There are quite a few players in the bar-to-chocolate business in Tokyo (see my review of Green Bean to Bar Chocolate). Minimal is one of these with a well-established presence and multiple locations across town. In 2019 they opened a bakery cum chocolate cafe called Minimal The Baking that attracted my attention since they were offering pairings between chocolate and tea (and also sake, which is offered also at Green Bean to Bar Chocolate, however the option of tea was particularly attractive since I do not drink alcohol).
The visit
Their store is located just 50 meters from the South Exit 2 of Yoyogi-Uehara Station.
It is a small place.
With very minimal decor and furniture. Just space for a couple of parties. Luckily when I arrived all the seats were available.
They have a very focused range of chocolate cakes.
For my pairing I had tea and two baked chocolate bars with different types of cacao (normally would be one, I doubled down). One bar was from Ghana beans and some others (they call it “High Cacao”) and another was from Colombia bean and was more fruity.
Overall I was a bit disappointed. The chocolate products were too dry in my opinion (I like more creamy creations) and I am not sure the pairing thing added anything to the experience.
The check
Tje pairing cost 1210 yen, plus other 660 yen for the additional piece of chocolate (around 17 USD in total).
The Consul’s Garden is a tea house located in the same property that hosts the fancy French restaurant Le Coq D’Or in Chiang Mai. The name is a reference to the former owner of the place, a early 20th century British Consul. This was his private house (not to be confused with the Consulate now part of the Anantara Restort). This gentleman married a local woman and became a Chiang Mai’s resident. Copies of his memoir, aptly called Consul in Paradise, are available for purchase.
The visit
Upon arrival there is a carpeted path leading to the tea house.
The garden is vast and well maintained.
The tea house offers seating both indoor and outdoor. The outdoor area faces the river.
I had their mini-croissants with ham and salmon. A good snack.
And I had an iced peach tea.
The menu also includes more substantial dishes for a full lunch. They have an afternoon tea set available on weekends.
The check
I spent 440 THB (13.5 USD) for the two dishes that by Chiang Mai standards is expensive. It is the admission ticket to enjoy the garden and its views. Partially because of the price and partially because of the relative distance from the Old City, it remains a reasonably quiet place.
Where in Chiang Mai: 11 Kohklang Rd, Tambon Nonghoi, Amphur Muang.
Oxygen Dining Room is one of the restaurants of X2 urban resort in Chiang Mai. It offers French and Thai cuisine, with some fusion dishes.
The visit
The resort clearly stands out from the surrounding buildings with its red bricks.
The path to the restaurant id dotted by photo opportunities.
The restaurant is housed in a glasshouse facing the Ping river. Some tables outside are also available.
I had their set lunch menu deal that began with a set of amuse bouche.
Bread was complimentary and came with three types of flavored butter.
The first dish was two sticks of deep-fried minced pork.
The main was a massive piece of chicken breast beautifully grilled.
Finally, the dessert was a sorbet with a banana jelly.
The lunch ended with the classic petit four in the form of trio of matcha flavored sweets.
The check
The set lunch was 990 THB excluding tax and service charge. Add a soda and the final check was 1.271 THB (38.5 USD). This is an expensive restaurant. Dinner lunch sets go for around 100 USD. The lunch menu however was a reasonable value all considered.
If money is no object, this is an interesting restaurant for some refined dishes.
Where in Chiang Mai: 369/1 Charoenraj Road, Wat Ket, Mueang Chiang Mai.
Chiang Mai has a love affair with chocolate. One of its manifestation is a charming cafe called Khom Chocolate House.
The visit
The cafe occupies a small house in a quiet street of the Old Town (North Western quadrant). Half of the space is the baking space and half is customer space. Everything is well organized.
Water and wifi are available for customers free of charge.
And a few gift sets are for sale.
But their specialty is fresh drinks and baked products. I had their triple shot with cold chocolate from dark, milk, and white bars. It was very nice to go through the variation of the three shots.
