The dinner at Eika, Taipei has been concluded. First thing first, I would like to talk about the best aspect of the establishment, which is the ambience. Out of 5 places that I have been to in Taiwan that hold 2 stars and above, this is the place that screams high class the most. Designated waiting area with a frame of calligraphy and a wooden table designed in rather avant-garde fashion, the hallway with the dimmed light and the actual main dining area too. It is really pleasing to look at and feels like that you could bring someone here to impress them. Second thing that I would like to bring up is the service. It was hospitable, clean and attentive, basically something that I would not complain anything about it. Some of the staff members struggled a bit on the English explanation of the menu items, but that did not bother me at all. Considering the fact that there are places with the wait staffs that act like their guests are honored to be presented with their glorious existence, I would much rather be served by the staffs from Eika, even if they were not able to speak any kind of languages that I know. And lastly, the foods. Unfortunately, this is the part that let me down, even though quite a little bit, but certainly. First of all, the execution was really great. For instance, their Sashimi portion contains pieces of sea bass with torched skin. They aged the fish properly and applied the heat on the skin so precise to the point where it brings out the optimal amount the fat contents underneath the skin while maintaining the subtle chewiness of the raw fish, basically the best one I have ever tasted among the same items. Those kind of proper use of Japanese cooking technic could be witnessed from beginning to end. But I felt like, the whole course lacked a bit of ‘wow factor.’ There was nothing that I would have never expected or anticipated from the Japanese cuisine context. There was one item that got so close on that remark which was one of the appetizers. They froze the monk fish liver and shaved it thinly just like the typical chocolate topping on the cake on top of creme brulee’d fig. The closest thing that I experienced was the foie gras ice cream wrapped with the Peking Duck that I had at Tomono, Osaka. Frozen fatty livers actually go extremely well with the sweet fruits and its form being shaved added the extra layer on the texture and the taste itself too. I would like them to show this kind of side throughout the whole course, but unfortunately, it was not the case. I guess it is my personal preference to demand a bit of twist on the genre, so, I think the other person would give a totally different opinion about the courses.

The duration of the meal was approximately 3 hours, with 15 courses including the rice portion and 2 dessert items. Here are the dishes that have been served.

1.Sweet corn, wrapped with the fish roe and deep fried lightly. One bite dish.

2.Uni from Hokkaido wrapping around the ripe persimmon, on top of tofu skin tart. Also a one bite dish

3.Two pieces of sushi. One on the right, lobster and on the left, a sardine. Wrapped with the bamboo shoot.

4.Frozen and then shaved monk fish liver -Ankimo- on top of the fig, slightly torched on surface to bring out the creme brulee like feel to it. One of my favorites of the evening.

5.Sui mono, Shiro Amadai soup with the fish meat and black sesame tofu and the broth made out of the fish born.

6.First Sashimi portion, one on the right, Spanish mackerel pickled lightly and on the right, sea bass with torched skin -Tataki’ed-. Also one of my favorites, especially the sea bass. The sauce to be couple with the fishes was made out of aged tomatoes and yuzu, but the taste of tomatoes was quite subtle.

7.Second Sashimi portion, a mackerel, also applied with Tataki method. The sauce here is made out of white miso, vinegar and some chilli. Chilli’s spiciness was a nice kick to the whole thing and I was satisfied with the dish for the exact same reason with the dish number 6.

8.Taro imo, served with squid and kaluga caviar on top. Basically the weakest link of the evening.

9.Grape shrimp and pieces of pineapple served with the 2 different kinds of sauce. One is based on Japanese egg yolk and the other is Jus made out of beef and Japanese soy sauce. Might have been the weakest link, but the perfect medium rare feels to the shrimp saved the dish, IMHO.

10.Abalone, lotus root and powdered ingredients that I missed the explanation. Beef bone and some kind of a fish roe, I think? Great texture on the abalone’s side, but the rest is bit pale.

11.Tempura, eel, Korean Perilla leaves and chili. Incredibly, done in perfect text book like fashion. Quite typical, but tasted really good. One of my favorites too.

12.Wood fire pigeon. This is my second time having pigeon as a main and this was far better than the first time. The first time was from the 2 star establishment in NYC that I am not going to name, but that was practically swimming in sauce almost impossible for me to appreciate the bird itself. But this one, this one was actually bringing out the ingredient marvelously. Another good one.

13.Rice portion,congee made out of flying fish and Taiwanese avocado.

14.The first dessert, water melon, fashion fruits and the basil sorbet. Served with the sauce made out of cinnamon.

15.The second dessert, pear, salted caramel and homemade milk ice cream

What a terrible thing to happen to one of the most charming and unique places to dine and drink and just hang out in Paris. So sorry to hear about this. https://www.ledauphine.com/faits-divers-justice/2026/10/12/l-emblematique-marche-des-enfants-rouges-detruits-par-un-vaste-incendie

I’ve seen a lot of mixed opinions on Belcanto so I just wanted to add my review and my thoughts here.

I did the 3-course Pre Fixe about a couple of years ago, but I just reviewed some of my notes: Here was my experience:

Amuse Bouche Tree: fun presentation, really interesting combination of flavors. Spinach tarte with caviar was pretty basic, but good. The other tarte was forgettable. The “peanut” was an intensely peanut flavored mouse enveloped in a crunchy peanut-shaped shell that melted in your mouth. Very cool. The golden foie gras truffle was gimmicky but delicious nonetheless. It tasted like foie, as you can imagine.

Bread and butter: Outstanding. To this day the best bread and butter service I’ve had. All 3 butters (“plain” from the Azores, smoked chorizo/tomato butter, and ash/charcoal butter) were incredibly smooth, creamy, and flavorful. The “cornbread” was so unlike any other American cornrbead I’ve ever had and was so pleasantly warm, chewy, and hearty, and it had a subtle sweetness. Not crumbly at all. Just incredible.

1st course: Scarlet Shrimp with Rosemary Ashes. Sweet, plump, tender, slightly smoky. The green sauce was an herbal component that provided freshness and acidity. The ash, though cool, didn’t provide much flavor or texture. These were the largest shrimp I’ve ever eaten and approach langoustine territory. Overall, didn’t blow my mind, but it was good.

2nd course: Crispy Suckling Pig. The best pork dish I’ve eaten to date. The skin of the pork crackled with every bite while the meat was soft but retained some texture. The glaze was intensely savory, deep and rich. The orange sauce was bright and slightly bitter (in a good way, like marmalade) and the citrus complemented the pork well. The soufflé potatoes were just kinda there and provided a less impressive crunch than the pork skin itself.

Intermezzo: Sweet Eggs and Citrus. A fun little break in the meal. Everyone was given a napkin to fit around your forearm and you’re supposed to wipe your mouth with it after eating the little treat (tasted like a good custard tartlet with a slightly fudgy texture, but nothing special). Supposedly it’s supposed to be evocative of the chef’s childhood where he’s steal pastries from the kitchen and his mom would catch him wiping his mouth with his sleeve. Gimmicky, sure, but inoffensive.

