le plaisir

Even though the typhoon was forecast to pass by our area, yesterday, my host-mom, my host-brother's wife and I met up for lunch, to celebrate my host-brother's wife's birthday.

The skies were grey and gloomy and it was super super humid.

Lunch was at a French restaurant that my host-brother's wife had wanted to try...Le Plaisir.

Located in a tiny building the restaurant is tiny too.

In fact, you need to make reservations to dine there.

We were the only customers the whole time...nice!

Lunch started off with a glass of champagne mixed with raspberry liquer...

(When we ordered this, the chef asked "are you sure? it is a rather strong drink. I've had several people pass out after drinking it...whoa?!) It was delicious!

Next came a sauteed scallop salad on mesclun greens.

The scallops were cooked perfectly and well seasoned. The vinaigrette wasn't overpowering.

The daily fish was a tai (sea bream) that was prepared poêlé style which means "pan fried" this was served with a nice light butter sauce.

The fish was also prepared excellently with a nice crisp skin.

Next came the meat dish...Beef entrecôte aiguillette (thinly sliced beef) with a red wine sauce.

So tender and the sauce was rich.

Perfect with homemade baguette.

Dessert is pictured above. A crêpe filled with homemade vanilla ice cream and topped with caramel and mandarin oranges.

Coffee or tea was also served, we all chose coffee.

Not many photos, but it was a nice leisurely lunch and the food delicious!

I'm happy they invited me to tag along. Happy Birthday, K!

Le Plaisir
2-10-22 Nakayamate-dori
Kobe, Hyogo
Phone: 078.251.0220
Closed Sundays, Reservations only
Lunch 12:00-14:00, Dinner 17:00-22:00

things I'm liking

Random things I'm liking...

This bowl for sauce/dressing.

My Twitter friend H sent this to me recently.

It is made by a potter named Shimizu Kumiko, who is with the Maruhachigama in Tamba.

This type of pottery is called Tachikuiyaki. I like the pretty blue glaze. (Thank you!)

Corn Kim chee Fritters.

Fresh corn, some kim chee, edamame, red bell pepper & some onion added to the fritter batter. So easy and so good (with beer)!

Recipe here

Daruma maguro, which is apparently the young version of Mebachi maguro.

This piece was super tender. Slicing it for poke (po-kay) was like slicing butter!

This came from Chiba, it was 189 grams for 752 yen. Not bad for local. I'm not sure if it was caught in Chiba or farmed.

Super fresh!

Andes salt and pepper Doritos...

look how "black" these chips are!

Not sure as to how they got them this black but they are really peppery!

White Belg by Sapporo.

Super fruity with orange peel and coriander.

Mint candies. I know some people hate this combo, but I love chocolate paired with mint.

Summer is pretty much the only time you see this flavor combo here...

Haagen-Dazs' Green Tea & Chocolate ice cream sandwich.

Chocolate wafer with green tea ice cream and a surprise piece of chocolate in the middle...crispy, yum!

Charles VII Biscuits filled with dark chocolate by Maison Fossier.

The biscuits reminded me of Hawaii's creme cracker and are slathered with dark chocolate...nice!

The coconut cookie from City Bakery.

Super chewy with lots of coconut in it...love!

What are you enjoying these days?

w bolero

Last month, I met up with Twitter friend H.

Lunch was in Honmachi and afterwards we walked around Utsubo Park. Amazingly the roses were still in bloom.

We then had some dessert at W. Bolero.

They have a very small eating area, and we were lucky to grab a table.

I ordered the Citronnier (biscuit, chocolate ganache, lemon buttercream, almond sponge & dacquoise).

I liked the tartness from the lemon buttercream and the rich chocolate ganache.

Another nice thing was that the iced coffee I ordered also had coffee "ice cubes" in it, so the coffee wouldn't dilute when the ice melted.

It was nice meeting up with H. I hope she also had a nice time.

They also sell baked items like cookies which I wouldn't mind checking out, I'll be back.

W Bolero (UPDATE: 2026 out of business)
4-7-4 Kawaramachi
Chuo, Osaka
Phone: 06.6228.5336
Closed Saturdays
Hours: 10:00-20:00

so

So remember these guys?

Well, I think they started turning into moths(like the picture above).

Sorry the photo is blurry, I was trying to take it without scaring the moth away.

I am pretty sure the moth came from one of those caterpillars because when I opened the screen door to go out onto the lanai, there were a couple more of them...

p.s. massive typhoon (Neoguri) approaching Okinawa, hope everyone in its path will be okay.

whoo

Finally, Greek yogurt in the markets...

Now, if they would only make bigger containers...have a nice week!

le bois

Friday I had several errands to run, including an appointment with my dentist.

Lunch was at Le Bois.

A cute cafe. I liked how the windows let in lots of light.

Things started off with some cake salé. This had some ham, green olives as well as some hazelnuts in it.

I ordered the metzgerei kusuda's bacon salad lyonnaise...1300 yen.

Metzgerei means butcher in German. There is a deli in Ashiya called Metzgerei Kusuda. I wouldn't mind checking this place out sometime.

Topping the salad, two generous slices of bacon. Fried up...not crispy but still delicious! (Doesn't my photo look like someone smiling?!)

Also with the salad came a cold pumpkin potage, some pickled veggies (cauliflower, myoga (Japanese ginger), onion & red bell pepper), a cold potato salad (I think this was the Lyonnaise part of the dish) and a soft cooked egg.

There was also a generous piece of warm baguette.

It was nice tearing off pieces and dipping them into the potage and into the soft cooked egg.

Ending the meal was a nice taste of their chocolate & ginger cake with some iced coffee.

Super full, I wished they had told me I could take home any leftover baguette earlier, so I didn't try to finish it all off.

I wouldn't mind bringing Satoshi here, I'll be back.

Le Bois
1-5-22 Koraibashi 2F
Chuo, Osaka
Phone: 06.4706.2200
Closed Mondays, Hours: 11:00-23:00

tsurutontan top chefs

It had been awhile since we ate at Tsurutontan, so we recently had lunch there.

Satoshi went with their Mochibuta Curry Udon. Mochibuta is a brand name of pork that is supposed to be of high quality.

He enjoyed this...doesn't it look like a pool filled with curry?

What amazes me is that he never fails to order a hot dish on a hot day, perspiring all the while eating.

Me, I always go for the chilled or cold items.

Like this 30-item salad udon.

Sesame dressing and a little dollop of kochujang (I think). Tons of veggies.

I'm glad this place is still around...we'll be back.