French – Thefoodiefetish

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Hiramatsu Kodaiji, a one-Michelin-star Japanese-French restaurant, sits atop a hill in the historic district of Higashimaya in a tranquil surrounding, away from the busy Nineizaka shopping street below.

When we arrived at the entrance, we were warmly greeted by staff and escorted inside. There, we were greeted by a hostess in the lobby and escorted to the 4th floor, where the restaurant is located.

I reserved a terrace seat in advance. If the weather is good, I highly recommend it. It offers a view of the Yasaka Pagoda and the beautiful Kyoto scenery.

The waiters were cordial and attentive and provided impeccable service, but they had limited English proficiency. They tried their best to communicate, using a translating app at times. I appreciate the effort.

The restaurant offers a Prix Fixe menu for lunch and dinner at three price ranges: 5,000 to 12,000 yen for lunch and 15,000 to 25,000 yen for dinner.

I opted for the 7,500. (A 10% tax and 10% service charge are not included in the price.)

The food was delicious, and I enjoyed the dining experience. Continue reading “One Michelin with a View” →

The Brasserie Flo is a quaint restaurant with a beautiful courtyard and a bar area. The setting reminiscent of 19th century Paris. I love the warmth of the vintage wooden interior and chandeliers. I have driven past this restaurant many times and have been wanting to dine there. Finally, I did! I went with a friend two days ago to try out their business lunch special. The business lunch special comes in three price groups (RMB 148, RMB 188, RMB 198). We chose the RMB 188 lunch special which includes an entrée, a main course (Chef specialty), a dessert and tea or coffee.

We were served two amuse-bouche and a bread basket with their own made butter. I am not quite sure what the green one was, but the mini bruschetta was bursting with flavor! The flavor was amazing! The tuna was good and fresh, and the bread was crusty on the outside, warm and soft on the inside.

For the entrée, I had the salade de foie gras “Rougie” (“Rougie” foie gras with fig, Granny Smith apple salad, and crispy fig brioche). The salad greens were very fresh, and the foie gras was rich and flavorful. These two combined had a certain je ne sais quoi to it.

Next, I had the crépinette de porc Rossini, purée, sauce périgourdine (“Le Pont de l’Ouysse” truffle and pork crépinette with seared foie gras, mashed potato, périgourdine sauce. On the menu, it stated that this was a Michelin star dish. If this was indeed a Michelin star dish, then I was somewhat disappointed. It didn’t blow me away. The overall taste was nothing exceptional.

For dessert, it was the Crème brûlée and red velvet cake. The Crème brûlée was fantastic. Very creamy! The red velvet cake … let’s just say, I have had better ones.