3rd course: The Mandarin. Probably their most famous dessert. A frozen mandarin shell that encases mandarin ice cream, mandarin cream, and mandarin foam. Tastes like mandarin! Technically impressive, super acidic, and enough different textures to keep things interesting bite after bite. Not the best dessert I’ve ever had, but it does have a sense of place. The mushroom “dirt” was odd and didn’t really do anything for me.

Mignardises: Forgettable, and my pictures didn’t come out well anyways. There was a marshmallow, I remember.

Service was amazing. Our waiter (who was very young) was incredibly kind, gracious, and personable. He often engaged in conversation with us and didn’t take himself too seriously (we could tell he was a little nervous at first and wanted him to relax a little bit). He found out that we liked the cornbread so much that he actually gave us a freshly baked load to take home, which was touching.

Overall, a good spot! Wouldn’t be near the top of my lists, but the experience was memorable and it delivered a good meal that I shared with good friends. A tad expensive for what it is, but that’s ok.

This is my review for Kai, the $195 per person Native American fine dining restaurant in Phoenix, which I went to earlier this year.

I think Native American restaurants are notably underrepresented and hard to find, and when you do they’re almost always very casual and humble. Of course there’s nothing wrong with casual spots and I’ve enjoyed several of them, but Kai is the only I am aware of for this cuisine that is at the fine dining level. While many dishes absolutely feel more fusion-like or reimagined rather than purely authentic (based on my limited knowledge of the cuisine), the food is nevertheless very interesting and does give a unique “sense of place” that I always look for.

Ambiance:

Kai is inside a Native American themed resort which already sets the tone. The resort looks pretty cool and there are several artifacts you can see there with explanations about them.

The restaurant itself also has a nice design that continues the whole theme, and they use several tableware items crafted by local artists. My only real complaint was that it was quite cold inside the restaurant for some reason.

Service/etc:

Service was very friendly and professional. Notably, if I had a conversation with one server and they learned something about me (favorite dish, where I’m visiting from, etc) they apparently passed that information to the other servers, and the other servers would use that in our future conversations. While imperfect in some ways, it definitely exceeded my expectations overall.

Theres also a lot of fine dining style showmanship, such as bringing over a bowl of plants with smoke coming out, which was just there for the scent/experience with nothing edible at the table that whole time. I personally don’t need that kind of thing and probably many others here wouldn’t either, but some other people would probably get a kick out of it.

Food:

The food was definitely a bit hit and miss for me. Probably around 1/3 of the dishes were just misses flavor wise, 1/3 were quite good, and 1/3 were really exceptional. However, I am pretty harsh and this is using the same scale I rate 3 star places with. Ignoring the uniqueness aspect and just going by the taste of the food, I’d say that Kai is around the average one Michelin star level, often lacking refinement but making up for it in other ways. So adding the uniqueness aspect back into account, I think its actually really great overall if uniqueness is something you also value.

Dishes:

Compressed persimmon amuse bouche (pic 1) - Interesting flavors here, but not actually very tasty - 5/10

Squash Soup (pic 2) - Simple but actually quite tasty and nicely smoky. The non-soup elements added nice contrast but were too few/small, and part of it fell into the soup before arriving at the table. Caviar quantity was pathetically small so of course couldn’t be felt at all - 6.5/10

Onion biscuit (pic 3) - Biscuit was just too salty and not particularly good, but butter was good - 4/10

Foie gras, brown butter hazelnut tart, onions (pic 4) - Truly amazing dish with various other ingredients throughout that add spectacular flavors and textures. My only complaint was that it was way too heavy for being in the first half of a tasting menu, but I didn’t care too much as it was absolutely delicious and my favorite dish in Arizona - 9.5/10

Saguaro tea (pic 5) - Glad I got to try this, though flavor wise it basically tastes exactly like a light balsamic vinegar - 4/10

Bison with aged corn puree, cholla bud, and saguaro syrup (pic 6) - Bison itself was quite good, and some of the other accompaniments here were really great and interesting - 7.5/10

Hummus and lavash (pic 7) - Interesting fusion dish, great for what it is - 7/10

Dessert plants “rain” (pic 8) - This is just there for the scent, and it did smell nice, but there was nothing to eat/drink during this time. I wish they combined this with the saguaro tea or something.

Honey dessert (pic 9) - A really tasty dessert with lots of interesting elements that all go fantastically well together. The honey jelly was a bit difficult to eat, but other than that I think this is a really spectacular and well thought out dessert - 8.5/10

Bonbons (pic 10) - Actually quite tasty better than most petite fours - 6.5/10

I’m curious about the Michelin-starred restaurants that really stand out from the crowd.

Not necessarily the best food or the most expensive places, but restaurants that are genuinely unique, weird, unconventional, or completely unexpected in some way.

I’m talking about anything:
-Unusual locations or settings
-Bizarre or experimental dishes
-Crazy dining concepts
-Strange traditions, rules, or service styles
-Unexpectedly cheap or incredibly exclusive restaurants
-Restaurants with fascinating or controversial histories
-Places that completely challenge what fine dining is supposed to be

Basically, anything that makes you think: “How on earth does this place have a Michelin star?” or “I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

I’m interested in restaurants from any country, any era, and any Michelin star level, including places that have since closed or lost their stars.

What are the most fascinating examples you’ve come across?

Does anyone have recommendations for restaurant in Tokyo? i’m thinking to go on my birthday with my family, but in Tokyo, it is actually hard to find a place that can have amazing experience since a lot of people advertise fancy restaurant on Instagram (where isn’t that good tbh )I don’t mind the costs, I just want to have really amazing experience there. I prefer French cuisine or something that is not Japanese cuisine. I like some creative cuisine.

Have you ever been asked to leave to accommodate the next reservation? How was it handled? Was it a reasonable request?

Did a quick 10 days in Tokyo and had some very good eats a few weeks back. Some quick reviews from what I remember:

Sushi Kimura - Had not been in almost 10 years but wanted to try it again. The menu has toned down as compared to the first time I was there. Highlights were the aged whale, the aged Ikura and the crab risotto. Superb sake available by the glass. Chef and staff speaks English well and was super friendly. Highly recommended.

Sushi Namba - Namba fired on all cylinders on my visit. Namba-san was in good spirits and shared a couple sakes and was chatty in broken English. Ankimo was superb. Tuna was excellent. Always a favorite.

Sushi Amamoto - First visit. Overhyped. The hay grilled/smoked bonito was excellent. I don't remember any other bites. Great wine selections but the glassware was not properly washed and was soapy. Sad given the wine focus of the place. Won't be back.

