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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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- Gerhard Huber added a new meal Lunch at Restaurant Bareiss at Restaurant Bareiss
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- Gerhard Huber added a new meal Dinner at レテール L’ÉTERRE at Restaurant L’ÉTERRE
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This latest visit to L’ÉTERRE offered another quietly confident, fire- and produce-driven meal that demonstrated Chef Tagomori’s refined touch and sensitivity to flavor.
The gougère was soft and cheesy—a classic but satisfying start. It was followed by a sweet corn cream paired with Thai coffee, a surprisingly effective combination: the bitterness... More
This latest visit to L’ÉTERRE offered another quietly confident, fire- and produce-driven meal that demonstrated Chef Tagomori’s refined touch and sensitivity to flavor.
The gougère was soft and cheesy—a classic but satisfying start. It was followed by a sweet corn cream paired with Thai coffee, a surprisingly effective combination: the bitterness of the coffee playing beautifully against the natural sweetness of the corn.
The beef tartare, made from mature dairy cow, had excellent texture and a deep umami release—showcasing the complexity of aged meat without heaviness.
A standout fish course was the Ishinagi, done in a tempura-like style, with strands of new ginger lending brightness and acidity. The inside was barely cooked, preserving a pleasing, sashimi-like texture.
The Fuefukidai (emperor snapper) was served raw with grilled eggplant and olive oil. Ikejime-handled and landed two days earlier in Yaizu, the fish had purity of flavor, though slightly chewy. The pairing with the smoky eggplant brought a nice contrast.
The hairy crab and Iwate shiitake course rounded out the savory portion—earthy and sweet, subtle but deeply comforting.
Once again, L’ÉTERRE delivered a thoughtful and elegant meal rooted in elemental technique and exceptional sourcing. A restaurant that never overreaches—and never misses. Less
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- Gerhard Huber added a new meal Dinner at SECRETO (SECRETO) at SECRETO (SECRETO)
Hidden away in a discreet side street of Kagurazaka, Secreto is less a conventional restaurant than a precisely choreographed culinary performance. With only a single seating per night, every guest arrives at the same time and enters through a narrow, dimly lit corridor that opens into an intimate counter space. It feels like stepping backstage. Chef... More
Hidden away in a discreet side street of Kagurazaka, Secreto is less a conventional restaurant than a precisely choreographed culinary performance. With only a single seating per night, every guest arrives at the same time and enters through a narrow, dimly lit corridor that opens into an intimate counter space. It feels like stepping backstage. Chef Akiyoshi Yabunaka, with past experience at elBulli and Dos Palillos, brings with him not just technique, but a sense of narrative — a progression of flavors, textures, temperatures, and even illusions.
Each dish is introduced without explanation, but always with purpose. The pairing — seamlessly integrated into the experience — starts with Secreto’s own gin, flavored with Okinawan sea salt, and builds across beers, sake, wine, and a surprising house-made limoncello.
The Meal
“秘密のハート” — The Secret Heart
A playful amuse — pineapple crafted to resemble chocolate — sets the tone for the evening: surprising, humorous, and just a little disorienting.
Foie Gras Dorayaki
A delicate reinterpretation of a childhood snack: sweet-savory, with foie gras subtly folded between dorayaki-style pancakes. The flavor was gentle, perhaps intentionally so — a whisper rather than a shout.
Horse Mackerel Namero in Cold Miso Soup
Served in nigiri form with rice hidden below, this was briny and powerful. Perhaps a touch too salty, but the boldness worked in context — bracing and elemental.
Frozen Gazpacho with Watermelon
A dish that evolves in the mouth: cold and inert at first, then bursting with tomato intensity as it melts. The addition of watermelon gives sweetness and lift. A smart palate reset.
Tenjo Chicken Pho with Noto Ishiru
This Vietnamese-style soup was a surprise. The chicken, from Shizuoka, was beautifully tender; the broth clean but complex, layered with ishiru, a fermented fish sauce from Noto. Handmade noodles balanced the dish, and the presentation — a steaming pot poured tableside — was theatrical but restrained.
Frozen Foie Gras with Mother’s Jam
A signature dish served with a sweet sake pairing. Flash-frozen in liquid nitrogen, the foie gras took on a creamy texture and was balanced by a tart-sweet homemade jam from the chef’s mother. An emotional, nostalgic course with a soft but lingering impact.
