saizu that he read during his student days. His respect for Pacaud not only influenced the direction of his cooking but also became the foundation of his identity as a chef. The standout dish of the day was the "Ris de Veau." It was served with Kyoto's Inge and basil as a side dish, and the sauce was a Marengo sauce, with a base of fighting chicken. The addition of lobster flavor, along with the aroma of basil, made the Ris de Veau a vivid and unforgettable experience. The cucumber soup appetizer was also excellent, a summer classic apparently flavored with gin. For dessert, they serve the "Morinaga Pudding," a traditional pudding for those who prefer a firmer texture. It is served with Cognac. In today's world where sauce-centric French restaurants are rare, classics like Drois are precious. The flavors are rich, yet the texture remains light, showcasing Morinaga's experimentation. The restaurant is located next to the Kyoto Imperial Palace, with the entrance leading directly to the kitchen and a dining area that is slightly sunken and three-dimensional. The wine cellar, reaching up to the high ceiling, adds to the cozy, woody atmosphere rather than a sparkling elegance. (Please note that the prices have been revised from July to between 10,000 and 15,000 yen. If anyone reading this post, please update the price display on the official website.) You can also find this review on Twitter: https://twitter.com/caille2006/status/1297601025180725248?s=20

This restaurant is a French restaurant in Kyoto, and it has been a year since my last visit. It was recommended by a Japanese restaurant in Gion. The evening course is only a 10,000 yen course. The chef, who is very friendly, is working hard to challenge classical French cuisine all by himself. Although I am more drawn to a Japanese-style taste in French cuisine, so I had been hesitant to review it as the chef pursues French country cuisine, our tastes are slightly different. However, the restaurant is located right next to the Imperial Palace, facing beautiful greenery, creating a very clean and serene atmosphere inside. Surprisingly, there have been no reviews since the cute and lovely reviewer, Miruminku, posted the first review on the Tabelog site. Recently, a dear reviewer, Mharu-kun, couldn't contain his love for Kyoto and started a website called "eat KYOTO" where he passionately talks about Kyoto every day, and he introduced this restaurant there. At that time, this pastry chef received a well-deserved one Michelin star ☆. French cuisine in Kyoto tends to be overshadowed by the abundance of Japanese cuisine, and amidst the many restaurants that use Kyoto vegetables, this chef's dedication to classical French cuisine has earned him a Michelin star. His enthusiastic speech was so lively and passionate that I couldn't help but smile. I was so happy that he received a star! French cuisine in Kyoto doesn't receive much attention, especially those who compete with classical dishes, so I think a lot of hard work is necessary. The chef who welcomed us that day showed us the ingredients with joy, shared his passionate thoughts about cooking, and his eyes were shining. Congratulations on the Michelin star! I am so happy that I had to write a review (*^。^*). The photo is a part of the menu from that day. There is a chef in Kyoto who explores classical French cuisine with childlike excitement, facing cooking every day. If you are interested in French cuisine, please visit. You will definitely enjoy a happy moment enveloped in the chef's passion and gentle personality! Oh, I ended up promoting the restaurant again. The chef is so sincere that I can't help but support him. And check out Mharu-kun's website too (^^). There is a photo of his back, standing up straight. I love that photo as it seems to reflect Mharu-kun's way of life. Wait, is this a review of the pastry or Mharu-kun's website? I got confused ^^;

The food was rich and delicious! The pairing was perfect and amazing (*≧∀≦)人(≧∀≦*)♪

The French cuisine at this restaurant is exceptional, making great use of high-quality ingredients. The sauces are irresistibly delicious. The menu includes melon with port sauce, milk and oyster soup, foie gras, various cuts of tuna, pattypan squash wrapped in pastry, grilled lamb, Morinaga pudding, herbal tea, cheese from Yoshida Ranch. The chef's personality shines through in the dishes and it's easy to get hooked.

Luxurious French cuisine with an original feel that is incredibly lovely. Pairing it with wine made me feel happy.