Tag Archives: フランス料理

French Cuisine: Dinner at Gentil

November 8, 2008 dragonlife 2 Comments

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At long last, I found the right occasion to enjoy a full dinner at Gentil in Shzuoka City!
This is the oldest and best (with consequent prices) French Restaurant in town and most probably in the whole Prefecture.
Both the Maitre d’Hote, Ms. Keiko Kubota and her assistant, Ms. Keiko Nakagwa are Wine and Cheese Sommeliers of renown in Japan.
As I mentioned before, Ms. Keiko Kubota is the only the sole Japanese holding the title of Compagnon d’Honneur de Taste Fromage in Japan, but she was asked to choose, prepare and serve the cheeses offered to all these vey important people at the G8 Summit held last July in Hokkaido.

I did not bother looking at the menu and left all the choices of food and wines to Ms. Kubota.

As we were only two of us, I requested wine to be served by the glass from fine bottles, a very rare possibility in this country (it is not much of a problem as customers in Gentil drink a lot of wine!)
The first offering was white Bourgogne, Chablis 2006, Louis Latour, La Chanfleure.
I wil spare you the details about wine as I was busy enough jotting down explanations about food. Just that all the wines were chosen to a perfection!

The amuse bouche consisted of a sakura ebi/sakura shrimp (found only in Shizuoka. Expect a hefty bill if you are served them in Tokyo!) Quiche and a gobo/Japanese burdock soup served as a capuccino.
I will spare you from reading lengthy prose on the taste and so on. I just hope you will understand that sometimes savouring is far more important than erring into tart comments!

The first hors d’oeuvre was a marriage of:

Ishidai/snapper sashimi with fried renkon/lotus roots

Seared (tataki) venison carpaccio topped with fresh and fried Autumn onions.
When land and sea end up in the same fashion on a plate!

The next glass was a white Bourgogne, Macon-Villages, 2007, Les Tilles, Domaine Sainte-Barbe.

The second hors d’oeuvre was Matoya Oyster (considered as the best variety in Japan) slightly sauteed on a bed of spinach.

It was time for our first glass of red wine: Bourgogne again, Saint-Romain, 2005, Sous le Chateau by Pascal Brunion-Bonheur.

Pasta is not the prerogrative of Italians, (as Rowena will agree?) as demonstrated with this cold Kobashira/Round Clam Round Twin Muscles Capellini!

Great fish is plentiful along our coasts as vindicated by this Madai/Madai snapper first sauteed on its skin and then served en nage on top of a succulent vegetables soup.

The next wine saw the apparition of the “enemy” (don’t believe it, I always point out I hail from Bourgogne! I love Bordeaux, too, but don’t tell my family!): Bordeaux Haut-Medoc 2004, Chatau Real.

Time for the Cremant de Bourgogne Granite!

This granite was of a special meaning for me as it was a Cote Chalonnaise wine, my very home: Cremant de bourgogne, Domaine de la Tour Lajole. I do not have to tell you that for once I ate very slowly!

Now, the “main” dish was a rare treat:
Ris de Veau/Sweetbreads and Foie gras both sauteed with a Madeira wine sauce and mushrooms including chanterelles, eringe, and gobo/Japanese burdock. Some people would kill for that single dish!

Before we attacked the Cheese tray featured at the top of this posting (we had a chunk of each!) we were served a (in my case two) glass of Saint-Emilion 1998 (extravagant!) Dassault Grand Cru!

And now the cheese:

Follow the “N”!
Bottom left: Sakura (Swiss Brown Cow’s milk/Hokkaido)
Centre left: Selles sur Cher(Goat’s milk/France)
Top left: Bon de Sologne (Goat’s milk/France)
Top centre: Chevre/Goat Cheddar(Canada!)
Bottom centre: Bleu d’Auvergne (Cow’s milk/France)
Bottom right: Mont d’Or (Cow’s milk/France)
Centre right: Comte Extra (Cow’s milk/France)
Top right: Red Stilton (Cow’s milk/England)

Yes, we had dessert!: Mont Blanc and Cassis Sorbet/Sherbet.

I did have a couple of Banyuls with my coffee, but I gave as far as pics were concerned!
Best dinner of the year!

