十勝豚丼 (Tokachi Butadon), Sports Depot, Sapporo, Hokkaido

This restaurant's branch in JR station has been ranked as the no. 1 in various food forums.  The Forums killed that place.  In my last visit, it wasn't as good as before due to the super speedy grilling and serving.  So I walked about 20 minutes to the north east of JR station to try this branch.  The fond memory came back.  The place wasn't that empty as shown in the below photos.  I just took the time after the guests left.  I'm getting curious to go check out its origin place Tokachi.  

Fruit tomato salad, by The Grill Tokyo, BKK

There are some items on the menu which may not sound interesting, such as this one Tomato salad.  As when I thought again why they put a "fruit tomato" and specified it, that aroused my curiosity to order it.  The tomato was indeed very rich in tomato flavour like a fruit.  Well deserving it's named "fruit tomato".  

Astoux & Brun, Cannes, Southern France

At first I was disappointed for a few seconds to see the restaurant was closed and looked like there's a renovation, but relieved got escorted by their staff to their new place - only 50 feet from the old shop.

Also glad to see all those old waiters/waitresses still there in the new shop.  The menu is the same and the price too.  This time we had half dozen oyster from a farm in the north west of France (the most expensive one at Euros 24 for 6) (on the left of the last photo) and half from local (Euros 12 for 6).  Turns out I prefer the local ones as it's sweeter though the more expensive ones are a bit bouncy and more salty.  Not to be missed is their fish soup.  This time we had a very nice scallop risotto (Euros22) and a side ratatouille (Euros 6).  The scallops are very big and fresh.  Well worth it.  The prices are net (covering the service/tax).  This meal can cost over Euros 200 if we have the same quality level, but this time the bill is 90.

Nadaman restaurant, Nagoya

There are some shops that I would very much like to go visit their place of origin.  This restaurant is an example.   The first half of the whole Kaiseki meal was awesome and even a bit better than the one of Sapporo's branch.  The latter half was still good but just the dining ambience was spoiled by a group of business travellers with locals.  So we had to rush to finish the meal.  Even the waitress was kind enough to offer us more rice and soup, we were reluctant to turn it down.  

A hearty lunch at Marumi cafe, Sapporo, Hokkaido

Happy that I could come here again for a cup of coffee.  The shop's ambience and the friendly services are impressive.  This time I discovered a very nice lunch set with a big sandwich.  Lots of veggie inside!  This could be the most healthy, delicious and yet at a bargain price at just JPY1,000 including a large cup of coffee.  This time I chose one from Guatemala.  So hearty and filling for the day!

銀鱗水產, Sapporo, Hokkaido

This restaurant has never disappointed me.  During this trip, I have visited here twice for lunch and dinner.  Their sashimi don is really good.  Just look at the prawn's eyes.  You can tell how fresh it is.  In the dinner time, I tried their sushi set with grilled and deep fried side dishes.  Just one word - impressive!

L'affaire du gouts (the affair of taste), by Chef Dean and Jacques, Annecy, SE France

Have been thinking about how to begin to tell about this place.   A complex of feelings about meeting a friend I haven't seen for decades.  The young and the restless are those old days.  Came to France and fell in love with this country.  Settled down in Paris but Paris was not the Paris of today.  Just like any person who strived for their hard days away from their home town, he forwent all the past glamour and simply took on his solitary journey.  The cold hard days didn't leave any scar on him but just turned him to another new leaf of life - a Chef.  As when Paris was not Paris several years ago, Chef Dean decided to leave and there he came to this tranquil town - Annecy in SE France on the border with Geneva.  Found this old building in Annecy (of more than 400 years old).  The restaurant as named L'affaire du gouts - the affair of taste.

1-6: inside the restaurant.  7-9: Smoked salmon/goie gras Pate/deep fried cheese balls - Chef highly recommended these starters.  The smoked salmons is very aromatic and smooth.  The foie gras pate is mixed with some wine and herb - I'd say it's the best pate I have ever had (I joked with him that I seldom say this kind of word but I have to say it for this time.  The deep fried cheese is very special - crispy outside but warm melty blast of cheese flavour made it so much different.  10-13: we chose the duck breast, risotto with scallop and beef filet.  The duck breast was marinated with some Chinese five spice, making the duck meat very aromatic.  I was amazed with the Thai-styled sticky rice presentation but this one is in an enhanced version - mix of sticky rice and jasmine rice.  It reminded me of how my aunt taught me to mix rice!  I was touched with this simple mixed rice, and thanks so much to Chef Dean for bringing this memory back.  The risotto was very nice with some zesty lemon flavour, making the dish not so stuffy and the scallop were pan-fried perfectly with the meat very tender and juicy inside with brown aromatic on the outside.  My choice for beef filet brought back the childhood memory.  Chef Dean put more black pepper with a strong cognac in it.  It just made my appetite.  Chef Dean came to talk about his philosophy of cooking - simply about the flavour of the food to mix.  He once considered how to make the food presentation as an art, but gave it up since it's just a photo frame.

On the dessert, Chef Dean recommended us to try the fondant chocolate, nougart and my favourite rhubarb tart.  I was so impressed with his rhubarb tart as he left the original rhubarb flavour (the woody sour so unique from rhubarb).  My friends said "wow" on the nougart.  I tried quite several times in Cannes and Nice for the nougart but those were too sweet.  This one is simply a nice mix of egg white, caramel and some crushed nuts.  The fondant chocolate is also very nice too.  All the dishes from starters to dessert were all "cleaned up"!

This story told that no matter where we are, if we could start from zero, be humble, be initiative and be learning, we could make our living out of any hardest days.  It also told one simple truth - no pain, no gain.  This reflection also reminded me of how I learned to type, to write and to learn and to grow......

I am also very happy to a group of these 3 old buddies getting together again and coming back to this tranquil town.  Life is so interesting that I could also come to see this beautiful town - Annecy.  To be continued....