さむそいぽ
It seems that Instagram is being used more and more to find delicious restaurants. I found a wonderful restaurant on Instagram. I occasionally looked at my favorite restaurant's Instagram and noticed that chefs from other restaurants had visited this place, or vice versa. The chef was praised as amazing, so I checked their official Instagram and saw beautifully presented dishes. I was convinced that it must be delicious. However, even though it had been open for over a year, it was not listed on Tabelog, so there was little information available. I managed to find the phone number by going back on their official Instagram until March 20, 2018, and made a reservation. They warmly welcomed me, even though they rarely have solo customers. The restaurant is located in Yame City, known for its agricultural products like strawberries and tea. The area surprised me with its abundance of residential areas and traffic, instead of tea fields as I had imagined. It's not easy to visit by public transportation since the railway has been discontinued, but it's not impossible. It took me about 1 hour by bus from Nishitetsu Kurume Station, and then a 15-minute walk to the restaurant. The dinner courses were priced at 4,200 yen, 5,600 yen, and 7,000 yen, while lunch was 2,800 yen and 4,000 yen. I opted for the 7,000 yen course, and with a half bottle of champagne and other drinks, the total bill came to around 13,000 yen. The course included dishes like abalone with mushrooms, snow crab with apples, turnips, and celery, foie gras with corn, and more. The presentation with edible flowers was beautiful, and the overall impression was a mix of refinement and roughness. The chef is self-taught, which may explain the rough edges, but it also shows potential for growth. The cooking techniques seemed traditional yet there's room for improvement with more experimentation. The restaurant only accommodates up to 4 groups, and the interior is lovely with the chef's artwork on the walls. I also tried the bread from "Olivier Rain" and coffee from "RAIL COFFEE ROASTERS" downstairs, both of which were delicious. I would recommend visiting these places as well. I live in Tokyo, so it's not easy for me to come back, but I would love to visit again if I have the chance.