Restaurant Gentil
Address:420-0031 Shizuoka Shi, Gofuku-cho, 2-9-1, Gennan Kairaku building, 2F
Tel.: 054-2547655 (Reservations advisable)
Fax: 054-2210509
Opening hours: 12:00~14:00, 18:00~last orders for meals at 21:30. Bar time 18:00~23:30. Closed on Mondays.
Credit cards OK
Homepage　(Japanese)

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Cheese Plate at Gentil (2)

November 4, 2008 dragonlife 6 Comments

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This is the second installment of a hopefully long series of cheese plates served at Gentil Restaurant in Shizuoka City.
The Cheese Sommelier, Ms. Keiko Kubota is the not only the sole Japanese holding the title of compagnon d’Honneur de Taste Fromage in Japan, but she was asked to choose, prepare and serve the cheeses offered to all these vey improtant people at the G8 Summit held last July in Hokkaido.

This time I was more careful with the picture, and I hope you will see it in a better light!

The cheese featured on the above picture are (from left to right)

-Sakura/from Hokkaido, cow’s milk from a cow breed called Brown Swiss.
-“Murasaki Imo”?viole yam chips
-Craquebitte/France, Loire, goat’s milk
-Crutin/Italy, Piemonte cow’s and ewe’s milk with Piemonte truffles
-Bleu d’Auvergne/France, Auvergne, cow’s milk with dry French muscat raisins.

Rowena will be happy to see an Italian cheese, and a great one (it costs a fortune!) featured:
Crutin.

As for wine, the cheese was beautifully paired with a 2001 Monthelie (France/Cote d’Or) by Gerard Doreau!

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Cheese Plate at Gentil (1)

October 18, 2008 dragonlife 2 Comments

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This is the first installment of a hopefully long series of cheese plates served at Gentil Restaurant in Shizuoka City.
The Cheese Sommelier, Ms. Keiko Kubota is the not only Japanese holding the title of Grand Chevalier de Taste Fromage in Japan but she was asked to choose, prepare and serve the cheeses offered to all these vey improtantpeople at the G8 Summit held last July in Hokkaido.

I reckon the pic is not too great. The resaturant is a bit too dark for mobile phone cameras. I promise better ones next time!

The cheese featured on the above picture are:
Left top: Mozzarella Miso Zuke, a cheese from Hokkaido that Ms. Kubota matured in miso paste.
Left middle: Tsuki no Okurimono (Hokkaido)
Left bottom: Sakura (Hokkaido)

Centre: Maroilles (France)
Centre bottom: Chabichou du Poitou (France)

Right top: Vieille Mimolette (France, 18 months)
Right middle: Epoisses affine au Chablis (France, very near my birthplace!)
Right bottom: Brie de Meaux (France), matured for 3 months in France and one more month by Ms. Kubota.

Don’t worry, next time I will ask her cheese from Italy and elsewhere!

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French Cuisine: Dinner at Les Cinqs

September 29, 2008 dragonlife 2 Comments

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It did take time after all to finally be able to enjoy dinner with friends at Tetsuya Sugimoto’s new restaurant, Les Cinqs, but it certainly was worth all the waiting!

(Cremant de Bourgogne, Blancs de Blancs, GAEC Rousset)

My friends being wine-lovers, we skipped the great Shizuoka Sake on their special list and explored the extensive wine menu. After some hesitation whether we would go for some Champagne, we chose a Cremant de Bourgogne, which is always yen for yen (or euro for euro) far better value than their overpriced cousins. The only difference being the locale, we were not disappoined and started the dinner on a great note.

The great menu could be described as a course three times repeated as almost came in three varieties.
The first amuse was Gougeres au Pate de Porc. My American friend could not help comment he was eating a mini French hamburger! He genially pointed out it was certainly better value than some famous/notorious brands.

The second amuse was Mousse de Fromage blanc. Light, almost ethereal, it was accented with a touch of Argan oil from Morocco.

The third amuse was a Salade de Calamar: raw cuttle-fish cut in thin strips and decorated with delicately chopped vegetables and a few extra-mini tomatoes. The cuttle fish was counterbalanced with a mixed fish tartare.

The first hors d’oeuvre/starter came in the shape of “Goma-Dango”/ deep-fried sesame ball with Japanese anko/sweetmeat and foie gras inside served with aloe jelly and a small glass of Sweet white Jurancon.

The second hors d’oeuvre was a salad of smoked salmon trout from Fujinomiya City (it takes them three years to reach maturity and your plate!) topped with a salad of fine vegetables and edible flowers grown locally, and topped with an emulsion.