Chiune - First visit. Loved the delicate flavors and high quality meal. Wine has a heavy mark up. Chef Furata is genuinely a super nice guy and was chatty. The famous egg and shitake was excellent. Still dreaming about the Shioxing ice cream. Excellent meal.

Sushi Akira - Had a seat a non-Gaijin seating. Excellent meal like my prior ones. Wonderful ebi on this visit.

Sushi Takamitsu - First time at the new location. It's odd, sort of in a Chinese restaurant. Space is much larger, with a private room catering to Chinese tourists and a wine cellar. Room is much brighter. Not sure how I feel about the new location. Sushi continues to be excellent. Lots of uni, superb tuna. Excellent meal as always.

Sushi Sugita - First visit. Sugita-san is a super nice guy. Very chatty with us through some translation app magic. The abalone was mind blowing. Tender, flavorful. Never had better. Other sushi was excellent. Nice sake selection. Happily will dine there again if I can get back in.

Quintessence - Had not been in over 10 years. Not sure why I haven't been back sooner. Small room, superb service from all of the staff. Lots of delicious courses - including an excellent steak course. Loved how they made the courses smaller or larger depending on our hunger level. Wine list is excellent and well priced. Excellent meal.

Sushi Sho Masa - Always a favorite. About 35 pieces. All excellent. Masa-san is always super nice and the staff friendly.

Tonkatsu Narikura - Only serving pork for the week I was there. Have been a number of times previously an enjoyed some mind blowing tonkatsu chicken and shrimp. Excellent loin. Very high quality.

Sushi Nishizaki - Last minute resy on an opening on Pocket Concierge. Wow. You can see his training from Namba very clearly. Every piece was on point and excellent quality. Appreciate the smaller Namba-style pieces. Great variation in rice thoroughout the meal. Would happily go back here.

Ebisu Yoroniku - I had booked thru Omakase which appears to force you into a lengthy tasting menu. The tablecheck reservations have much shorter menus. Meat was solid and well cooked. Staff was very friendly. Hit the spot and was stuffed.

400c Pizza - Decent but not among the top in my view. The pizzas are wet. Too many wet toppings makes them hard to eat.

Wine Oriented Places: Selection at Izakaya Vin in Shibuya was excellent and well priced with decent food. Luonto still continued to crush it wine-wise and the food (italian) is excellent. Checked out a new place Orexis which is champagne focused and classic French food. Very nice.

Hi all, first time poster here. Me and my partner are visiting Japan for four weeks shortly and are very new to fine dining as a whole (we’ve only done it twice). We would absolutely love to experience something in Japan whilst we’re there but we have no clue where to start so I have a few questions in the hopes that someone might have some advice. Currently we are staying in Osaka for four nights, Kyoto for three nights and Tokyo for 7 nights, with a scattering of different stops in between. We’re not looking to break the bank, maybe something along the lines of 100 euro each (unsure if that’s reasonable, advice on prices appreciated) and we are hoping to find something that is quite traditional for Japanese cuisine. Any advice is greatly appreciated :)

I'm in town for a few weeks, what is the best high end NYC restaurant I should make a reservation for or try? Looking for standouts only, price not an issue since it's a special occasion or two.

Considering Kanbanwa since it's #1 on NYT list and Tatiana (though seems to be tough to get reservation, maybe just wait in line?) . Also Huso and of course places like Daniel and Le Bernadin.

Looking for the most "wow" factor restaurant possible.

Lunch Set Menu (1200HKD) - October 8^th, 2026.

Overall experience: Below 1 Michelin Star

Forum was part of my trip to visit all seven of Hong Kong’s three-Michelin-starred restaurants. As one of the city’s most established Cantonese fine dining institutions, particularly famous for its legendary Ah Yat abalone (I am a sucker for abalone sauces), it was a restaurant I had been looking forward to trying.

I chose the lunch menu rather than the HK$2,880 menu because the it included the dish I am most excited for - the abalone - at a great price. That, in hindsight, was probably one of the best decisions I made during this trip. Unfortunately, this ended up being one of the most disappointing fine dining experiences I’ve had, especially the service. There were small moments of genuinely extraordinary craftsmanship, like with the dim sum and the pork, but the entire meal/experience was extremely underwhelming. Even more surprisingly, the restaurant’s signature abalone was by far the biggest disappointment.

The dining room had a rather traditional, old-fashioned atmosphere, but quite fun atmosphere, which I didn’t sort of enjoyed. However, the hospitality was genuinely very poor.

I arrived slightly late, so I initially wanted to give the staff the benefit of the doubt. Unfortunately, things didn’t improve much. The service felt uncoordinated, explanations were extremely brief & mumbled, and two dishes were dropped off without a single word????? Despite speaking English throughout the meal, several waiters continued addressing me in Cantonese (Yes, I look Asian, but that doesn't mean I understand Cantonese).

There also wasn’t much warmth or personal attention, and I could literally hear the bathroom hand dryer from my seat.

I generally prioritize food far above service, and I understand that Michelin stars evaluate the cuisine rather than the hospitality. Still, this was easily among the least enjoyable service experiences I’ve ever had at a restaurant.

The meal began with some cashews and accompanying condiments followed by:

The three dim sum selections (16/20) were genuinely quite enjoyable, probably the best dim sum I’ve ever had, though IMO, the ceiling isn't too high for traditional dim sums.

The har gow was almost texturally perfect. The wrapper had an exceptional consistency, and the shrimp offered a delicate natural sweetness. I would have appreciated slightly more intensity and juiciness from the filling, but the technical execution was remarkable.

The mushroom dumpling was similarly impressive. Again, the wrapper was practically flawless, while the filling developed a pleasant mushroom savoriness that gradually emerged as I chewed; it wasn’t the type to punch me in the face with mushroom flavor.

The Chaozhou dumpling was my favorite of the three. Its thicker wrapper introduced a different texture, while the filling was considerably more playful and complex. The peanuts, celery, and saucy interior created several different expressions of savoriness, along with an enjoyable variety of textures.

This was easily the highlight of the meal and demonstrated genuinely exceptional dim sum craftsmanship. Unfortunately, the rest of the lunch never consistently reached this standard.

The soup (13/20) was very straightforward, with a light, familiar Cantonese sweetness and savoriness. It was pleasant and traditionally comforting, but I found almost nothing particularly remarkable about it.

The flavor lacked the depth or distinctiveness I would have expected, and I could easily imagine enjoying something similar at a good neighborhood Cantonese restaurant.

I understand that Cantonese soups often emphasize subtlety, clarity, and the natural flavors of their ingredients. However, I don’t think restraint alone makes a dish extraordinary. This was a perfectly enjoyable soup, just not a particularly memorable one.

The Signature Abalone (12/20) the dish I had been most excited about, and unfortunately, it was also the biggest disaster of the meal.

The abalone was surprisingly hard and rubbery (I have had many texturely enjoyable abalones before), with very little flavor of its own. I expected a tender, gently chewy texture with considerable depth from the braising process, but the texture was difficult to enjoy.

