4,038 characters★Omakase Course (JPY 22,000, tax excluded) Duration: Approximately 3 hours and 20 minutesI traveled from Tokyo to Hyogo Prefecture.Chef Takuya Matsumoto showcases his skills at this restaurant (3.94). According to Instagram, reservations are fully booked for the next three years. Every month on the 1st at 6 PM, a limited number of new reservations are released for the next seven months, and I managed to find an opening through the online reservation site OMAKASE.Utilizing new technologies such as Gastroback (a Japanese vacuum cooking device) and Maltosec, the restaurant incorporates Chinese ingredients like preserved plums and century eggs into its dishes, creating a borderless culinary experience. You can enjoy 15 different dishes in a small-plate style. The menu changes every two weeks, showcasing a spirit of innovation.Personally, it reminded me of the early days of Presentsugi in Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture (4.48). Presentsugi received the Tabelog Silver Award in 2026 and the Gold Award in 2025. While it is highly regarded now, when I first started visiting, the dishes were still in development, and despite using cutting-edge techniques like Gastroback, they were somewhat rough around the edges.The restaurant's challenge of refreshing the menu every two weeks is commendable, but the overall execution of the dishes could use improvement. While the variety of 15 dishes is enjoyable, I felt a sense of something missing when it came to dishes that truly resonated with me.The chef has a 3-year-old daughter who made an appearance towards the end of the course. Just like how the young child has grown, I hope the dishes will evolve similarly and lead to even more refined offerings by the time she grows up.I took the elevator down to the basement floor. At 5:55 PM (opening at 6 PM), the doors opened. The interior features a chef's table with only seven seats facing a live kitchen.Originally, there were six seats, but they have increased to seven to accommodate new reservations. Although it could fit eight, the current operation can only handle a maximum of seven seats. The couple runs the restaurant together.On the black-brown plates on the table, there are towels, various dishes to match the course, and a special triangular spoon for wiping sauces. (Since bread is not served until the main meat dish, it’s best to drink the leftover sauce directly.) The restroom features a Toshiba warm water washing toilet.The total bill for the food and drinks was JPY 35,800.- Alcohol Pairing (a bit generous at 70ml each, JPY 12,100)1. Two dishes of corn and eggplant 2. Two dishes of sweetfish and turnip 3. Horse mackerel 4. Shrimp 5. Salmon 6. Rock oyster and zucchini 7. Flower zucchini 8. Striped bass 9. Duck 10. Veal00. Soft water01. Domaine Bress MUSUBI Sparkling WASANBON 2024 White Sparkling, Hokkaido02. Kyoto Prefecture, Shirasugi Sake Brewery NUE~Nue~ (Japanese sake)03. Cantina Hiro Acca Cuore Trebbiano 2023 White, Yamanashi Prefecture04. Wine Farm Tochio T-100 Kerner 2025 White, Niigata Prefecture05. Sakaki Winery Miau 2024 Rosé, Nagano Prefecture06. Zao Woody Farm Haraguchi Field Petit Manseng Orange 2020 Orange, Yamagata Prefecture07. Seven Ciders Winery Koshu Barrel Fermented 2024 White, Yamanashi Prefecture08. Hilltop Kousai Winery 2023 Chardonnay French Oak Aged White, Nagano Prefecture09. Okuizumo Wine Merlot 2021 Red, Shimane Prefecture10. Kanda Vineyard RIAS WINE Riesling Lyon 2024 White, Iwate Prefecture- Omakase Course (JPY 22,000)01. Large Corn, Hazelnut, Japanese Pepper02. Sadowara Eggplant, Sea Urchin from Oma, Water Shield03. Tenryu Young Sweetfish, Fermented Daikon, Myoga04. Nobeji Turnip, Flesh, Leaves, Skin05. Donchicchi Horse Mackerel, Foie Gras, Sun Egg06. Botan Shrimp, Root Celery, Tonka Bean07. Tokishirazu Salmon, Mugwort, Molokhia, Comté08. Rock Oyster, Fourme d'Ambert, Aosa09. Ichiro's Zucchini, Preserved Plum, Seaweed10. Ichiro's Flower Zucchini, Hamo, Edamame11. Deguchi's Striped Bass, Okra, Ratatouille12. Silver Duck, Chives, Yellow Chives, Burnt Garlic13. Veal, Dragon's Eye, Nara Pickles14. Cherry, Kirsch, Fromage Blanc15. Post-meal drink (Coffee or Mango Amazon or Himalayan Peach or Garden Party)16. VS Watermelon, Premium Harenohitomato, Red ShisoSouvenir: Financier shaped like taiyaki with citrus blended in.Here are my brief reviews of the dishes, with individual scores in brackets:【3.5】 Large Corn, Hazelnut, Japanese PepperGrilled corn (large) ice cream monaka. Inside the crispy monaka shell, there are red miso, young corn, hazelnuts, and Japanese pepper, creating a mysterious flavor that changes depending on where you bite.