(Gevrey-Chambertin, 2003, Red, Domaine-Rossignol-Trajet)

The Cremant had disappeard by then, and it was grand time to start some serious drinking. We chose a nectar from my (French) sister in law’s village, Gevrey-Chambertin. This is a celebrated wine and does not really need another compliment. Just let me tell you that it was full with red fruits and drnk so smoothly in spite of his young age!

And then it was back to the third hors d’oeuvre: Potage froid de Potiron. The simple explanation does not pay justice to the sublime taste of Ebisu Kabotcha/Ebisu Pumpkin grown in Hamamatsu City!

At long last the first main course: Poelee de Rouget aux Champignons sauvages/skillet red sanpper (amadai in Japanese) from Ogawa Bay and wild mushrooms freshly picked at the foot of Mount Fuji!

The second main course was a discovery: Roti de Pigeonneau/Roasted young Pigeon. This was the first I saw and tasted it under such a concept. Can you see the half head with its brains (cooked). I ate the whole lot, brains, skull and beak! Yes, you read it, and it was a beautiful experience (stop shooting, will ya?)!

The day’s Granite to help us along to the dessert was another discovery: Granite de sureau/Elder Tree Flowers Granite! I might ask fiends in North America for some explanations!

The first dessert was a Gelee de Raisin/ Fresh Kyohou seedless grapes groen in Hamamatsu City in the own jelly. A continuation of the Granite!

The second dessert was a Gateau au Chocolat. Sorry, I did not listen to the explanation lost as I was in the next sight!

(1967 LBV Port/ Real Oporto, P. EALCA VELHA)

Mr. Sugimoto had brought a present from a friend on the table: Port wine! What with the chocolate cake, the mignardises and coffee, it just made for the perfect final combination!

LES CINQS
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Shichiken-cho, 17-14, Amble Court 1F (along north side of Aoba Park beyond Aoba Park Police Box)
Tel.: 054-251-7728
Cards OK
Reservations recommended (obligatory for the counter and private rooms!)

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French Cuisine: Hana Hana Lunch

September 22, 2008 dragonlife 6 Comments

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Typhoon 13 still keeping me away from Cricket, I decided it was about time to check on one of my favourite Frestaurants in Shizuoka!
Hana Hana has the merit not only to serve good food at very reasonable prices, but also to be very relaxed about it. Thinking of what, if customers relaxed a bit more too it would be the perfect place to enjoy lunch on a rainy afternoon!

Week days or not, they propose three plentiful set lunches for 1,680 yen, but I prefer to raise the ante a little and go for the 3,000 yen (less than 30$) menu which allows to choose one dish each from 5 starters, 7 main dishes and 5 desserts, bread, butter, amuse and coffee/tea included!

Like the menu, the amuse are essentially seasonal. The sweet red pimento mousse was certainly a discovery for all its simplicity. The right little morsel to encourage you ask for a glass of wine. I actually found out that not a single person out of the dozen guests (Hana Hana is a fairly small cozy place) was drinking wine. They don’t know what they miss!

Choosing the “starter” actually took me some time. I finally opted for a light fare, Suwa Crab Salad. Light, tasty and elegant, it spurred my appetite onto a favourite Hana Hana dish:

“Stuffed Quail”. I never bothered to ask the Chef what came into the stuffing as it tends to vary. I’m pretty sure that this time it included some foie gras. The quail is roasted to prefection. The sauce has great sweet and peppery balance. The vegetables are all seasonal, including the new potatoes with their skin.

But one day I will ask the Chef where he finds these enormous quails. I can guarantee you I sucked every bit of flesh off its fat legs to the dismay of my manner-conscious neighbours. When something is good, do not be afraid of using your fingers! I felt in a bit of wicked mood and I made a point of licking my fingers!

Finally it came to enjoy dessert.
Now, I’m sure that Taste Memory Girl, Rowena and all the ladies with a sweet tooth would have liked to kick me out of my chair to steal that one morsel (I will have to find a way to notify you all one day!!
Caramel Creme Brulee tooped with a generous Caramel Ice-Cream!
Need I describe it?
My neighbours had turned envious by then!