Kyoto Duck with Beets and Noto Tomatoes
This was among the best dishes of the night. The duck — killed instantly and aged in low oxygen to bring out its iron-rich profile — had a subtle mineral tang, offset beautifully by high-acid tomatoes and earthy beets. The plate was as visually compelling as it was flavorful.
Charcoal-Grilled Nodoguro with Provençal Tart
Perfectly grilled but slightly overcooked for a fish as delicate as nodoguro. It was rescued by a stellar side: a tart of tomato and zucchini, paired with Pain de Philosophe bread from the neighborhood. Together, they created a Mediterranean-Japanese hybrid with striking harmony.
Premium Wagyu with Inca Potato and Truffle Foam
A grand dish, anchored by meltingly rich wagyu paired with a Bordeaux wine. The potato was exceptional, but what stood out was the side: a salad with dressing made by the chef’s parents, and a piece of bread with an extravagant truffle espuma — which very nearly stole the show.
Donabe Rice with Corn and Sea Bass
Comforting and balanced. The rice carried a hint of chicken stock, the corn added sweetness, and the seabass brought it back into savory territory. This was one of the most Japanese courses of the night — quiet, warm, confident.
-196°C Sherbet of Pineapple, Mango & Lime
Prepared tableside with a flourish of liquid nitrogen, this was a playful showpiece — but the flavors delivered: cold, bright, acidic and very refreshing.
Cigar Time, Herb Tea Time, and Final Treats
The closing ritual is subtle and elegant — a nod to European fine dining, with herbal infusions and seasonal wagashi. The “cigar” course is more conceptual than literal, adding a whimsical endnote to the evening.
Secreto straddles many identities: Spanish in inspiration, Japanese in produce, French in presentation, and molecular in technique. But it works because Chef Yabunaka isn’t chasing novelty — he’s composing moods. While not every dish was flawless, the storytelling, pacing, and sincerity of the experience made this dinner more than the sum of its parts.
Few places in Tokyo offer such an all-in, prix-fixe experience with this level of transparency and theater. A tasting menu that includes thoughtful alcohol pairing, a small audience, a narrative arc, and a chef who takes time to shake every guest’s hand at the end — this is Secreto. And it’s one of Kagurazaka’s best-kept secrets no longer. Less
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- Gerhard Huber added a new meal Lunch at Tha Sakai at Tha Sakai
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- Gerhard Huber added a new meal Dinner at Kien at Kien
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- Gerhard Huber added a new meal Dinner at Jfree (Jfree) at Jfree (Jfree)
Tucked away on the second floor of a quiet building in Kagurazaka, J-Free offers a dining experience that feels both intimate and forward-looking. With only 11 counter seats, the restaurant invites guests into a calm, focused environment where each dish unfolds like a chapter in a well-composed narrative. Led by Chef Tsubasa Jinnai, a veteran of Florilège... More
Tucked away on the second floor of a quiet building in Kagurazaka, J-Free offers a dining experience that feels both intimate and forward-looking. With only 11 counter seats, the restaurant invites guests into a calm, focused environment where each dish unfolds like a chapter in a well-composed narrative. Led by Chef Tsubasa Jinnai, a veteran of Florilège and Quintessence, J-Free blends classical French techniques with the delicate sensibilities of Japanese cuisine. The result is not fusion for its own sake, but a thoughtful, ingredient-driven expression of terroir—especially that of Miyazaki, the chef’s home prefecture.
The meal began with a house-made miso and wheat gluten, subtle yet grounding. This was followed by swordfish paired with myoga and trabeculae—its texture was exceptional, clean and resilient. The highlight of the early courses was undoubtedly the Tsumajidori chicken consomme: a bowl brimming with deep umami, containing a surprisingly large, supple piece of chicken. It demonstrated finesse and restraint.
A standout was the Hamo (pike conger eel)—a dish that subtly showcased honegiri, the meticulous bone-cutting technique essential to making this bony eel enjoyable. The sauce, punctuated with pecan nuts, provided warmth and contrast that elevated the dish. This was followed by an outstanding pairing of hairy crab and green asparagus. The asparagus, sourced from Hasegawa Farm in Hokkaido, known for its mineral-rich soil and crisp produce, brought a satisfying crunch to the sweet, rich crab. Perhaps slightly on the salty side, but still a winner.
