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travels for friends, food and wine - in exactly this order
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San Sebastian, Spain
Born
July 21
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My favorite yakiniku in Kyoto. Great beef, innovative dishes and the best hospitality one can think of.
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This is the real thing. Galettes made out of buckwheat, imported cidre from the Normandy and the crepes generously topped with chocolate and thickly cut bananas.
Packed to the tilt on a lunch, the people of Tokyo obviously also appreciate the real taste of the Normandy.
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- Gerhard Huber added a new meal Dinner at Esaki (えさき) at Esaki
My first ever three star restaurant in Japan and Tokyo. Super difficult to find as it was in the basement.
Completely new experience for totally inexperienced people
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Now here is a special story. I got invited by a friend to do a road trip to Yamanashi to go to a Kaiseiki place. Apparently a formerly famous chef from Tokyo who relocated to the countryside. I knew the name but did not make the connection.
It turned out that the chef was Shintaro Esaki, the formerly three star Chef from the namesake restaurant Esaki... More
Now here is a special story. I got invited by a friend to do a road trip to Yamanashi to go to a Kaiseiki place. Apparently a formerly famous chef from Tokyo who relocated to the countryside. I knew the name but did not make the connection.
It turned out that the chef was Shintaro Esaki, the formerly three star Chef from the namesake restaurant Esaki in Tokyo, which happened to be my first ever three star restaurant in Japan and my introduction to high end Kaiseiki food.
Chef Shintaro Esaki closed his place in Tokyo in 2017, moved to Yamanashi in the mountains and built there a house for himself and his wife and very close to it his new restaurant. This place is one of the most beautiful restaurant experiences I can imaging. A serene setting in the middle of the forest with huge floor to ceiling windows letting the nature flow into the room. The open kitchen looks more like a high-end home kitchen than the work space for an awarded chef and is only a few steps away from your dining table. Chef Shintaro Esaki only takes in one group at the time between 2 and 6 people. Then he starts to cook for them at their pace. He is completely by himself and works with great efficiency. In the morning he forages with some local experts to get herbs and mushrooms, then he receives delivery from his old suppliers of seafood and fish and gets to work in his kitchen.
His cuisine has evolved since I ate there in his Tokyo place 6 years ago. It is, of course, seasonal ingredients driven, all of them of the highest quality, perfectly executed.
His ayu soup, a signature dish, is amazing. One can taste the bitterness of the head at the same time as the sweetness of the tail. A masterpiece!
This place is worth the hike just for the food, however combined with the experience it becomes a pilgrimage.
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- Gerhard Huber added a new meal Drinks at La Pioche (ラ ピヨッシュ) at La Pioche
Drinks before the Sugita meal. Great French bistro serving classic fare and natural wines.
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- Gerhard Huber added a new restaurant list Kanzawa wish list
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- Gerhard Huber added a new meal Dinner at LA CHASSE at LA CHASSE
Interesting hunt-to-table concept. The husband and wife team go hunting in Hokkaido and then serve you whatever to could get. Besides the meat their mushrooms is mostly also found on their weekly camping trips with their dogs.
The technique is French acquired during their stay in France years ago.
The deer dish included a piece from a femal deep... More
Interesting hunt-to-table concept. The husband and wife team go hunting in Hokkaido and then serve you whatever to could get. Besides the meat their mushrooms is mostly also found on their weekly camping trips with their dogs.
The technique is French acquired during their stay in France years ago.
The deer dish included a piece from a femal deep from Shizuoka and two pieces of male deer from Hokkaido, shit by the man himself. Very tender and not gamey at all.
They also an excellent selection of cheese, all from France and well matured. Less
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- Gerhard Huber added a new meal Dinner at Kirakutei (きらく亭) at きらく亭
Excellent meats for a very good price. The grill is filled with charcoal and this the flavor becomes slightly smoky.
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