Hana Hana
420-0037 Shizuoka City, Hitoyado-cho, 1-3-12
Tel. & Fax: 054-221-0087
Business hours: 11:30~15:00, 17:30~22:00
Credit Cards OK
Closed on Wednesdays

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French Cuisine: Lunch at Les Cinqs

August 25, 2008 dragonlife Leave a comment

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Yesterday, Sunday would not usually sees me going for lunch anywhere, but the torrential rains having cancelled all possibilities of sport, I was not going to sulk at home and spend a miserable day in a stuffy apartment.
So, under the inefficient protection of my biggest umbrella, I walked/paddled to the bus stop (I do not drive anyway, and a bicycle ride would have turned into a filthy nightmare). I shall refrain from relating the hazards of waiting for commuters’ transport under a deluge along a crowded road and stick to the real venture of the day, namely my lunch!

Les Cinqs offers two different lunch courses 3,150 yen and 5.250 yen (I opted for the latter) with a succinct but sufficient list of wines served by the glass. Of course you may order a full bottle if you wish to.
Noticing Japanese wines on the said list, I decided to have a go for them as I entirely trusted the restaurant. They were actually priced higher than their French counterparts…
The first to come was a “Kooshu wine” Gris de Gris from Yamanashi Prefefecture concocted by Chateau Mercian in 2007. Of a very rich oaken colour, restrained aroma, it tasted very dry but fruity with a shortish tail.

A plate of amuse bouche consisting of scrumptious, if minuscule, duck liver paste gougeres.

The first hors d’oeuvres was a cold Edamame Mousse with Tomato Sauce. Succulent, refreshing and elegant, it actually a more hearty fare than one would believe.
Having chosen a table by the bay window and somewhat isolated from the other guests, I did not bother too much about my manners and ate at my own (fast) pace. Interestingly enough, only one other table had ordered wine. All the other customers were on cold water or its mineral equivalent. I wonder sometimes why people visit higher class restaurants…

The second hors d’oeuvres was “Aji/Saurel” and “Maru Okura/a round okura variety” Tartare with its greens and flowers salad organically grown by Mr. Matsuki at Bio Farm in Shibakawa Cho and other farmers in Yaizu City. The fish came from Chiba Prefecture as it is a bit out season down here. It certainly would have bettered a lot of offerings served at (good) sushi restaurants!

It was about time to order a second glass and I persevered with Japanese wine, namely a Merlot grown in Nagano Prefecture by the same company in 2006. Of a rich dark colour and pungy aroma, it showed a lot of red fruit with a dry shortish tail. I shall have to revise my thinking about Japanese wine to the chagrin of my Burgundian ancestors…

The fish was a surprise indeed, and that single dish would have earned Chuckeats and Luxeat‘s praises! Pan-fried “kuro mutsu/Scombrops gilberti (Jordan and Snyder) (I do not know the English name)

on a bed of “kushinsai/a Chinese vegetable increasingly grown in Japan/

accompanied with a square piece of grilled watermelon “ridden” by a couple of white aubergine tenpura, the whole accented with a Balsamico and sweet basil sauce.
An exquisite salty and sweet marriage!

The second glass having disappeared, I came back nearer to my roots and ordered a glass of Beaujolais Villages, Jean-Claude Lapalu, Cuvee Vieilles Vignes, “Le Petit Vernay”, 2006. A honest wine of rich red colour and powerful aroma, it did taste rich but dry with plenty of red fruit.
It proved a good choice with the meat:

The pork is local and has been named “LBY Ton”. You will not find it outside Japan, but if you do venture here, you will find it both tender and solid and certainly more satisfying in spite of its very rural image. It was served with large Shishito/Japanese Japalenos from Kyoto, courgettes and three kinds of fried potatoes from Yaizu City and seasoned with a great madeira and porto sauce, contributing the right sweet amount to the spicy approach for the pork.

The dessert, Gateau au chocolat with a lukewarm Creme Anglaise/Custard, was absolutely delicious in its simplicity. A dessert that would have had Nicholas Sarkozy run all the way from the G8 summit in Hokkaido where he had had such a hard time, teetollar as he is, pretending to appreciate the art behind a sake cup!

As a good French man (who am i kidding?), I could not help having a last toast to him and our Europeans bigwigs with a Fonseca Porto 1997!

But like Mr. Sarkozy, I do have a sweet tooth and accompanied it with some succulent mignardises!

