March 2018 – Thefoodiefetish

I was very fortunate that on two out of the three days, I was at Lake Ashi, the weather was clear and beautiful, which allowed me to bask in the beauty of the lake and its surroundings, including the view of Mt. Fuji.

This villa-turned-hotel resort has a 70-year history. I love how the hotel has maintained its charm and history. The hotel has two restaurants and a café. Vert Bois serves French cuisine, Tsutsuji no Chaya serves Japanese kaiseki cuisine, and Salon de Thé Rosage is a dessert restaurant with a premium shop by the lake.

When you check-in, you are asked to choose what cuisine you would like for each day of your stay and time. I decided on having French on my first night and Japanese Kaiseki on the second.

Vert Bois

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I enjoyed my meal at Vert Bois. The table was beautifully set up. All waitresses were well-dressed and mannered. There was harmony between the waitresses, setting a calm atmosphere in the restaurant.

I liked that each table had a menu. I personally like to know the name of each dish I’m having. Sometimes it is hard to make out what the waiter said, especially if English is not their first language.

As I don’t like eating raw fish, they replaced the marinated tuna with abocado’s tartare with a Paté dish. All the dishes served were delicious. My favorite would be the fish of the day. It was really fresh and cooked to perfection. The fish was accompanied by a sweet red wine sauce, just the right amount that didn’t overpower the fish’s natural flavor. The dishes were served at a good pace; I didn’t have to wait too long between each dish.

Tsutsuji no Chaya has a calm and soft environment with a violet-colored carpeted floor, wooden tables, and chairs, with soft lighting and neutral walls.

Sadly, I had to skip the kaiseki dinner as I felt pretty sick after two cable car rides earlier that day. I am highly susceptible to motion sickness, and it was pretty windy that day. As I was looking forward to the kaiseki meal, I made my way down to the restaurant when I felt a bit better. Shortly after having the first appetizer, I felt nauseous. So I told the waiter to just serve me rice and miso soup.

The menu was pretty impressive. As you can see from the picture on the right (excuse the blurriness), there is quite a variety.

There is the option of an American breakfast or a Japanese breakfast. The American breakfast is served at Vert Bois, including juice, coffee or tea, croissant, pickled vegetables, sausages with toast, salad, and your choice of eggs. It was so relaxing and serene to have breakfast with the stunning view of the lake. A great start to the day.