久しぶりにランチを食べてきました : Musai An Ikeda

I finally got to enjoy lunch after a long time!

I finally had lunch after a long time!

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GW Lunch.

Located in Nakakaruizawa, Nagano Prefecture, along the street where Elmitage de Tamura is situated.

The restaurant features table and counter seating. With high ceilings and large windows, it has a stylish ambiance, surrounded by greenery, allowing us to enjoy our meal while observing nature. We even spotted some Japanese tits.

"Musai An" was formerly a sister restaurant of Elmitage de Tamura, which opened in 2004. The chef who worked there for seven years established "Musai An Ikeda" in April 2011 at the same location.

This restaurant specializes in authentic French cuisine centered on seasonal organic vegetables.

Elmitage de Tamura was delicious and impressive, but the eight dishes took over two hours, so we opted for this restaurant instead.

For lunch, there are courses priced at JPY 3,150 and JPY 5,250. We chose the JPY 5,250 course.

● Sake Kasu Blancmange with Shinshu Salmon and Yam Wasa-zuke
It was delicious! The sake kasu, salmon, and yam all harmonized beautifully, creating a wonderful balance. Even though these ingredients seemed like they wouldn't match, it was refreshing in my mouth.

● Foie Gras and Mango Terrine from the Landes region with White Balsamic and Vanilla Flavor
The foie gras was rich! The sweetness of the mango blended perfectly. It was delightful.

● Bamboo Shoot and Foie Gras Chawanmushi with Consommé Soup
The foie gras was rich as expected, but the refreshing and warm consommé soup made it delicious.

● Duck Breast from Marais and Lobster Fals with Lobster Bisque and Red Wine Sauce
The duck breast was so tender, almost like raw meat. We were informed that it was vacuum-sealed and cooked, but despite being thoroughly cooked, it was incredibly soft like raw meat. Eating it along with the lobster provided a nice contrast in texture, which surprisingly complemented each other. There were two types of sauce, both tasty, but the lobster bisque was particularly rich and delicious.

● Water Chocolate with Fuki Bud of Flavor and White Miso Glass
The chocolate cake was average. However, the white miso glass was distinctly miso-flavored! Despite being a miso flavor, it managed to be a proper dessert. It was sweet and delightful.

I received a sip of ginger ale from my sister, which had a cloudy cream color. Initially, I thought it was peach mixed with ginger ale, but it turned out to be truly ginger-flavored. It had a nice ginger taste and was quite enjoyable.

The delicate French cuisine had a robust vegetable flavor while being completely unobtrusive.

Perhaps due to GW or the reasonable prices for Karuizawa French, out of the six groups of customers, three were families with children, all under elementary school age. While some were well-behaved, it felt somewhat like a family restaurant atmosphere. It was disappointing, but it wasn't the restaurant's fault.

Overall, I had a very satisfying lunch.