LES CINQS
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Shichiken-cho, 17-14, Amble Court 1F (along north side of Aoba Park beyond Aoba Park Police Box)
Tel.: 054-251-7728
Cards OK (from end of September)
Reservations recommended

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French Cuisine: Les Cinqs

August 19, 2008 dragonlife 2 Comments

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LES CINQS: Grand opening on August 23rd!

At long last, my favourite French Chef in Shizuoka, Tetsuya Sugimoto, is back with us after more than three months of inactivity! Mr. Sugimoto decided to close his highly popular restaurant “Sugimoto” last May after 8 years at the helm, deciding it was time to tackle the next challenge.
The new venture is certainly of a different scale!
He associated himself with Mr. Hideya Nakamura, the owner of Les Cinqs and Mr. Makoto Toi, its General Manager. Tetsuya Sugimoto will have then his hands free to lead a team of four in the kitchen while three more staff will look after the guests and patrons.

Located along Aoba Koen/Park within walking distance from the large Tokiwa Park Fountain the concept of the new restaurant is multi-faceted to cater for different kinds of customers:
At a private counter seating six (above pic) and in two private rooms seating six and four (can be joined to seat 10, below pic) will be served upon reservation a full dinner course for 10,000 yen.

Lunch courses served between 11:30 and 15:00 (last orders at 14:00) will start from 3,000 yen. The restaurant will accept special orders upon reservation according to predeterminate budgets.

Dinner will be served from 18:00 to 23:00 (last orders at 21:00). After 21:00 guests may come just for wine and hors d’oeuvres.

An A La Carte Menu will be available in the main dining room seating twenty-four with Starters/hors d’oeuvres from 1,000 yen up, main dishes from 2,500 yen up and desserts.
Actually from what I have seen, I would recommend taking a seat in the dining room by the large bay windows, unless you prefer the extravagant privacy of the counter!

The wine list is still in process, but I already know the cellar will shelter more than a hundred kinds of mainly French wines!
Yes, there will be some great Shizuoka Sake in the fridge, too!
As for the food, expect my first report by mid September (sorry, I’ll be away for a while!)

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Gastronomic Destinations: France (2)

August 18, 2008 dragonlife 4 Comments

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Saint-Martin du Mont: Restaurant L’Auberge du Moulin

If you want to get yourself lost in some unknown confines of Bourgogne/Burgundy, live the slow life and savour real traditional food at ridiculously low prices, I would strongly recommend you to discover the minuscule city of Saint-Martin du Mont lost in the middle of Bresse east of Louhans, a region which has given its name to the most famous cicken in the World.

If you opt for a set course you have a choice between three dishes for 15 Euros or four dishes from 20 Euros. Children can have their own menu for 8 Euros!

Wines at the Auberge du Moulin are mainly from the Cote Chalonnaise, probably the best value when it comes to Bourgogne wines. We were quite a few for lunch on a Saturday and we opted for a succulent Givry !er Cru (my own village!), La Renarde, Clos du Cellier aux Moines, Red, 2004.
The perfect wine to go with some really hearty food we ordered:

“Jambon persille au vin de Chablis”/Ham in its own jelly containing parsley and Chablis wine. The Chef, Jean-Jacques Martineau who practically works on his own in his kitchen, makes his own ham from local pigs! A typical Burgundian hors d’oeuvres ( a main dish in many homes!)!

“Terrine au poivre vert”/Green pepper terrine. When you see such a big hors d’oeuvres sitting on the table in front of you, you start wandering if you will be able to go through the whole meal!

“Oeufs Meurette”/Poached eggs served in red wine and mushrooms sauce a garlicked toast. Break the eggs in the sauce first! Another typical Burgundian dish!

“Meli-melo d’escargots et moules, sauce au Roquefort”/Marriage of snails and mussles in Roquefort blue cheese sauce. When sea meets land under the benediction of a ewe!

“Rognons de veau”/Veal Kidneys. Tender and juicy in the perfect cognac and cream sauce. An acquired taste? I did not personally oredered it, but I certainly would not mind!

“Cuisses de Grenouilles”/Froglegs. Another Burgundian specialty with a little accent from the South. Sauteed in olive oil, you eat them with your fingers!

“Cassolette de Saint-Jacques au Noilly Prat”/Scallops in Noilly Prat and cream sauce with a crawfish! Another meeting between land (river, actually!) and sea!

“Salade bressane”/Bresse salad. A very local (we are in the heart of Bresse) hors d’oeuvres which makes for a real meal at home: Ggeens, bacon, poached egg, chicken liver and garlicked toast.

