La Rochelle, owned by French Iron Chef Chef Sakai, is a quiet place located a bit off the main street from the Omotesando intersection, next to a church, offering a unique and serene atmosphere. We reserved the "Anniversary Pair Dinner" for my wife's birthday, which is a seasonal limited menu priced at 12,600 yen per person, but available for 21,000 yen for two people. The course included an amuse-bouche, two appetizers, a fish dish, a meat dish, a palate cleanser, dessert, coffee, sweets, and chamomile tea. The first amuse-bouche featured a crab dish in a cocktail glass, paired with Veuve Clicquot Rosé champagne, which was refreshing and complemented the crab well. The second amuse-bouche consisted of three dishes, including a rich squid-based dish. The first appetizer showcased salmon with asparagus and small onions, paired with Chardonnay. The second appetizer featured scallops stuffed with mugwort and wrapped in cabbage, served with a flavorful sauce. The fish dish was a flavorful grilled tilefish with a tarragon-flavored breadcrumb crust. The main course options were beef sirloin steak and rabbit, both rich and satisfying, paired with a Saint-Émilion red wine. The dessert palate cleanser featured a citrus and soy milk combination, followed by a four-part banana dessert. The meal ended with chamomile tea and a surprise tart for our anniversary. The staff's hospitality was exceptional, making our dining experience even more enjoyable. Overall, La Rochelle is a highly recommended French restaurant.

I had the best time at the best restaurant. Despite being significantly late for my reservation, I was welcomed warmly and I am very grateful for that. The food was amazing, as expected, but what really stood out was the atmosphere and the clientele. Nowadays, places like Ginza and Roppongi are filled with mismatched couples, but this restaurant had a happy vibe where even couples and families looked content. It was a place where you naturally found yourself smiling.

La Rochelle's Origin Sakai Hiroki Special Menu was luxurious and very delicious. We ordered the dinner course with 8 dishes and double main course for 22,000 yen, along with a pairing of 4 drinks for 6,000 yen. The dinner budget per person was around 35,000 yen. The menu included: Amuse-Bouche: Soft-boiled quail egg with sea urchin and Savoyard sauce Cold Appetizer: Asparagus and caviar charlotte with seafood Warm Appetizer: Grilled abalone and sautéed wild turnip with black vinegar butter sauce and lime emulsion Main Course - Fish: Sautéed langoustine and zucchini with shellfish broth and bouillabaisse sauce, served with yuzu sherbet Main Course - Meat: Pan-seared black Wagyu beef fillet and foie gras with black truffle sauce in Rossini style Dessert: Blueberry mousse with perilla foam, seasonal fruit flambe with vanilla ice cream Petit Fours: Herbal tea with lemon Overall, the meal was exquisite and the flavors were outstanding.

I visited this restaurant for Sunday night dinner. From 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm, I had a truly satisfying 3 and a half hours with delicious food, wine and sake, and the staff's full of love hospitality. It's clear that this restaurant has been capturing the hearts of customers in this area for a long time. The dishes are made with seasonal ingredients and served with exquisite sauces, never failing to meet expectations.

I visit this restaurant every few years, and each time I can enjoy consistently delicious food with a sense of security. The service is good, and I can relax while dining. It is basically classic French cuisine, but there are also various new ideas to enjoy. On this day, there was a dessert buffet for Golden Week, which was a great deal.

This was my first visit and I was impressed. Located in a back alley of Minami Aoyama, the building is also very beautiful. The dishes, including the appetizers, mains, and desserts, were all beautifully presented, carefully prepared, and wonderful. The wine pairing with 3 courses was also excellent.

It was truly a French dining experience at this restaurant owned by Iron Chef Sakai. This time was a Maker's Party featuring Senkin sake paired with delicious dishes like kabutomushi and sakura. The refreshing and easy-to-drink sake paired well with the dishes. The grilled Ezo abalone and grilled brown rice risotto were delicious! Every dish was tasty, made with carefully selected ingredients. Thank you for the wonderful meal!