But they have also creative beverages like the chocolate “Margarita” shown above made out of French dark chocolate.
I also tried the Thai cold chocolate that had a fruity background.
Their chocolate mousse cake was excellent (from Belgian chocolate).
Finally I tried their home made bonbons. The orange chocolate and the “sweetheart” (the one heart-shaped in the picture) with a hint of liquor were my favorite.
Everything in the shop is made by the owner, Ms Khom.
The check
During my first visit I had two drinks and they cost me 210 THB (6.75 USD). Very reasonable.
A chocolate drink and the cake cost me 224 THB (7.20 USD).
The bonbons cost 35 THB each (1.15 USD).
I liked everything about this experience. The drinks were cleverly designed, the cakes and the bonbons were exquisite, and the environment was very warm. It deserves a mention in my list of my favorite chocolate cafes in Asia.
Where in Chiang Mai: 4/2 Singharat rd. soi 3. See the Facebook page.
First of all, I would like to acknowledge that I was first made aware of this little gem by watching a video about the area posted by Paolo from Tokyo, a very reliable youtuber from Tokyo who knows what he is talking about. Check out his videos.
The visit
I slowly arrived at the shop from Daikanyama Site Station, but you can as easily reach the place walking from Naka-Meguro Station (actually the latter is recommended because technically Daikanyama is not a metro stop, which makes thing more complicated, and the walk along the canal from Naka-Meguro Station is certainly more pleasant).
The storefront facing the street bordering the canal is in a nice light blue.
Inside they have many chocolate products for sale. “Green bean to bar” means an artisan production from the beans to the finished product. They seem to handpick quality beans from various locations and mold them in delicious chocolate bars and more.
I was particularly interested in their fresh pastry creations that were nicely displayed at the counter. The desserts were clearly inspired by French classics, but with a twist. The shop is directed by Chloé Doutre-Roussel, a Parisian chocolate connoisseur.
This place is not only a shop, but also a cafe.
I ended up ordering their special eclair (“special” because I have never seen it in this nice shape), a chocolate pudding, and, an iced tea.
The two chocolate desserts were just perfect, with the right balance between sweetness and bitterness (at least for my taste).
The check
I spent 1,485 yen (13.5 USD): a very honest check for thirty minutes of bliss in this place.
In my opinion, Green Bean to Bar Chocolate is one of the great chocolaterie you can find in Asia.
French restaurants can be very fun in Japan, when the chef is Japanese and is not afraid to push the envelope (see my experience with Goh). Nabeno-Ism, headed by Robuchon’s alumnus Yuichiro Watanabe, is certainly a perfect example of this trend. Yuchiro opened the restaurant in 2016, after 21 years of work in the Robuchon group. During this time, he came to become the head of the main Robuchon’s restaurant in Tokyo and he maintained three Michelin stars status for 9 consecutive years. His new restaurant was immediately awarded one star that became two in the 2019 and 2020 editions of the Tokyo Michelin Guide. The symbol of the restaurant that looks like three stars is taken from Yuchiro’s family crest (the three stars being three dumplings to be offered to the gods). The name encapsulates various elements, including a reference to Osaka Abeno cooking school, where his journey as a chef bagan.
The visit
The restaurant is located in an area South of Asakusa, on the bank of the Sumida river.
From the rooftop you can get a great view of the Sky-Tree.
I and two friends had lunch on a Sunday in October 2019 and we had the Komagata menu with a fixed course and the choice of fish, pork, or beef as a main.
The amuse bouche was actually a spectacular composition of appetizers: chilled tomato soup, with orange juice, maple syrup, and lemongrass foam (center); a Japanese rice cracker with French butter, an anchovy, a caper, and spices (bottom-right); beetroot tartare and cream cheese in a Japanese-wafer known as monaka (center right); a marinated green olive and dried plum wrapped with sliced sliced dry sausage and pickled cucumber (upper right). Difficult to describe all these unique flavors. Too bad they were small bites.
