My family celebrated my birthday at Les Saisons. Since I have been a regular customer for over 10 years, they are all familiar with the place and seem to feel comfortable here.I visited for dinner after a long time, and unlike lunch, it was relatively quiet. The clientele seemed to be mostly hotel guests, creating a calm atmosphere. Given its position as the main dining venue of the Imperial Hotel, there were many seniors, and the dishes felt quite light. The use of butter and rich sauces was minimal, making it easy for my parents, who are over 60, to enjoy.This time, I chose the lightest course for dinner (JPY 27,000, excluding service charge).- Appetizer: Trout Tartare- Appetizer: Seasonal Hamo Tempura with Soba Bavarois- Fish: Grilled Sea Bass with Ripe Manganji Pepper Sauce- Meat: Pan-fried Sweetbreads with White Peach and Truffle Jelly- Dessert: Watermelon and Basil SorbetThe presentation of the appetizer has become a classic. The trout tartare is topped with pistachio mousse, accented with the aroma of soy sauce and crushed pistachios. There’s also a lightly fried gnocchi made from pureed green peas, which brings out the deliciousness of the peas—I could have eaten ten more of those.The appetizer featured hamo (pike eel) fried and served with a soup resembling a sauce. Although it’s French cuisine, it felt reminiscent of Korean sweet and sour pork. The soba bavarois was accompanied by sweet girolle mushrooms and topped with consomme jelly. The cube-shaped calamansi jelly added a nice touch. It was delicious, but quite complex! Was it necessary to use hamo? I couldn’t fully praise it; while the refreshing acidity and sweetness spread, I was left wondering what exactly it was… My culinary IQ couldn’t quite digest it.The fish was sea bass, caught by hook. It was cooked to a perfect medium and topped with a butter mixed with crushed olives and capers. This butter was incredibly delicious. The sauce made from fully ripe Manganji peppers was not spicy at all, but you could sense the essence of the pepper in the background—a subtle, gentle kick. It was a delightful flavor.For the meat course, we had sweetbreads (thymus gland of beef) served with diced white peach and truffle jelly. I missed the explanation of the green sauce surrounding it, but it might have been zucchini? It was garnished with zucchini flowers, which were stuffed with chicken and mushroom mousse, giving a slight liver-like taste. Although it wasn’t specified what kind of chicken it was. The sweetbreads were light, which was nice. Cuts like sirloin or foie gras can be quite heavy… (-｡-; I enjoyed the stuffed zucchini. I prefer dishes with stronger flavors that I can savor slowly.For dessert, we had a refreshing passion fruit cream to cleanse the palate, followed by basil sorbet as the main dessert. It was topped with diced watermelon and a pinch of salt. The sauce was jelly-like, but I felt it didn’t quite blend well. Combining the fresh and fragrant notes with salt made it feel like I was eating salted tomatoes, which didn’t quite give me the feeling of enjoying dessert.Afterward, we celebrated my birthday with a strawberry cake and some small sweets, finishing with herbal tea. Although the course had few items, the bread at this restaurant is delicious, so I felt quite full. The classic nori bread was delightful. It was taken away before I could have a bit more, though.This meal had many complex dishes. The restaurant is known for combining French cuisine with Japanese ingredients, and this time the complexity was even more refined.I personally enjoy classic French cuisine (though it can be heavy afterward), so I thought it would have been nice to have at least one traditional dish. Many men and younger diners might find it lacking. The chef seems to have a strong respect for Japanese ingredients, as almost every dish includes them, providing a unique experience that you won’t find elsewhere.The service was impeccable. Thankfully, I received "Congratulations" about 20 times during the meal. (Thank you!) Given that this is the Imperial Hotel, the high level of service is to be expected, but there were some discrepancies with the service provided to my mother. It seems that, not just at the Imperial, but even at grand maisons and five-star hotels, there is a noticeable shortage of service staff and a decline in service quality. I wonder if the shortage of personnel is also a reflection of a lack of educators.Despite that, the overall coherence of the experience was there. Perhaps I will return next year. I think I’ll request a richer meat dish next time. (I forgot that I thought the same last year!)