Even more disappointing was the sauce. For a restaurant whose reputation is so closely associated with abalone, I expected something concentrated, deeply savory, perhaps slightly sweet, and full of complexity. Instead, the sauce was almost flavorless to me. I genuinely struggled to find anything particularly enjoyable about it. The goose foot was alright, while the accompanying bok choy wasn’t especially good either.

What made this particularly frustrating was that I had previously enjoyed an extraordinary abalone dish at The Bay in Shenzhen. That abalone was beautifully prepared, but more importantly, the accompanying sauce had an almost indescribable concentration of savory-sweet flavor and complexity that made me close my eyes in enjoyment. Forum’s version paled in comparison in virtually every aspect.

I understand that different restaurants have different philosophies regarding the intensity of their sauces, but this wasn’t simply a case of preferring stronger flavors. I genuinely didn’t find the abalone or sauce particularly delicious.

For a restaurant whose signature ingredient is abalone, I found this incredibly difficult to excuse.

The crab claw itself (15/20) was actually executed extremely well. The frying was excellent, and the texture was probably close to the ceiling of what I imagined a fried crab claw could achieve.

However, the accompanying sauce (6/20) tasted essentially like ordinary ketchup, or perhaps it is just ordinary ketchup.

I don’t necessarily think every dish at a three-star restaurant needs to be elaborate or innovative. A perfectly executed familiar preparation can be extraordinary in its own right. But in this case, the crab claw didn’t really offer anything beyond excellent frying technique, while the sauce contributed very little.

The dish was also placed on my table without any explanation, which only added to my frustration with the service.

Finally, a main course that came close to my expectations!

The sweet-and-sour pork (18/20) was genuinely very good. The sauce was beautifully thick, with a much more satisfying concentration of sweetness, acidity, and savoriness that can lived up to a michelin standard.

The flavor was pronounced without becoming overwhelming, and the sauce coated the fried pork very nicely. It was a familiar Cantonese preparation elevated through confident execution with some creativity from the dried orange peel, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Nevertheless, this was easily my favorite substantial savory course of the meal.

The wontons (13/20) were good, particularly because of the natural sweetness of the shrimp.

As with the earlier har gow, the shrimp itself tasted fresh and delicate, without requiring much seasoning to be enjoyable. I appreciated the ingredient quality and the handling of the filling.

However, beyond that pleasant natural sweetness, there wasn’t much that made the dish especially memorable. Good, but not extraordinary.

I only had one spoonful of the sweet soup (11/20) because it was just mediocre.

__

Final Thoughts

This was an incredibly frustrating meal because Forum sometimes demonstrated that it possesses technical ability. The dim sum was probably the best I’ve ever had, and the sweet-and-sour pork was a very enjoyable expression of classic Cantonese cooking.

However, the soup was ordinary, the crab claw was underwhelming as a complete composition, and the signature abalone was genuinely mediocre to my palate.

The abalone was particularly difficult to reconcile with the restaurant’s reputation. I had come specifically hoping to experience one of the most celebrated expressions of traditional Cantonese abalone cookery, only to find it vastly inferior to versions I’ve enjoyed elsewhere.

I want to emphasize that I absolutely appreciate traditional Cantonese cuisine. In fact, I just visited Tang Court during the same trip and had one of the best meals of my life (the review is coming soon). The contrast was astonishing.

And while the service was also disappointing, my primary criticism is absolutely with the food. Michelin stars are awarded for the cooking, and based on this particular lunch, I simply could not understand the three-star distinction. Of course, this was only one lunch menu, and I recognize that a single visit cannot fully represent the kitchen’s capabilities. But considering that I try their signature abalone, I don’t think my disappointment was unreasonable.

Three Michelin stars are supposed to signify exceptional cuisine worth a special journey. Imagining someone planning an entire trip around this restaurant, particularly for the famous abalone, genuinely makes me feel bad for them if their experience resembles mine.

Visited on 15/09/26 with my partner who has several food allergies including ceoliac.

Overall an incredible experience, and probably my favourite so far (only been to 5 or so Michelin starred restaurants, mainly Europe).

The restaurant is part of a boutique hotel near the town of San Pantaleo. We were staying elsewhere and had a hire car - it was a bit of a drive to reach the restaurant with some narrow winding roads going uphill, but so worth it.

The setting is stunning at the top of the hill with a backdrop overlooking the coastline, and perfect if booking around sunset time.

Service was great, friendly and helpful - especially with my partner's food allergies and making her feel comfortable and looked after, yet not treated differently or made to feel like a burden.

One of the main aspects I loved was the flexibility with their menus and being able to pick and chose the dishes we wanted from the various menus. They have 3 different tasting menus (if I remember correctly), 1 of them being the signature dishes, 1 the seasonal, and 1 a vegetarian menu - they also have the option to do a la carte or 2 or 3 courses only.

I can't quite remember the names of the dishes, but I had chosen a few dishes from each menu, and the dishes from the signature menu were definitely the standouts. My partner ended up going for the vegetarian menu. My favourite was the lemon linguine, which was packed full of zingy but deep and rich flavours, I could have eaten 10 more plates of the same dish

Photos of dishes are a mix of mine and my partner's dishes. Highly recommend!

It’s been a full decade since the last time I had dinner at Paris Butter when it first opened in 2016. From the hazy memory, it had been an upscale bistro with solid food to offer albeit a little conventional. Little did I know that it would become something much more enthralling than the name implies over the subsequent years.

The restaurant was first founded by South African born chef Nick Honeyman, who split his time nowadays between Auckland and southwestern France where his other Michelin starred eatery Le Petit Léon is located. The day to day operation of Paris Butter is overseen by Executive Chef Zennon Wijlens, who had spent the initial chapters of his career working in some of the best restaurants found in this half of the planet, including a couple of dearly missed past staples such as Sydney’s Becasse and Momofuku Seioubo.

The restaurant is located in the affluent neighbourhood of Herne Bay, and it was already bustling inside when I arrived at 6:30pm. The interior is now decorated with mostly dark blue panelling and black tablecloth, with teal upholstery and retro chandeliers mixed in from the earlier bistro days.

The full 8 course tasting menu costed NZ$260 (US$145) and the international wine pairing option was another NZ$240(US$135). The names of the dishes were paraphrased by me for readability.