“Nous v’la Bien-Quasi de porc mitonne avec un duo de champignons bolets at cepes dans un veloute de cidre legerement creme, accompagne de pommes de terre vapeur”/pork stewed with mushrooms, cider, cream and accompanied with steamed potatoes.
We could not resist the “Cocottes bressanes”/Bresse pots. This is a traditional way of cooking which dates back to many centuries ago!

“Dix sept a point-Jambon de porc fume par nos soins et cuit dans du vin de la cote chalonnaise avec lardons et champignons, accompagne de pommes de terre vapeur”/home-smoked ham and cooked in cote chalonnaise wine with bacon and mushrooms, served with steamed potatoes.

“Travers de porc laque/lacquered pork”. A dish that would tempt the likes of Foodhoe and Gaijin Tonic!

“Profiteroles au chocolat”, a dessert that would start Bill cooking!

Absolutely enormous “Creme brulee flambee!”

“Baba au rhum”. This was my dessert! I had almost to be towed out, as full as I was!

L’Auberge du Moulin
71580, SAINT MARTIN DU MONT, France
TEL 0385740233

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Gastronomic Destinations: France (1)

August 11, 2008 dragonlife 2 Comments

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(Cote Chalonnaise Vineyard/Givry)

Chalon Sur Saone: Restaurant L’Essentiel

Chalon sur Saone in Bourgogne/Burgundy, France, has given its name to the Appelation Cote Chalonnaise, which, cent for cent, has become better value than some overblown Bourgogne vintages. Actually, the city itself stands a good 10 km away from the first vineyards. That might explain why Chalon Sur Saone was rarely mentioned in gastronomic guides until recently.
It certainly was a pity as the very central position of the city gave it the best access to all food ingredients that have made Bourgogne so famous.

But then, about ten years ago, the trend completely changed. The reason is the Saint-Laurent Island in the very middle of the very wide Saone River within easy reach thanks to the bridge of the same name.

Its main street, Rue de Strasbourg suddenly became the place to eat and drink out because of its great tranquility away from the bustling centre. The street presently counts more than twenty restaurants of all kinds.
I’m particularly fond of L’Essntiel, which as its name indicates, serves generous plates of very traditional but precise Burgundian gastronomy. And this at very reasonable prices.
The last time I went there was in the company of five of my siblings and the Missus, which allowed to sample quite a few of their offerings made the more tempting by the genuine friendliness of the owners and staff:

Seabass on a bed of apples and pears.

“Sandre” fish with a potato “curtain”.

Veal Sweetbreads, my personal order. Enormous, but so nice and cruchy outside and so tender inside!

Beef Fillet with baked tomatoes and couscous. This pic does not justice to the real size of the fillet. It was certainly twice a big and as high at the very large tomatoes!

Roasted Duck with its liver and heart.

Escargots with echalottes and garlic confits.
Sorry, after that, I just either could not find the time to take picture,s or I wasn’t “allowed” to do so by my so-friendly siblings.
But have no worry, it will take you quite a few visits to sample everything! And do not forget the desserts!
And the wine list!

Incidentally, Chalon Sur Saone, apart of its very long history as the last port up the Saone River for the last 2,500 years is renown for one very important invention. Can you guess?
-The first-ever picture and camera you can see at the Musee Nicephore Niepce which contains more than two million pictures!

L’Essentiel
14, Rue Strasbourg
71100 Chalon sur Saône, France
Tel: (33)(0)3 85 42 95 75‎

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Shizuoka Wasabi: An encounter with a great Chef!

May 2, 2008 dragonlife 6 Comments

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I have recently had the pleasure to make a new friend, namely Dominique Corby, a great French Chef who learned his craft at the Tour d’Argent in Paris, among others, before coming to Japan to look after the kitchen of the Sakura Restaurant in the New Otani Hotel in Osaka and of the 6eme Sens in Tokyo.

Dominique is a chef always looking for fresh seasonal natural ingredients for his cuisine which is resolutely a marriage of Japanese and French culinary traditions.
As he recently wrote a post on his blog on wasabi, I took the opportunity to send him a few samples of fresh wasabi grown in Shizuoka City, Utogi, Abe River for the simple pleasure of introducing him to one our great products in Shizuoka Prefecture.