This time, I received a lunch coupon, so I didn't have to pay for my lunch. I also got a free non-alcoholic drink. I forgot to take a picture of the bread, but I had two baguettes and a rice flour bread, which filled me up. The olive oil for dipping the bread was Italian lemon-flavored, giving it a refreshing taste. It was a flavored olive oil that had a constant lemon scent and taste without the bitterness of lemon peel or olives.

The appearance of La Rochelle Minami Aoyama makes you feel uplifted even before entering. The dishes were amazing, such as the spring carrot mousse with clams and the fried sardines with bottarga. The duck rillettes and pickles with prosciutto were also delightful. The scrambled egg with caviar served in an eggshell was a surprising treat. The Satsuma shrimp jelly and the Saga wild boar dishes were a fusion of French and Japanese flavors. The velouté with date shellfish and the white cabbage soup were unexpectedly delicious. The Kagoshima deer shoulder and pork belly dishes were cooked to perfection. The dessert of strawberry mousse with chamomile ice cream was a refreshing end to the meal. The dessert cart offered a variety of bite-sized treats that were all delicious. The organic coffee and chamomile tea were a perfect way to end the leisurely meal.

I visited for the 23rd anniversary menu and was warmly welcomed even though it had been a while since my last visit. Chef Kawashima's delicately presented and vibrant dishes, using ingredients from Kagoshima, were satisfying. The dessert trolley was also back in service, allowing me to enjoy until the end. It is a restaurant where you can leave feeling satisfied.

The Iron Chef French Sakai's restaurant, which was the starting point for a significant improvement in the level of French cuisine in Japan, and the role played by Chef Sakai in the Japanese culinary world is very significant. Now, I had the lunch course, and each dish was carefully prepared with no shortcuts, and the satisfaction level was very high. Some restaurants may serve dishes that seem like just filling the plate for courses under 10,000 yen, but that was not the case at all. The service was excellent as well. Additionally, by chance or not, Chef Sakai came to our table to greet us and even took a photo with us.

Winter 2022. Finally made it to La Rochelle. Excitement from the entrance. Nervousness upon entering. Excitement again when seated. This kind of excitement is great, right? Even looking at the menu is exciting. We toasted with champagne to celebrate. The food... all of it was incredibly delicious. Our eyes were delighted. The dishes were cute, the colors were beautiful, and it was delicious...! I want to go again. It was a perfect day! Thank you for the meal!

I went to Mr. Sakai's restaurant, which is located on the same premises as a church. It seems that they are closed when there is a church event, but luckily they were open this time. They opened at 11:30, 30 minutes earlier due to a wedding reception later. The meal was filling from the amuse-bouche to the main course. The intervals between dishes were long, so I ended up spending over 2 and a half hours there, feeling like taking a nap. It was surprising that the Italian water was the same as the one I had at an Italian restaurant in Meguro yesterday. Thank you for the delicious meal!

I visited this restaurant on the Sunday in the middle of a three-day weekend. I made a reservation about 3 days before visiting. Since the business hours are until 8:00 pm due to the state of emergency, it is recommended to visit early. I ordered the limited menu for September this time. The menu consisted of about 8 items including dessert, and although not a lot of dishes, each dish was satisfying. The flavors were not too strong, and customers adjust the taste with the sauce and salt provided on the plate. The main dish and dessert left a strong impression this time. Both the fish and meat in the main dish were cooked thoroughly but still tender, which was very pleasing. The dessert included two types, and the pastry with choux dough was particularly impressive. It had a strong sweetness, but it was not overpowering and did not leave a lingering taste in the mouth. With a mix of Japanese elements and authentic French cuisine, I was satisfied with the price and the calm atmosphere.