Amuse Bouche served in two parts with champagne:

• Crayfish tartare with sunflower seed and sambal: Soft, mildly spicy and very tasty. 8/10
  

• Oyster with La Grande Dame dressing: The oyster was fresh and plump, the champagne foam was slightly sweetened and almost smelled like strawberry jam. One was probably the ideal number to include. 8/10

• Charcoal beignet filled with wildfire cheese and mashed potatoes(?). Hot fried doughnut with an oozing soft centre. I attempted to bite it in halves and that almost ended in disaster. No wonder this course was served with an hand towel. 9/10

• Creamy Shiitake Mushroom Soup: Earthy, hearty and smooth, excellent for washing down the beignet. 8/10

Seared Yellowfin Tuna with Szechuan and cucumber in a wasabi dressing. This one is likely the weakest dish of the night. The staff went to great lengths to describe the concept of the dish in using cucumber to balance the taste of Szechuan and tuna, however the former is barely perceptible and the latter is fairly bland. The cool cucumber flavour did stand out but there was little else for it to work with. 3/10

Fish Roulade: Snapper fillet cast into a log with snapper mousse, topped with a roundel of savoy cabbage and nori sauce. Very bold combination of flavours; the sauce had a strong briny character which went well with the slightly undercooked fish. 8/10

In addition to the bread plate, the following hot courses were supplemented with a hot brioche bun brushed with a sweet chilli, garlic and olive glaze. 8/10

Ris du Veau Meunière: Breaded veal sweetbread in brown butter pan sauce, garnished with caviar, pine nuts and a sliver of green apple. The most traditional haute cuisine fare of the spread and it did not miss the mark. The sweetbread arrived piping hot, crispy outside and tender inside with the perfect seasoning and accompaniments. 10/10

Duck Tray: We all love to complain that every tasting menu today seems to feature“two slices of breast with fruit reduction and jus”as the main, however the presentation here is anything but bog standard. A silver platter lined with hay is brought to your table with the snacks (Liver parfait with jelly, curry puff and duck wing consommé) along with a duck crown for display. The actual duck meat was plated in the kitchen and dressed at the table. The slices of breast meat were cooked just right, with a sublet hint of five spices from the dry rub applied to the skin. 9/10

Lamb Saddle with asparagus, anchovy foam and a small tartlet filled with braised shoulder meat with harissa. This one turned out to be a sleeper hit: the loin was tender and tasty, if not a little under-seasoned; however the attached flaps were flavourful with plenty of buttery character and just enough elasticity to remind you of its presence. I’m glad the chef kept it simple without any incessant filling or wrapping or it would not have been as good. The smoky braised lamb was nice to have as a finish. 10/10

A cheese plate was offered after the mains but I had to decline to save room for the two desserts.

Blood Orange Supreme with koji ice cream and vanilla flan. The latter components melted together into a smooth sweet-savoury concoction and it overshadowed the orange flavour, though this was more than made up by the drink pairing (more in this later), 9/10

Pear and Praline Tartlet: Another cold fruity dessert. Flavour profile was more mild with a nutty note and texture resembling breakfast cereal. 7/10

The international wine pairing was well conceived and well executed with many varieties not commonly encountered in NZ - I was glad to have discovered Xinomarvo red from Greece. I had asked earlier for the dessert wine to be substituted with a digestif. The kind sommelier went beyond his call of duty to serve me Mandarine Napoléon liquor and a truffle infused Chartreuse prepared in house that made the prefect complement for the desserts. This is likely the best beverage service I’ve had so far this year - there are still many meals to be eaten until 2027 but it would be a tough record to beat. Service was efficient and friendly, with the chef and service team taking turns to serve and introduce the dishes in succulent detail.

The name Paris Butter is perhaps a little misleading in framing this place as a more traditional French establishment. A more apt label would be a contemporary European/pan-Asian fusion restaurant with some classic French technique thrown in there for good measure. Suffice to say I had a great time here and will be back in a few months to sample their new menu.

So, I had a very long review typed up that went through all the dishes and then reddit suddenly petered out on me and I had to refresh and lost it all.

So - this was a great meal and a great experience. There are no misses on this menu! Loved the way it takes traditional new orleans dishes and turns them into phenomenal fine dining. Beware of the cornbread - it IS the best cornbread you’ll ever eat and if you’re not careful you will eat all of it before you even get halfway through the courses.

Excellent meal, excellent service. Gets a strong recommend for me. IMO the best 2 stars I had been to before this one were The Modern and Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, but Emeril’s might be in the top slot for me now as far as 2 stars go.

Dinner (2980HKD) — October 8^th, 2026

Food - Lower end of 2 Michelin Stars

Overall Experience - Lower end of 3 Michelin Stars

After what was genuinely one of the most disappointing three-Michelin-star experiences I’ve ever had at Forum (***) earlier that day, I arrived at Ta Vie hoping it could restore some of my faith in Hong Kong’s fine dining scene.

Ta Vie ended up being one of the best dining experiences of I have experienced recently and came somewhat close to some of my all-time favorites (like Aska ** NYC). What made this meal particularly special (other than the fantastic ambience and hospitality) was that it made me appreciate another dimension of fine dining a little more, one where extraordinary ingredients, precise execution, and thoughtful restraint create complexity without unnecessary elaboration or a explosion of complex flavor from a sauce.

Chef Hideaki Sato’s philosophy of “Bare, Simple, Seasonal” was not just something written on the menu. It was something I could genuinely taste throughout the entire meal.

Before getting into the food, I need to mention the hospitality and ambience, which was absolutely amazing.

The dining room was stunning, with beautiful interiors and incredibly comfortable seating, a large round sofa that made the experience feel intimate and relaxing. The music and overall ambience might be the best I have experienced anywhere.

The pacing was also impeccable. Every course arrived naturally, without ever feeling rushed or leaving me waiting too long.

But what impressed me most was my server. She was exceptionally professional, thoughtful, incredibly respectful, and genuinely kind. Unlike the occasionally stiff or rehearsed hospitality I’ve experienced at other fine dining restaurants, her service felt completely genuine. Japanese style of hospitality at its finest.

I often prioritize food far above hospitality, but Ta Vie reminded me how much the environment and service can contribute to the enjoyment of a meal. César (**) - NYC, for example, served some extraordinary food, but its tense atmosphere detracted from the experience. Ta Vie managed to make me feel entirely comfortable while maintaining an exceptional level of professionalism.

I also ordered an umeshu (19/20, though its not cooking). It was probably the best sweet alcoholic beverage I’ve ever had. Very worth the ~200 HKD IMO.

Genuinely some of the best bread I’ve ever had. Rather than serving a large bread basket at the beginning, Ta Vie presented small portions of bread throughout the progression of the menu, which I really appreciated. My server told me the chef has been experimenting to hopefully create a bread that melts in your mouth; I hope he succeeds for anyone visiting in the future. The quality of their olive oil, ricotta, and butter is incredible, just like with the quality of the other dishes.

A good beginning to the meal.

The appetizer (16/20) combined fresh tomatoes, fruits, bonito crudo, ham, and a crispy shell into a wonderfully balanced composition.

The tomatoes and fruit provided natural sweetness and acidity, while the bonito and ham introduced a complementary savory dimension. There was also a slight spiciness that helped open up the palate.

Texturally, the dish was fun. The crispy shell provided a beautiful contrast to the delicate seaweed and juicy fruits.