【3.6】 Sadowara Eggplant, Sea Urchin from Oma, Water ShieldPureed Sadowara eggplant that has been Dutch-cooked (fried and soaked). It is served with additive-free purple sea urchin, water shield tossed in herb oil, and okahijiki chips. The saltiness of the puree was a bit concerning, but the sea urchin from the brand's origin was delicious.【3.7】 Tenryu Young Sweetfish, Fermented Daikon, MyogaOn a slice of bread baked with herb butter, there are young sweetfish coated in rice flour and fried, sweetfish fish sauce cream, fermented daikon kimchi, and pickled myoga, making it a bite-sized amuse-bouche. Although you wouldn't recognize it as sweetfish without being told, the acidity from the kimchi and pickles balanced the overall dish well.【3.9】 Nobeji Turnip, Flesh, Leaves, SkinTurnip flan, turnip flesh, turnip leaves, and skin consomme jelly, topped with Oscietra caviar. While I couldn't tell what broth was used, the flan was delicious enough to rate a 4.0. However, adding caviar made it overly salty, feeling somewhat unnecessary.【2.7】 Donchicchi Horse Mackerel, Foie Gras, Sun EggBrand horse mackerel (aji) favored by high-end sushi restaurants, served with foie gras terrine and sun egg (mango). Accompanied by avocado, lime, herb oil powder, and mango chili sauce. I was excited about the combination of rich ingredients, but unfortunately, it fell short of expectations. The heavy richness of the horse mackerel and the odor of the foie gras were concerning.【3.6】 Botan Shrimp, Root Celery, Tonka BeanHokkaido botan shrimp marinated in olive oil and tonka bean, served with root celery sauce, yuba, Kujo green onion, and fried root celery. The saltiness of the Kujo green onion was a bit strong, disrupting the overall balance.【3.7】 Tokishirazu Salmon, Mugwort, Molokhia, ComtéTokishirazu salmon fried and baked with Domyoji flour. Served with mugwort sauce, molokhia sauce, and shaved Comté cheese. The smooth texture of the lightly cooked Tokishirazu salmon was impressive, but the crispy texture of the Domyoji flour somewhat hindered its smoothness.【3.7】 Rock Oyster, Fourme d'Ambert, AosaFourme d'Ambert (blue cheese) flan topped with aosa (Okinawa seaweed). Finely chopped rock oysters and green asparagus are also garnished. The strong saltiness was a bit concerning, and I preferred the flan with Nobeji turnip.【3.6】 Ichiro's Zucchini, Preserved Plum, SeaweedGrilled zucchini from Aichi, priced at JPY 700 per piece. Served with egg yolk sauce, preserved plum paste, century egg paste, and seaweed butter cream. I couldn't quite tell if it was special enough for the price, but it was an interesting combination.【3.1】 Ichiro's Flower Zucchini, Hamo, EdamameThe flower part of the flower zucchini is stuffed with hamo (pike eel) sausage. Served with edamame, hamo consomme, and a sauce of roasted sake. The dryness of the hamo sausage was a bit concerning. If Gastroback was possible, hamo would be best served as a fried Gastroback.【3.7】 Deguchi's Striped Bass, Okra, RatatouilleStriped bass from the Goto Islands, prepared with bloodless nerve killing. Baked with okra in a pastry, served with seafood broth butter sauce and shrimp broth ratatouille. The moist striped bass paired with the crispy pastry was not bad, although it didn't have the same impact as the pastry I had at Chiso Nishikenichi in Yaizu City (4.52).【3.9】 Silver Duck, Chives, Yellow Chives, Burnt GarlicSilver duck from Aomori, favored by high-end French restaurants like Rojié (4.42). The breast meat is cooked rare for a smooth finish, served with chive sauce, burnt garlic and jus sauce, along with a duck (including liver) and chive sphere pâté.This was the first time bread (made from five types of domestic wheat and four types of pepper) was served. The bread is rich and soft, somewhere between milk bread and brioche, making it easy to eat. While the cooking and sauce were award-worthy, there were only two pieces of duck. Given that they serve 15 dishes, the portion size per plate is understandably modest, but I would have liked a more substantial "meat experience" from the French viand.【4.0】 Veal, Dragon's Eye, Nara PicklesVeal prepared like a stew, served with Dragon's Eye butter rice, Nara pickles, and girolle mushrooms. Compared to parent beef, veal has less fat and tends to be dry, but this was tender and melted in the mouth. It paired well with the Dragon's Eye butter rice, making it the highlight of the day.【3.8】 Cherry, Kirsch, Fromage BlancCherry, Kirsch jelly, rare cheese cream, and pistachio tart.【3.8】 VS Watermelon, Premium Harenohitomato, Red ShisoHigh-end watermelon cultivated using VS (Vita Soil) farming methods by the Kumamoto VS Taharazaka Shipping Association, served with gin soup, semi-frozen watermelon, and oven-baked semi-dried watermelon, tomato, and red shiso jelly.