富士画廊酒店

The name is French: saucer used as a verb, to pour sauce or to drizzle sauce on bread. The standard fare is what the chef terms ‘saucer’: freshly baked bread on one plate and a sauce on the other. Consommé drawn over a period of three days is a key ingredient. Morel mushrooms in spring and sweetfish in summer impart seasonal flavours. As an apprentice, the chef was appointed saucier, sauce master; his confidence shines in his work today.

Kaoru Aihara is a veteran of fish cuisine with an inquiring mind. Depending on the fish, he may break apart the fibres, transform the fish oils, add umami or increase complexity even to the aroma. His ‘Charcuterie of the Sea’ appetiser explores the possibilities of fish through French culinary technique. Immerse yourself in the story of fish through the geography of Japan, a land surrounded by ocean.

The dim interior suggests the depths of the ocean—the abyss—or the deep green of the forest. Pursuing the theme of ‘sea and mountain’, seafood and vegetables are combined in dishes that convey the bounty of Japan’s seas. The chef first understood the appeal of seafood while staying in Marseilles. Land and sea are united by the turning seasons; the clear streams of mountain uplands become rivers below. This is the eternal cycle by which the land is replenished and the ocean is refreshed. The laws of nature expressed in cooking.

Shinobu Namae welcomes guests in the spirit of ‘ichiza-konryu’, the philosophy that a restaurant is built on connections among chefs, staff, guests and food producers. The gastronomy and culture of Japan are here expressed through prix fixe menus. After the aperitif, the steaming hot risotto arrives―its inspiration drawn from the freshly cooked rice in 'chakaiseki' and brimming with the seasonal bounty of both mountain and sea. ‘Artisanal Vegetables’, the signature dish, is an homage to farmers. Weak matcha tea, borrowed from the etiquette of the Sowa tea ceremony, signals the meal’s end.

The appetiser is a seafood charcuterie: squid and mussels dressed in aioli, finely minced raw horse mackerel, and dried chub mackerel. Be sure to try the speciality, bouillabaisse with a rich seafood flavour, and mix it rice with the leftover soup to make risotto. This is a bistro for enjoying seafood to your heart’s content, although the mains include meat dishes as well.

The movements are those of one immersed in the world of nigiri. On the fingertips of the left hand balances a piece of fish; clutched in the right, a fistful of sushi rice; the tip of the forefinger applies wasabi. Pushing, occasionally pulling, and scoring in delicate strokes, the single-edged knife crafts hidden incisions to help flavour soak in and heat travel through. Gracefully flowing motion, fine-tuned through daily practice, is the simplicity that holds countless truths. The spirit of nigirizushi is in capable hands with Shintaro Suzuki.

For Joël Robuchon, ‘emperor of French cuisine’, this eponymous restaurant is the jewel in the crown of the company. Kenichiro Sekiya, recipient of the prestigious Meilleurs Ouvriers de France (MOF) and heir to both the spirit and cuisine of his famous mentor, uses Japanese ingredients to breathe new life into French gastronomy. His interpretation of Le Caviar Imperial evolves from generation to generation. Even the trolley service is the pinnacle of luxury. A table of magnificence as befits the hall of the emperor.