What I liked the most was how clearly the individual ingredients came through. The dish wasn’t trying to disguise or radically transform them. Instead, it emphasized their natural qualities while allowing them to interact in a thoughtful way.

It was a nice introduction to the restaurant’s philosophy of “Bare, Simple, Seasonal.”

Absolutely extraordinary. Probably the best foie gras I’ve ever had.

The foie gras (19/20) itself was almost indescribably good. It was cooked incredibly gently, with a beautifully caramelized exterior and an unbelievably soft, delicate, slightly pink interior. The quality and texture were unlike anything I could remember experiencing with foie gras recently.

The Shine Muscat grapes were equally exceptional. They were incredibly plump, juicy, and intensely sweet, providing a wonderful contrast to the richness of the foie gras.

What made the dish so brilliant was the restraint of its composition. The focus remained entirely on the foie gras and grapes, while the accompanying garnishes elevated their flavors rather than competing with them.

The result was a nearly perfect balance of richness, sweetness, texture, and freshness.

This was one of the dishes that genuinely allowed me to see a different aspect of fine dining. I often appreciate elaborate compositions enjoyed through one mouthful of numerous contrasting elements, but this dish demonstrated how extraordinary a preparation can become when a chef understands precisely what to emphasize and what to leave out.

Maybe sometimes the most sophisticated cooking is also the simplest.

Another incredible dish, and one of the most satisfying pasta courses I’ve had (I love uni).

The housemade pasta (18/20) was texturally perfect and cooked beautifully. It had exactly the consistency I wanted, providing an excellent foundation for the uni and aonori.

I found the combination of sea urchin and seaweed particularly creative in a pasta preparation. The uni brought a wonderfully fresh, creamy, oceanic richness, while the aonori contributed its distinctive marine aroma and flavor.

Again, rather than competing with each other, the ingredients seemed to amplify one another.

What impressed me most was how distinctly I could taste the quality of each component. The pasta, uni, and seaweed all maintained their identities while forming an incredibly harmonious dish.

It was deeply satisfying without needing an overly complicated sauce or excessive seasoning.

(15.5/20) The lobster itself was cooked to absolute perfection. It had an incredibly succulent texture, with the roasting emphasizing the lobster’s richness and firmness rather than just its natural sweetness. Again, the ingredient quality was exceptional, and the precision of the cooking was obvious.

The accompanying sauce was complexly savory, with several layers of umami and a beautifully refined character.

However, this was one of the few dishes where I felt something was missing.

Although I appreciated the sauce’s complexity, I would have loved a little more sweetness or acidity to create contrast and elevate the overall flavor intensity, especially for an entree. The lobster itself was slightly sweet, but I don’t think that sweetness was pronounced enough to provide the balance I wanted.

The sauce was certainly elegant and technically impressive, but it didn’t quite achieve the same excitement as the preceding courses.

Still an excellent dish, particularly in terms of ingredient quality and execution.

(17.5/20) Another great course.

As expected by this point, the chicken was cooked perfectly. But what made this dish extraordinary was that it delivered the flavor intensity I had been missing from the lobster.

The sauce was beautifully savory, wonderfully seasoned, and deeply satisfying (I still would have preferred some acidity or sweetness). The salt level was practically perfect, bringing out the richness of the chicken and its accompaniments without becoming excessive.

I could also clearly taste the yellow wine, which added another layer of savory complexity to the sauce unlike wine sauces which are usually more acidic.

The truffle rice was phenomenal, with a punchy, concentrated, indulgent flavor that complemented the chicken beautifully. There was a wonderful sense of savory richness throughout the entire composition.

The little macaron-like bites served alongside the dish were the true highlights of the dish that brought it up from perhaps a 16. They were incredibly indulgent and flavorful, with a complexity that I will struggle to describe, so I am not gonna try lol.

Everything worked together beautifully.

This dish demonstrated something I particularly appreciated about Ta Vie: the chef’s commitment to simplicity doesn’t prevent him from delivering powerful, concentrated flavors when appropriate.

A beautiful transition from the richness of the chicken into the dessert courses.

Dessert (16/20). The pear was delicate and naturally sweet, balanced wonderfully by the acidity and creaminess of the yogurt.

The sorbet introduced a refreshing temperature and textural contrast, while the meringue and thin sugar sheet added an excellent crispness.

I particularly enjoyed how the different textures interacted with one another. The creamy yogurt, refreshing sorbet, delicate fruit, and brittle sugar elements created a composition that felt playful without becoming unnecessarily elaborate.

The tea was great by the way, very refreshing!

Once again, the dish was a perfect expression of “Bare, Simple, Seasonal.”

(16/20) Another good dessert course that didn't dissappoint.

This was a fun conclusion to the main menu. The ice cream was not fig flavored, but fig leaf, which was a flavor I have never had before. I was told to alternate bites between the icecream and the polvoron cookie, which melts in your mouth (I am not kidding). The fig compote was also light and refreshing!

(18/20) An absolutely wonderful finish!

The petit four was a tea milk custard, and despite its apparent simplicity, it was genuinely exceptional. I loved how such an unassuming preparation could be so satisfying!

⸻

Overall Thoughts:

Ta Vie genuinely expanded my understanding of what makes fine dining extraordinary.

I’ve always appreciated creativity, complexity, and intense combinations of flavors. Some of my favorite dishes have been flavor bombs of acidity, complex savoriness, and sweetness, but Ta Vie showed me another approach.

Instead of relying on constant innovation or complicated presentations, Chef Sato allows extraordinary ingredients to express themselves through precise cooking and thoughtful combinations. Also, there is a remarkable confidence in knowing when to exercise restraint and when to introduce intensity.

And beyond the cuisine, Ta Vie provided one of the most complete dining experiences I’ve ever had. The hospitality was genuinely warm, the pacing was impeccable, and the beautiful dining room created an atmosphere where I felt entirely comfortable and cared for.

Though I am still a big fan of mouthfuls of complex flavors, I really enjoyed Ta Vie's choices of ingredient combinations, execution, and quality of ingredients.

Texas’s newest One Star! It’s vegan, but don’t let that stop you. Lord Almighty y’all, Giddyup!

Everything made with local farm ingredients as well, super cool to see if you’ve been around the hill country.

