I made a reservation for a lunch course at JPY 12,100 (tax included) for three people with two friends. Since this restaurant has been awarded a Michelin star, I had high expectations for my visit. The stairs leading down to the restaurant were crowded with waiting guests, which only heightened my anticipation. Although I didn’t specify, we were shown to a private room, which was nice for a relaxed reunion where we could catch up without hesitation. I wonder if private rooms are reserved for groups of three or more? I don’t think there was any prior notice about this, but I noticed a private room fee was included. We ordered drinks and toasted, eagerly waiting for the first dashi (broth). However, it seemed like we received a different course, as we didn’t get the dashi, which was disappointing. T^T Moreover, it took quite a while to receive the first appetizer, the bamboo shoot with miso. This dish was a bit too sweet, which overshadowed the delicate flavor of the bamboo shoot. After that, we had a clear soup with hamo (pike eel) and junsei (water shield) beautifully floating alongside the fluffy fish paste and the fragrant broth. This was the dish I had been waiting for!!! We ordered Japanese sake from Tagetsu, and the sashimi included kuge (a type of fish) and hasuimo (lotus root). It was a delight to have kuge, which is rarely served. (*^^*) For grilled dishes, we had salt-grilled kamasu (barracuda), and for fried dishes, young corn tempura. We also ordered Sogen sake. The hassun (seasonal appetizer platter) included boiled octopus, anago (conger eel) rolled with burdock, firefly squid marinated in soy sauce, wine-poached plum, fried eggplant dengaku, and aji (horse mackerel) chirashi sushi. We added more Sogen sake and had simmered komon hato (a type of fish) and vine purple vegetables. The rice was served as a gozen (set meal) with chirimen sansho rice. I was surprised by the number of small side dishes surrounding the rice. I requested to take the rice home. For dessert, we had chilled sweet red bean soup, white wine jelly with three types of berries, and caramel ice cream monaka (wafer). I could feel the meticulous attention to detail in the dishes. Overall, it was unfortunate that there was a delay before the first appetizer, and after that, things felt a bit rushed, leading us to finish just before closing time. However, the hamo fish paste in clear soup and the dessert were particularly delicious. If I have another opportunity, I would love to enjoy the counter seating next time. It was a great meal!