They were almost one metre-high full with stems and leaves (all edible) and freshly uprooted in the very morning (I sent them by cool box just before lunch to reach him just in Osaka just before lunch the next day).
Dominique and his staff appreciated them to the point that a dish was created for the benefit of some customers on the very day.
See above picture. Dominique described it as follows:
-“sur une feuille et tiges de Wasabi, Sawara et Agi abute, kogomi,wasabina, nobiru, mousse de lait au wasabi fraîchement râpée, petite réduction de jus de homard”
-“on a wasabi leaf and stems, sawara and aji abute (grilled large mackerel variety and saurel), kogomi (young ferns), wasabina (a kind of Japanese lettuce), nobiru ( a kind of wild garlic), freshly grated wasabi milk mousse, reduced lobster juice.

A great compliment to a great product by a great chef!

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French cuisine: Hana Hana (2)

February 9, 2008 dragonlife 7 Comments

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sake, shochu and sushi

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I am confident that my new friends at Chuck Eats.Com, Luxeat, Slippers in Italy, Very Good Food and Chrisoscope will agree that you do not always have to visit top-notch and terribly expensive restaurants to experience good, solid, enjoyable cuisine with a great value for the price paid. As I said before, we are lucky here in Shizuoka Prefecture where most ingredients are grown, raised or caught in situ.

As it is customary for my better (ok, I won’t “worse” any more!)half and I, we chose Hana Hana as our weekly outing. The last time we had visited the place was last summer, so we could expect a new menu.
“Shirako Meuniere” (see top picture) was served as a complimentary “snack” to accompany the wine while the food was prepared.
The Duck Terrine I ordered was perfect, light and tasty, but generous and served with a few slices of home-made smoked duck.

My wife had opted for “Saint-Jacques (Scallops) Provencale. Enormous morsels cooked just long enough (she let me eat one, thanks Bacchus!) with a light and succulent sauce with the right amount of olive oil (why do some restaurants have to splash everything with expensive olive oil?).

The stuffed quail my wife had jumped on when she opened the menu was the biggest I had even seen, the size of a small chicken (I had to help her eat it, of course) bursting with juicy fillings. We certainly did not bother with forks when we sucked the legs bare!

As for my main course, my partner simply imposed it on me: grilled “amadai”/seabream served with large oyster tempura. All vegetables incidentally were grown near Hamamatsu City, Western Shizuoka.

The Master of the House chose the moment when we had finished devouring our main course to bring some Shizuoka Sake as he wished to hear our judgement as whereas sake would suit French food.
He served us this great Isojiman Tokubetsu Honjozo, which goes so well with any food, and another brew from Ishikawa Prefecture, Noto Peninsula. I did encourage him to serve it from now on, even if it meant offering it as a complimentary aperitif. He enthusistically concurred. Next step will be to convince him to stock at least three kinds of Shizuoka Sake!
With all that sake, I can tell we did not any dessert!

I generally do not mention prices as this is not the purpose of this blog, but we paid less than 100 US$ for the whole meal (I mean for both of us), including a 35 US$ Louis Jadot Bourgogne Rouge. I wonder how much I would have to fork out in some other places. My wife, who is far from over-generous, declared the dinner “extremely reasonable!”.

Hana Hana
420-0037 Shizuoka City, Hitoyado-cho, 1-3-12
Tel. & Fax: 054-221-0087
Business hours: 11:30~15:00, 17:30~22:00
Closed on Wednesdays

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French cuisine: Lunch at Sugimoto

January 17, 2008 dragonlife 3 Comments

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sake, shochu and sushi

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Sugimoto is may favourite French restaurant for the simple reason he tries whenever possible to use only ingredients grown or raised in Shizuoka Prefecture.
Dinner or lunch, you can expect the same quality, inventiveness and service.

So last Sunday, as I had nothing to do and my better (worse?) was away to work, I rode the bike for a look around and stopped there at around 13:00.
I chose the Lunch Set C for 2,500 yen which included bread, butter and coffee.
The first dish, above, consisted of a salad made with fried scabbard fish/”tachiuo” from Suruga Bay and vegetables from Hamamatsu City.

The main featured Suruga Beef from animals raised in Shizuoka City, away from the agglomeration and again vegetables from Hamamatsu City, including an unusual violet carrot/”murasaki ninjin” with skin. Usually I’m not a great fan of cooked carrots, but this was special. Of course the beef was a beauty!