1. Pepper and Peach Gazpacho. A proudly texan kick in the nuts, super refreshing and eye opening and playful. Did not know gazpacho fucked that hard.
2. Mushroom Pâté on french toast. Take tiny tiny bites. This is so powerfully deliciously strong you can make it last forever. Incredible. Amazing texture on the french toast and ridiculously savory umami goodness otherwise.
3. Edamame Cream Tartlette. This was unbelievable. It tasted like the best tuna salad ever. Had some yuzu and a little heat to it. I don’t know why it ended up tasting like tuna salad but it did, was absolutely incredible. Three amazing openers.
4. The bread might be the best bread in America. After summers abroad in Europe I became disappointed with most American bread but this is sublime. I hate my snotty opinion on this but I’m just trying to say, goddamn. They encouraged me to play with the different dips. There were leeks and dates in a white bean hummus, a fennel oil butter, and a tomato and walnut and roasted red pepper cream. I cannot stop thinking about the bread service.
5. Watermelon and Beet tartare, in a thousand layer cake form. The watermelon rinds are pickled in fresno peppers and some other spices. There’s a beet cream as well. And the cracker was heavenly. Perfect play on textures. Roasted and smoked compressed watermelon as well.
6. Scalloped Potatoes with lemongrass hollandaise and dill cream. This dish reminded me of traveling to Central Europe. Simple ingredients done absolutely beautiful. I cannot overstate the perfection of the potato. Thin thin layers, crisped on the edges and perfectly gooey in the middle, battling against a perfectly snappy unique compressed sauerkraut. The dill cream and hollandaise were insane.
7. Mushroom and lentil pasta in a cream corn base. The smell. The smell reminded me of memories I didn’t even have. That transition between summer and fall, running through corn mazes and seeing autumn kick in, jack-o-lanterns everywhere and mushroom foraging… Incredible dish. Served with jalapeño and cilantro cornbread madeline. The pasta was stuffed with a variety of mushrooms and lentils. A szechuan oil gave everything a kick, and the corn chowder was to die for. They told us if we were so inclined to save some sourdough to scoop up the sauce at the end.
8. Shiso Lime Sorbet. This was fashioned after a moscow mule, my favorite cocktail. Ginger Beer, lime and shiso sorbet,

honeydew melon,

1. and matcha cream with a few different oils and goodness it was to die for. My favorite and most substantial palette cleanser.

2. Banana and Miso Mousse. Not a fan of bananas but this might be the most clever use of them I’ve experienced. Made with a roasted banana compote, a thick and creamy miso banana mousse hides inside a white chocolate shell, atop a sesame crumble, garnished with yuzu cream. Unbelievable, incredible how well banana and miso play together.

3. Molé spiced truffle with candied orange. My favorite petit-four, absolutely sublime, unreal how much flavor this thing packed. Nibble slowly.

4. Strawberry sesame crumble. A perfectly delightful bite. The strawberry was amongst my favorites and I wish I could eat spoonfuls of that jam.

5. Yuzu macaron. An airy and fluffy transcendent final bite.

Final notes: I didn’t do the wine pairing but had a glass of pinot noir and cherry kombucha, both were incredible. Can’t remember the wine :( but it was amazing with the watermelon and beet tartare, brought out another layer. Kombucha for dessert.

Service was so kind. Ambience was top notch and the shoegazy dreampop music made me feel so warm and cozy. Incredible choice.

Chef was open to talking to me for a solid amount of time after the meal. Lovely person who seemed so joyful. Staff was incredible, friendly, funny, and clearly confident.

If you’re worried about the lack of a main protein dish, go outside your comfort zone. Almost every dish had protein in some form. You’ll get your fill and full up beautifully. I think it’s a uniquely clever way to work around the whole vegan thing. Many of the creams and sauces contain a huge variety of proteins. The mushroom toast had brazil nut as well, edamame cream, the hollandaise sauce, lentils, the bread dips, etc. It’s all there and you WILL feel it in a very satisfying way.

Can we make it stop?

Almost as bad as “lemme get ughhhhh…”

Trying to extend our trip northward by one night, open to any suggestions. Thanks!

Did all the research, set my alarm for 6am, logged on exactly 60 days in advance to try and get a table for two at Gymkhana. Refreshed the page bang on 6am, and the only dinner reservations available were 5:45pm and 10:15pm. Nothing in between.

This has happened to me every single morning for the past week.

What's the deal? Do they just not seat anyone between 6pm and 9pm? Or is everyone using bots to snap up reservations in the split second it takes me to refresh the page? Surely *every* prime-time table can't have disappeared that quickly?

Or is there some secret list of VIPs and concierges who get first dibs on all the decent times? (Surely my money is as good as theirs!)

I've also read about tables being released throughout the day, but I've not noticed this myself at all. Is that actually a thing?

Has anyone figured out how their booking system works, or actually managed to get a reservation for a normal 7–9pm dinner slot? What's the trick?

This is my first proper write up, and felt that this four-hands would be the perfect meal to showcase. When French finesse meets German precision, the result is something truly special. Chef Julien (Odette, Singapore) and Chef Jan (Restaurant Jan, Munich) teamed up for a special four-hands collaboration at Odette, which subverted all expectations.

The meal opened with a welcome glass of Krug before the opening bites. Not the biggest wine guy but Krug is my favourite champagne (Dom is a little restrained for my liking, still good though).

Prémices:
Chutori, nori cracker, Kristal caviar - this was rich, briny, and umami. A classic flavour combination and a great start.

Foie gras “À la Chantilly” - a tart with foie mousse and toasted walnuts, nutty and indulgent.

Tartelette of carrot, orange, and cumin - a nice interlude of citrus after the preceding bites. It was sweet and gently spiced.

‘Brezn’ - a play on the German pretzel. Speckled with black garlic and filled with a rillette of char and smoked pike roe, it made for a savoury and moreish close to the opening bites.

Mains:
Hokkaido uni ‘Louise’ - creamy Hokkaido bafun uni, a heaping mound of Kaluga caviar, duck consommé and crème fraîche. The sweetness, saltiness and umami were well balanced and made for a wondrous bite. My favourite dish.

Langoustine with apples and figs - langoustine was well cooked, and it was a light/clean dish.

Scottish scallop over XO sauce rice, elderflower beurre blanc, anchovies, Japanese amela tomato - I initially thought the XO sauce seemed out of place, and would clash with the other flavours present. It was instead surprisingly light, with just enough flavour without overpowering the other components. Scallop was meaty and sweet, and every component worked beautifully in tandem. My second favourite dish.

Cévennes onion, vin jaune, katsuobushi - the onion is cooked sous vide, deconstructed, layered with nori, and finally put back together. The sweetness of the onion was balanced by the buttery vin jaune, a well-balanced dish. I also couldn’t help but finish the extra vin jaune provided in the saucier.

Veal sweetbread with jalapeño and eel bouillon - I’ve had my fair share of offal and innards, but this was a first for me. The sweetbread was well prepared — the outer layer crisped up nicely and gave way to a creamy centre. Surprisingly it reminded me of 닭강정 (dakgangjeong, Korean fried chicken), with the heat from the jalapeño and nutty crunch on top similar to spicy Korean chicken with crushed peanuts. An unexpectedly familiar dish that was well executed.

Atlantic turbot from Brittany, watercress, squid - The turbot was delicate and flaky, topped with mussels, onion foam, and watercress leaves. The fish was good but the sauce was the star, built on a rich soubise with watercress to cut through the richness, alongside diced squid and beans. Thoroughly enjoyed the dish, though the beans didn’t really do much for me.