As expected for a French table, there was a bread basket. The bread, freshly baked, was the only element of the meal that was pretty ordinary.
The second dish was a buckwheat mash, with kombu jelly, sea urchin, grated wasabi, green onion sprout, and a golden leaf on top. On the spoon there was a bit of Vodka cream to be used to mix the mash).
The next dish was pigeon. I am not a fan of pigeon even if I know it is an important component of French cuisine. However, the meat was so perfectly cooked that I overcame my recalcitrance and I enjoyed the dish. There was a combination of pigeon breast cooked sous-vide and a sort of pate. The dish was completed by deep-fried eggplant, ginger jelly, quinoa, and two kind of grapes.
Next was a salmon confit on a toasted brioche, topped by salmon roe (ikura), rice, and a house-made paste made with boiled eggs and spinach. Three sauces were “splatted” on the plate: Sorrel paste, fresh cheese with fish sauce, and lemon. I guess a dish to mark the time of the week, the Sunday lunch.
My main was a delicious scorpion fish (difficult to know the exact species). The fish was deep-fried (but still very soft) and came with broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. The sauce was made with sherry vinegar, heavy cream, and a hint of soy sauce.
The first dessert was a marinated persimmon ball, lime jelly, and Juniper berries ice cream.
The second dessert was a composition of pasted chestnuts wrapped in cracked meringue with ginger and cassia sauces, plus a scoop of Laurier ice cream
Tea and petit four concluded the meal.
In describing his philosophy on the restaurant’s website, Youchiro refers Shizuo Tsuji, the dean of Japanese high-cuisine, that advocated a French style expressed with Japanese sensibilities, unique, and fun. The meal I had certainly lived up to his reputation, was one of my best meals of the year and I appreciated the boundless creativity and the unexpected combinations, not to mention the artful plating. It was French cuisine with Japanese sensibilities.
The check
I do not have a picture of the check, but this menu, available for lunch, costs 10,500 yen (96 USD). Menus for dinner are, of course, more expensive. Both for dinner and lunch also shorter courses are available, but I would recommend the full experience. Considering the quality and creativity of the course, I think the price point is incredibly generous. A place to visit again and again, with the menu changing frequently depending on the season and availability of ingredients.
Where in Tokyo: 2-1-17 Komagata. In Japanese: 東京都台東区駒形2-1-17. Website: www.nabeno-ism.tokyo.
Lured by its inclusion in the list of Asia’s 50 best restaurants (2019), during my September 2019 trip to Hong Kong I made a reservation at Neighborhood, a bistro hidden in Soho. It is listed on some websites as a “French” restaurant, but the chef-owner, David Lai, plays also with Italian and Spanish recipes and ingredients.
The visit
I established contact with the restaurant on their Facebook page, then they asked for my mobile and we exchanged a couple of text messages to pinpoint a reservation. I was warned that I would get a bar chair, that was fine since I was alone.
The restaurant has an unassuming front in an alley.
The restaurant technically is located on Hollywood road, but you won’t find it there… rather you have to look for the nearby Man Hing Lane (shown above).
I was initially seated at the bar as expected. After 10 minutes one of my leg was numb… it was really an uncomfortable chair and luckily after some begging I was moved to a normal table.
I already knew that the menu changes frequently. I was a bit disappointed that the menu I was handed was remarkably shorter than others I saw online. The most interesting dish would have required a pre-order. Yet, there were some attracting dishes and the ingredients seemed to be handpicked.
My first order was an appetizer, Spanish salami that came with a fantastic ciabatta bread (apparently they buy the bread from a nearby award-winning French restaurant, Belon).
My first dish was a delicious beef tartar with salmon roe. The addition of salty fish eggs gave a nice touch to the overall flavor.
Meantime I was offered a complimentary dish: some grilled bell-peppers. Very nice.
My last dish was handmade garganelli (a type of pasta) with an interesting combination of spicy scallop skirts and beef tripe. It was quite spicy (I would say Korean style), but very good.
With the check, I was offered a complimentary French pastry.
