Niseko-Osaka 14-21Dec 2013 (3)

An umpteen-course dinner at Kahala**. What an experience! Worth the hole in the pocket ;)

Our stay at St Regis Osaka. One flaw (and a rather big one) was that they screwed up on a restaurant reservation made on our behalf. We arrived at the restaurant all excited but was finally turned away. Turned out they booked us at another place by mistake. By then it was too late to head over to that place as lunch time was almost over :/ St Regis made it up however by offering us a fully paid meal at their own restaurant (which is actually quite highly rated) and even covered the wine (which we didn't expect). Food was pretty good and so was the wine. Apologies accepted! They also sent coffee and chocs to our room the next day as an extra gesture. 气消了～Regis also has a nice chill lounge. Below, just bumming around the streets and trying for the first time teppanyaki abalone!

Lunch at Ippoh Honten Edobori*, a tempura restaurant which has been awarded 1 star for consecutive years since 2010. Private room with private cook freshly frying up tempuras in front of us. Pretty good. Except the fact that I had a really serious bout of allergy attack right after leaving the restaurant.  Nothing to do with them at all. S was perfectly fine. For me it might have been the prawns, or maybe the oil...I don't know. Happened before at another fine tempura place. *confused*

Chanced upon Xmas markets near the Osaka main station. Lovely atmosphere~ And this marks the end of our Niseko-Osaka trip!

Florence/Rome/Paris May2013 - 6

The trip became even merrier with the Liews joining in =) Showcasing another of our favourite - Le Pré Catelan. Used to pay 85eur for lunch but I think it went up to around 115eur (2013).

First time at the Rodin Museum. Definitely a must-go.

"Explore one of the world's most distinguished collections of works by Auguste Rodin, the genius who is often regarded as the father of modern sculpture. Learn more about such masterpieces as The Gates of Hell, The Thinker, and Eternal Springtime as well as lesser-known works."

"With over 140 bronzes, marbles, and plasters, the distinguished collection housed in the Rodin Museum represents every phase of Auguste Rodin's career. Located on Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Parkway—which was intended to evoke the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris—the elegant Beaux-Arts–style building and garden offer an absorbing indoor and outdoor experience."
- official website

Lastly a casual dinner at Pascade by Alexandre Bourdas (chef of Sa.Qua.Na). The super light and fluffy truffle pancake (see previous post here) from Sa.Qua.Na exudes crazy aromatic flavours that linger with you for a long time.. and we uber love it. So when we learnt about this restaurant in Paris, we didn't hesitate to check it out. It was all good, until we found out that they really ONLY sell the pancake! 6 savoury and 5 sweets...that's all there was on the menu. Pretty disappointing actually, especially since the pancake still tastes best in its original form without all those topping. You can see how it could get boring after awhile... I thus recommend this place for some pre-dinner drinks and snacks instead. Order to share.

THIS BRINGS ME TO THE END OF MY 2013 EUROPE TRIP POSTS!!!!

Florence/Rome/Paris May2013 - 5

Back to Paris after the BBQ, dropped our luggage at the hotel, met our friends, and together immediately drove off to Honfleur! Love how familiar all these feel..

Charming place which we're always so proud to show off to our friends. 3rd time back here at restaurant Sa.Qua.Na and it's still as good and as value for money as ever. The half menu lunch at 68eur is already enough to wow our tummies. Very easy to drive to from Paris. Trust me that it won't disappoint!

Finally returned to our oh-so-dear Paris for the remaining leg of the trip. Stayed at Adagio hotel near the La Fayette and the location is super perfect. Access to shopping and very importantly to the metro. For one dinner, we wandered randomly to a nearby Korean restaurant which serves pretty good grills.

Roland Garros hohoho. Never to be missed. And again, showing off our favourite restaurant L'Ogre. Heavenly roast suckling pig and cote du beouf!!! Walk it off along the Seine and take in the lovely night scene. What a perfect end to the day.

Florence/Rome/Paris May2013 - 4

Day 6: Off to Paris! No hassle flying from Fiumicino to CDG. Picked up our rental car and rushed straight to Pierre Gagnaire. Been looking forward to this 3-star lunch as Mr. Gagnaire is well known for his molecular cuisine. And I love molecular for its limitless potential to surprise your taste buds. Inventive food that plays around your different senses :)

Then straight off to Fountainebleu! Small town about 1.5h from Paris. You see, the whole starting point of this trip was for S' INSEAD reunion. A full day affair of talks, catching up and networking like they always do. Not my thing. So I took the time to visit the Chateau de Fontainebleau and thereafter brought the wags to La valleé village for some shopping ;) The Chateau is so grand I wish I had more time to explore..

“The true home of kings, the house of ages” (Napoleon in Saint Helena, August 1816) With over 1500 rooms at the heart of 130 acres of parkland and gardens, Fontainebleau is the only royal and imperial château to have been continuously inhabited for seven centuries. A visit to Fontainebleau opens up an unparalleled view of French history, art history and architecture. -official website

One special thing being captured: Napoleon's Throne
"Requested in 1805 by Napoleon I for what was formerly the King’s Chamber, the Throne Room in the Château de Fontainebleau is the only such suite in France still in its original state. Together with his crown, his two ensigns and his daïs, the throne was installed in the alcove in which the king’s bed formerly stood. Originally made for the Château de Saint Cloud in 1804 by Jacob-Desmalter, based on designs by the architects Percier and Fontaine, it was installed at Fontainebleau in 1808. The seat itself had been created for the throne at the Tuileries Palace."

The morning after - BBQ feast at the campus!