I used the lunch course at Chef Sakai's restaurant, which I had been wanting to visit once. The course contents are as follows: ■ Amuse-bouche Summer vegetable brute <corn> <ripe red pepper> <flower shiso> ■ Hors d'oeuvre 1 Aomori prefecture Noheji turnip and Ezo abalone Crystal jelly of water octopus <summer tomato> <white squid> <fennel> ■ Hors d'oeuvre 2 Spice-fried of Tsushima sea eel <terrace brown rice> <edamame> <curry leaf> ■ Fish dish Blessings from the sea from Japan's fishing port in that day's style <Galanga> <Caviar du Aubergine> <Morohay> ■ Meat dish I paid an additional fee to change it Black beef fillet and Perigord foie gras ■ Avant-dessert Fresh grapefruit sorbet <pudding> <ayaka (tomato)> ■ Dessert Pear and grape Paris-Brest <cream cheese> <champagne> <pink pepper> ■ Coffee or tea ■ Tea sweets and herbal tea All the dishes were carefully prepared and very delicious. Especially the beef fillet and foie gras dish was amazing. There were also many types of desserts and I was full. The staff serving us were very friendly and it was a very satisfying time. Thank you for the feast. Thank you very much.

French Iron Chef Sakai himself does not come to the flagship store in Aoyama. They only open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays during this season. The seats are spacious and the taste is good, with decent service. However, the store design and interior have a slightly mismatched feel, which may be why they are not associated with Michelin. The main dish, the red meat from Toriyama Ranch, is of the highest quality in the world! It is on par with high-end steak restaurants or even better.

A hidden gem restaurant next to the church. French cuisine by Chef Sakai, known as the Iron Chef, offers traditional French dishes. The atmosphere inside the restaurant, where you can also hold banquets, is elegant and lovely. Every dish reflects a dedication to high-quality ingredients, sourcing, and cooking methods. The ambiance, food, and service are all outstanding. While it's common to find courses without a miss, it's rare to find a course where everything is a hit. I definitely want to visit again at different times of the year.

La Rochelle Minami Aoyama, a French restaurant owned by Hiroki Sakai, is a renowned establishment located just a 3-minute walk from Omotesando Station. I had always wanted to visit this restaurant, but due to events like weddings and receptions, it was difficult to secure a reservation on weekends. Finally, I was able to fulfill my wish and visit La Rochelle Minami Aoyama. The chapel on the premises, Le Ange Church, is beautiful against the backdrop of the blue sky between the rainy season. For drinks, I ordered La France juice for ¥800 and still water without gas for ¥400. From June 18th to July 31st, they are offering a special gratitude menu for ¥6,500 (excluding tax). The menu included various dishes such as amuse-bouche with three types of green blessings, marinated Eight-Hatayama salmon with green asparagus, breaded and baked Edo-style conger eel with spice flavor, forgotten vegetables and aged Iberico ham, early summer veloute with white and green asparagus, eggplant, and nasturtium, among others. The meal was followed by a bread basket with delicious olive oil infused with lemon scent. The fish dish featured fresh seafood from the early summer fishing port, with that day's style of preparation. The meat dish was a spiced roast duck loin from Challans with caramelized peaches. The pre-dessert was a refreshing combination of verbena gelato, blueberries, and red perilla. The dessert consisted of a chocolate dome with seasonal peaches and white chocolate filled with rhubarb and apricot gelato. After the meal, I enjoyed some tea and herb tea with chocolate and kumquat jelly as petit fours. The atmosphere in the restaurant, with its lovely chandeliers and background music, made for a leisurely and delicious lunch experience. Thank you for the wonderful meal.

If you were a generation that watched Iron Chef on TV and once dreamed of going, that day has finally arrived after decades. The receptionists and service staff are younger and more active, making dining at a French restaurant a relaxed and enjoyable experience. The signal to start, Chef Kawashima himself greets each table with a soft demeanor, giving a glimpse of his personality even in the full course meal. With various presentations and attention to detail, each dish is flavorful, fragrant, and sometimes includes a hint of green bitterness, showcasing the characteristics of the ingredients. The flavors are delicate but varied. And just when I thought there would be a message on the dessert plate, a separate birthday cake was presented! Needless to say, I left feeling completely satisfied. Just like Asako Kishi, I quietly whispered "That was delicious."