The check
The final check was 610 HKD (78 USD) for three courses. Not outrageous and the food in the end was good. This was a luxury casual restaurant. If I was living in Soho and I was a millionaire, I would make it my kitchen. At the same time I feel I missed something since I could have planned my dinner in a more effective way if I had seen the menu beforehand. If you go, ask them to send you the menu, when available.
Where in Hong Kong: G/F, 61-63 Hollywood Road, Soho, Central. (But look for Man Hing Lane.)
Gokan is one of the most famous pastry shops in Osaka (see review). Recentlt, they spun-off a new business, Cacaotier Gokan, specializing in chocolate desserts and cakes. I tried it in my summer 2019 trip to Osaka.
The visit
I noticed the new shop by accident, just passing by.
Downstairs they have a boutique selling various types of chocolate.
Upstairs they have a tea room where you can sit down and enjoy cakes and drinks. As in their main shop, the waitress presented me with a tray with samples of the desserts available.
I had one of their mousse and a hot chocolate (served at the right temperature). Very nice.
Before leaving I noticed one of their original creations: tea with cacao flavor. Sadly I did not have space in my baggage for the purchase.
The check
The hot chocolate and the cake cost me 1,350 yen (12.50 USD). Not cheap, but clearly they want to position themselves as luxury chocolate.
Where in Osaka: 2 Chome-6-9 Koraibashi, Chuo Ward. In Japanese: 大阪府大阪市中央区高麗橋2丁目6-9. Website: cacaotier-gokan.co.jp (in Japanese).
Gokan is probably the most famous French-style pastry shop in Osaka. They call themselves “Patisserie du Samourai” (the Samurai’s pastry shop). Their store in Kitahama also operates a tea house upstairs where it is possible to enjoy their creations in an elegant environment. The neighborhood also hosts a number of traditional Japanese sweet shops, but Gokan stands out with its ability to blend Western techniques with Japanese ingredients. Not far away, they also have a chocolaterie now called Cacaotier Gokan.
The visit
I went to Gokan an afternoon (summer 2019) for a dessert. The store that I visited in Kitahama was opened in 2005. I had to sign my name on a list waiting for a seat to free for me. It did not take long.
Meantime I had a look around their shop on the ground floor.
Their signature cake is a creamy roll with some red beans.
They have many cakes that are unique to their shop, like a green tea roll.
They also have some dishes for breakfast or lunch.
However I was interested in their cakes. So the waitress brought in a tray with samples of their dessert. It was an amazing view.
I ended up having their signature roll and a sweet soup with red beans. It looked like a nice East meat West platter that I fully enjoyed. Even if I was not that impressed by the roll.
The check
For the two sweets and a drink I spent 1,479 yen (13.65 USD).
I think Gokan is a great place where to have a serious dessert while in Osaka.
Where in Osaka: 2-1-1 Imabashi, Chuo-ku | Arai Bldg. In Japanese: 大阪市中央区今橋2-1-1 新井ビル. Website: www.patisserie-gokan.co.jp (in Japanese). They also operate a store in Hankyu Department Store in Umeda and in Takashimaya in Namba, but the Kitahama store is the place to visit. Here you can read the review of their chocolate shop.
La Maison de la Nature Goh is a restaurant in Fukuoka included in the list of Asia’s 50 Best restaurants and awarded one star in the 2019 Michelin Guide to Fukuoka, Nagasaki, and Saga. Goh is the name of the chef. As I will show, defining it a French restaurant, as some guides do, is reductive. Goh created his own cuisine blending French techniques with Japanese style and making use of the best ingredients sourced around Kyushu.
The visit
I contacted the restaurant by email during my summer 2019 trip to Japan. They always answered quickly and politely. Initially it was a no-go, since the restaurant, unsurprisingly, was fully booked. However while I was in Fukuoka I checked if there was any last-minute cancellation and they were able to accommodate me in the end. I am so glad I kept insisting because the pay-off was one the best meals of the year.
