マダム・チェチーリア
On March 8th, Festa della Donna, or International Women's Day, after three years, I reunited with my mentor. The day before, Beatrice went to the salon for grooming! It was here that Sister first held Beatrice, when she was just 5 months old on August 23rd. It had been three and a half years since I last saw Sister. In January 2020, I had lunch with eight classmates and my mentor in Sichuan, but Beatrice was still a puppy and had no memory of Sister. Sister looked at the grown Beatrice and asked typical questions like how old she is now and what she likes to study. As I walked down Platinum Street towards Hiroo, I passed by Lucetta, a restaurant I had visited three days prior, and discovered that the cat-shaped bottle was not white wine but Crémant from Alsace. Since Wednesday is their day off, the restaurant was closed on this day. Mimosa flowers were displayed by the window inside the restaurant, and I also spotted a large mimosa tree in the residential area of Hiroo 4-chome. While the cherry blossom trees on Meiji Street had yet to bloom, there was a beautiful weeping cherry blossom tree in front of a designated important cultural property Japanese house on the university grounds. It was disappointing that it had bloomed about 10 days early. This year, the cherry blossoms are said to be blooming earlier than usual. Sister was having lunch at the monastery while I was there. For dessert, we both agreed on banana bread and Earl Grey tea. I had the half portion of true octopus mince all'arrabbiata and Darjeeling tea, while my husband had the half portion of true cod white roe and turnip with kujyo green onion and sake-kasago oil, paired with Spanish organic Verdejo. The lunchtime restaurant was full, with a line of five people waiting outside the entrance, as usual. If you are more than 15 minutes late for your reservation, it will be considered a cancellation. Sister and I, along with Beatrice, were lucky to have made a reservation. Sister enjoyed the banana bread and finished it, while my husband, who loves octopus, also finished his meal. I was the only one who left a little pasta. I thought that if there were a little more kujyo green onion, and the turnip was cut a little smaller, it would have been better. The handmade pasta from Awaji Island in the Seto Inland Sea is chewy and has a pleasant texture, but I thought that a finer pasta would complement the delicate flavor of the tender white roe of the true cod. It must be difficult for a cafe like this to offer a variety of pasta dishes like Bondi, but it is within the acceptable range! After my husband returned to the office, Sister and I relaxed under the parasol with Beatrice, chatting leisurely. Unlike a restaurant that closes until dinner after lunch, this is the convenience of using a cafe! After chatting, Sister and I said goodbye at the school gate with Beatrice. Sister, please take care and stay well. Goodbye! ♡