The kinmedai was perfectly cooked, served with bigfin reef squid and a touch of green yuzu that added a graceful citrus lift. The Miyazaki Toman Wagyu followed—a leaner, umami-rich cut that steered clear of the overpowering fattiness often associated with wagyu, and in doing so, showed greater balance and maturity.
The dessert sequence was particularly thoughtful. A white tomato sorbet offered a surprising interlude; the clear tomato juice is likely extracted through slow filtration or centrifugation, yielding a dish that was both vegetal and refreshing. The restaurant’s signature crepe salée played deftly with the sweet-savory balance, a creative mainstay of the menu. A pacojet-spun Jin Xuan oolong tea ice cream closed the dessert progression—rich in tea tannins, refreshingly unsweet, and deeply aromatic.
An unexpected delight was a fluffy caramel pudding served as an extra course by a 22-year-old apprentice, already showing a great touch and promise. A beautiful gesture and a hint of the mentorship spirit that defines the kitchen.
The wine pairing leaned French and Burgundy-focused, curated with modesty and insight by a general manager whose palate is clearly underrated. His pairings elevated the food without overshadowing it.
Chef Jinnai clearly knows how to cook—but more importantly, he’s pushing. There’s an undercurrent of ambition and precision here that signals a restaurant in ascension. With his grounding in two of Tokyo’s top kitchens, and the creative confidence now on display, it’s hard to imagine J-Free staying under the radar for long. A Michelin star feels imminent.
For now, J-Free remains a hidden gem—quiet, deliberate, and refined. It’s the kind of place you visit not just to eat, but to witness a chef at the cusp of greatness. Less
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Dining at Kate’s Place Supper Club is as much a window into the chef’s soul as it is a showcase of Thai culinary heritage. Chef Pikun “Kate” Wangsantia, drawing on her experience in Michelin-starred kitchens and the deep wisdom of her mentor—Hanuman Aspler, an Israeli-born Thai cuisine scholar—creates food that is both emotionally resonant... More
Dining at Kate’s Place Supper Club is as much a window into the chef’s soul as it is a showcase of Thai culinary heritage. Chef Pikun “Kate” Wangsantia, drawing on her experience in Michelin-starred kitchens and the deep wisdom of her mentor—Hanuman Aspler, an Israeli-born Thai cuisine scholar—creates food that is both emotionally resonant and technically ambitious. Hanuman, known for his anthropological approach to Thai cuisine, has helped shape Kate’s vision: Thai food not as fixed tradition, but as a living, evolving expression of flavor, memory, and place.
On this particular evening, Kate closed her restaurant for our group—a generous gesture that added to the intimacy of the experience. The menu reflected both her playfulness and her reverence for the roots of Thai comfort food, though a few dishes showed signs of overcooking. Still, the overall arc of the meal was impressive.
The small bites set the tone with clever contrasts: sweet potato balls offered a soft crunch, young jackfruit and pork crackling maeng combined earthiness with texture, and the mussel omelet was a nostalgic nod to Thai street food. The standout was the scallop and lychee salad—delicate, bright, and beautifully balanced.
Among the starters, the grilled pork rib with pineapple and turmeric was a flavor bomb—sweet, smoky, and fragrant. The stuffed chicken wing delivered on familiarity, while the XO sauce and crab meat noodle was luxuriously rich, possibly the most indulgent dish of the night.
The mains came family-style and showcased a diversity of regional influences. The grilled river prawn with roasted chili salad was a highlight—fiery and fresh. The short rib in green curry with roti felt slightly overdone, but the curry’s flavor was complex and soulful. The steamed goby in soy sauce was delicate and restrained, providing balance, while the squid with sataw bean sang with herbal brightness. Pork khua kling and Southern-style duck leg curry brought heat and depth, grounded by a surprisingly gentle mushroom clear soup.
Dessert closed on a classic note—mango and sticky rice—elevated by perfectly ripened fruit and just the right salt-sweet contrast in the coconut cream. Garden tea provided a calming final note.
Even with some minor execution hiccups, this was a deeply thoughtful and personal meal—clearly the work of a chef cooking not just with skill, but with purpose. Less