The restaurant is located in a neighborhood full of eateries and clubs. It has been operating for the past 17 years, even before the area became popular. The magic door is at the end of an alley. There are just 6 counter seats and 2 tables (each seating 6 people). If you sit at the counter, like I did, some of the cooking takes place in front of you. Goh was in the kitchen, but he was working on the other side of the counter. My cover was taken care by one of the chefs, Andy, and by Ana. They were wonderful in explaining the dishes and speaking in English with me. Service was uncompromisingly good.
There was no menu. It was an omakase course that the chef changes and tweaks frequently.
The opening dish was eel with kobayashi, balsamic vinegar, beef stock sauce, and wine on a piece of cucumber soaked in dashi. On the side there was a green gazpacho made with tomato and cucumber, some chili inside. The composition was inspired by a Japanese dish called uzako, with vinegar eel and cucumber. As this first dish shows, Goh’s cuisine defies labeling. Dishes like these are like small works of art, a sculpture or a painting.
The second dish was even more mind-blowing. It was a platter (it could have been a painting!) with four snacks: Top right: a monaka topped with a iburigakko pickle from Akita, filled with foi gras, and sprinkled with cooked soy beans Bottom right: quiche with bacon from Kumamoto. Top left: shungiku (crown daisy) on a secret white paste. Bottom left: hirame sashimi wrapped in crispy green tea leaves looking like seaweed.
At this point I received some warm ciabatta bread.
The third dish was a colorful cold soup with grilled eggplant, jelly-like beef stock broth, topped by uni, shiso flower, water-shield.
Next was a risotto with spinach and abalone liver, pieces of abalone and Japanese mushrooms (visually they look very similar!), brown butter and mushroom sauce. Eaten mixed together. I was told that this was one of Goh’s signature dishes.
Next was a piece of lobster with chicken sauce, sprinkled with five spices powder and Chinese spinach. An unusual and interesting flavor for this dish.
The big-ticket item of the course menu was wagyu from Kagoshima (very prized!) cooked at low temperature, with vinegar sauce from Yame, onion cooked for 2 hours from Saga, celery puree. Indeed excellent.
The next two dishes were desserts. The first was a homemade yogurt with milk from Hanno enclosing shiso paste and a dill flower on top, plus a Wagayama plum.
Then the dish was completed adding ice bits sprinkled with Yamazaki whiskey.
Finally, from the picture above you can see the green shiso paste hidden by the yogurt.
At this point I was offered a glass of cold green tea from Yame. What was remarkable was that I could smell the aroma of the tea, even if it was a cold brew. Yame green tea is particularly sought-after in Japan. During the dinner I just had still water.
The last dessert was caramel ice cream sprinkled with grated soy sauce on a base of miso, with Sumomo peach. All of this on top of a layer of catalana cream, kept separate from the glazed top. It was like a double bottom. Very clever.
At this point I was shown two miniature statues of Goh and his friend Gaggan. It is well-known that the two like to collaborate together and may even start a restaurant together in the not-so-distant future. Now you know where Gaggan gets his onions…
The check
Now, this incredible meal was 7,257 yen (I did not have wine, I believe water was included) or 68 USD. That’s an amazing price for this kind of culinary experience. They also had a higher-priced menu with basically the same dishes, but an additional palate-cleanser and a more expensive cut of beef for around 9,500 yen. I regret I did not choose this menu as they had a chocolate dessert I would have certainly liked, perhaps next time!
In conclusion, this was not just a meal, it was quiet display of culinary art. Every dish was the result of the combination and balancing of so many details and quality ingredients. All the dishes were also delicious and I was fully satisfied by the end of the meal. I also liked the intimate environment and the counter seat.
The Michelin Guide gives Goh one star. Travesty. This is the kind of restaurant that, using the Michelin’s lingo, is well worth a detour if not a special journey.
Where in Fukuoka: 2-26 Nishinakasu, Chuo Ward, Website: www.gohfukuoka.com.
