孤高のグルメ☆
Hello! Oh, wait, Buongiorno!! I am "Gourmet Star," your humble servant of food, catering to the refined palates of all you intellectual gourmets out there. Lately, I've been serving as the loyal attendant to your travel plans in France, Italy, and Switzerland, as evidenced by the LINE messages I've been receiving from you all. You really know how to make the most of my abilities... (ToT) I've just returned home and I'm still struggling with jet lag... I can't sleep... I can't seem to adjust to Japanese time... I've already binge-watched all of "Yellowstone" season 3 on U-NEXT... Time seems to be melting away from me (● ˃̶͈̀ロ˂̶͈́)੭ꠥ⁾⁾
Anyway, my senior colleague remarked, "You've been away for quite a while this time, two months in Switzerland and Italy, huh?" And I responded, "I do enjoy extended stays when traveling. I also spent about 10 days in France this time. Sorry for the late reply, I've been caught up." The senior colleague then said, "You didn't update your food blog at all this time. We were looking forward to it, you know, even just to make sure you were safe." And I replied, "I'm sorry, but every time I got into the groove of updating my reviews on the food app, the screen suddenly closed, and all the reviews I had written vanished into thin air. It happened five times in a row, and I got so frustrated with my own foolishness that I just gave up (cries)."
The senior colleague responded, "Well, okay, but you know, people who go on European trips and then immediately crave Japanese food upon returning home are simply evidence that they didn't eat delicious local cuisine while abroad! You once passionately argued that those who immerse themselves in the culinary delights of Italy, France, or Switzerland will continue to crave the local cuisine even after returning to Japan, right? So today, I made sure we had Italian!" And I said, "Huh? Did I really say something so self-important? Well, I've always been brutally honest, so it's fine! (By the way, tomorrow will be French cuisine lol)"
Oh, is that the Bulgari building in Ginza? It's lovely, isn't it? I look forward to the Bulgari "Serpenti" illuminations every year. Since 2011, BVLGARI has been under the umbrella of the LHMV Group. I've been away from Japan for about eight months from last year to this spring, and it seems like the era of affordable long-haul economy class flights has come to an end with the arrival of a prolonged period of yen depreciation. That feeling of freedom in economy class with a row of three seats all to yourself, being pampered by various flight attendants who kindly engage in conversation and the frequent complimentary upgrades to business class, as well as the complimentary upgrades to better rooms at any good hotel... those dreamy moments have come to an end with the easing of COVID restrictions this spring. To experience the same joy again, one would have to fly business class, but even then, on popular routes, it's already too crowded. Personally, I'm fine with economy class (aisle seat) as long as I'm traveling alone since I prefer to spend on local wines and cuisine. Business class vs. economy class + dinner at a three-star restaurant and fine wine? Definitely the latter, right? That's how I see it. But my senior colleague is such a thoughtful gourmet, isn't he? Despite what you might think, my intellectually refined followers, I actually quite like restaurants run by luxury brands in the city center. The reason is simple: Gone are the days of the dark ages when luxury brands flooded the market with poor-quality logo-centric designs around 1990. Nowadays, luxury brands know what "top quality" means. They tirelessly strive for the perfect fusion of design and quality, so you can rest assured of consistently excellent cuisine at their establishments.
Now, after indulging in meats and fish to my heart's content in Italy and Switzerland, I feel like giving my stomach a break today. So, for today's lunch, I opted for the simplest pasta course: appetizer → pasta → dessert + post-meal beverage. It's within the 6,000 yen (tax included) range, and with the ambiance, it's quite popular among sophisticated adult women.