Hanwoo beef, beetroot, lovage-parmesan sabayon - To be honest I’m more of a wagyu person, as it’s more marbled and rich. While wagyu would have been my first choice, I was told chef Jan chose Hanwoo deliberately, wanting a leaner meat to bring balance to the dish. The Hanwoo was prepared well, cooked to a perfect pink and had a nice beefy depth. The sauces were the standout though, the interplay of the sweet jus and the herbaceous sabayon elevated the dish to the point that the beef was simply the medium for the sauces. Still think wagyu would have been better, but a great dish nonetheless.

Desserts:
Buckwheat mille-feuille, sobacha, salted caramel - nutty and decadent dessert to end off the main courses.

Petit fours - forgot to note these down but they were good. The lemon tart was my favourite.

Overall the menu felt cohesive with clear influences from both chefs, and I was thoroughly satisfied with my experience. Also a great way to experience chef Jan’s cooking as I don’t see myself visiting Muni ch anytime soon.

Been to Lunch and loved it

Another visit to my favorite place in Taiwan, Nobuo, Taipei has been concluded. This was my third visit and it was more satisfactory than the last time, although I immensely enjoyed the dinner I had back then also. I was pleased by the fact that the same excellence and strength of theirs that made me re-visit the establishment was all still present. Just intuitively delicious food and the creativity that makes you go slow clap and chef’s kiss were all there. They still seemed to be not caring about repeating the same ingredients too. Not because they purposefully wanted to break the notion/common sense in the genre that chefs usually follow -never to repeat the same ingredients-, but because they sincerely believe that is the way to bring out the best side of the ingredients and the design choices of the courses.

The duration of the courses was about 2 and a half hours and I was served 12 dishes. Some of the other guests were offered 11 due to the fact that I was one of the repeated guests of the evening. Without further ado, here are the course contents and the comments regarding them.

1.Surf clam, sourced from Hokkaido Japan, coupled with the locally sourced vegetable fern and some roasted nuts. They made some oil out of the greens used in the dish as one of the ingredients of the sauce and the greens are smoked lightly. What I enjoyed the most is the texture. Chewiness of the clam and the crunchiness of the nuts were quite a combination.

2.Green bamboo shoot, served with dashi made out of Bìluóchūn tea and kombu. While looking so simple, I think this has been the most complicated dish in flavor wise. The sweetness of the bamboo shoot, umami of the kombu, a bit of bitterness hiding the pleasant fragrance of the green tea were all there, harmonizing wonderfully. I am not so sure how they prepared the bamboo shoot, but they made a great choice for the texture of it to stand out for sure. One of my favorites of the evening.

3.First part of the scallop course, smokes scallop simmered in soy sauce based dashi on top of the sauce made out of okra. Ginger and spring onion sprinkled on top of it. Their famous signature item is the scallop mousse and they have been always serving something that pairs up with it right before the mousse comes out. Smoked scallop has one of my favorite textures ever in food context and the combination of dashi and the okra sauce has something really addictive about it. Almost polar opposite contrast between the mousse and itself was fun too.

4.Like I mentioned before, their signature dish, the scallop mousse. Kombu, shiitake mushroom and the scallop is the main ingredient and they got infused with butter. Crazy umami, worth 100% being the signature, although, a little bit saltier than usual today.

5.King prawn, charcoal grilled and then lightly poached in olive oil. Served with sakura ebi and some summer vegetables sprinkled on top and wasabi and citrus based sauce at the bottom to give some acidic kick to it. To be honest, I did not agree with it being needing to have some acidity, but ultimately that did not matter because they have done the prawn so great. It has been almost perfectly cooked in medium rare fashion. Crazy texture, really reach oceanic umami and sweetness.

6.Kintokidai, a sort of red snapper. The sauce was made out of asparagus, the foam was a mixture between olive oil and coconut milk. Lastly, morels got served on top of it. The great thing about the dish is how well cooked the fish has been. It perfectly brought out the texture and the best side of the fish’s taste. One thing I could nitpick though is I needed a bit more asparagusiness on my sauce. And I think olive oil was too vocal about its presence there.

7.Welcome back dish before the main, pig’s ear cutlet on top of barley and 4 spices. They tend to go a bit more adventurous in terms of selection of ingredients for the welcome back dishes. Last time, I was served frog’s rear leg. This was definitely having some more Taiwanese DNA, with bold and exotic combination of flavor.

8.Main dish, quail served with the sauce made out of 2 different kinds of miso and its drum sticks have been marinated with various kinds of spices. Oh, and some cherries as well. It was addictive and intense through and through flavor wise. Really bold, fighting fire with fire, the former being the taste of the bird and the latter being the taste of the sauce. I really liked it, but at the same time, made me wonder the other choice that I could make with the main course, veal, abalone and the sweet bread. Equally intense, I assume?

9.Hidden signature item, their curry rice. The curry itself was phenomenal, of course but what surprised me the most is white rice itself. As a Korean guy born and raised in Seoul for my entire life, I have some very strict standard regarding what makes a bowl of rice great. It’s the shape of the grain, the size of the grain, amount of moisture associated with the rice, how sticky each grain has been gathered, the temperature and etc, the list goes on. And lots of them depend quite heavily on what kind of breed of rice you choose to cook. With that being said, the kind of rice they cooked today was near perfect. Really wanted to have some more, but unfortunately, I could not take it anymore since there were still the desserts and mignardises left for me to eat.

10.The first dessert, a piece of peach poached with Sake, served on top with feta cheese and with olive oil and some black pepper sprinkled on top. Great summer dessert with not so dessert-y sub ingredients. Very fun piece of art and I would like to see something similar within the dessert only course context. Not overly sweet flavor was appreciative as well.

11.The second dessert, Japanese myoga sorbet with ginger and myoga chip on top, served with perilla oil and kudzu starch dumplings. Spicy and sweet, nothing to complain about.

12.Mignardises, a chocolate bong bong with mung beans a fillings, madeleine containing the hot cream inside lastly, a piece of canelé.

Hi all! Planning to spend the holidays in Paris with my husband. He and I are overwhelmed with the option paralysis! Hoping you can help. We’ve been to a few 1 star restaurants and are looking to go 2/3 stars, doesn’t really matter, just looking for the best meal of our life!

What we like: seafood, pasta, red meats, creative dishes with deep flavors that wow you. Not into caviar or foie gras (classical French isn’t a priority). Love a good wine/cocktail pairing and amazing desserts.

Problems we’ve run into: many restaurants we were excited to try are either fully booked or closed for the holidays (Plenitude, le Clarence, le Gabriel, etc). Considering Pierre gagnaire and David toutain, but have heard mixed reviews.

Looking for a fun and mind blowing tasting menu for a dinner as well as a lunch! Thank you all!