Le Baerenthal is housed under a structure modeled after a vintage French style timber house. The restaurant is currently run by Chef Daisuke Minami who is famous for his creative French cooking techniques using local ingredients and seasonal produces.
When I first saw the wording on the fence that said "Le Baerenthal", colorful pictures from the past started floating across my mind. Then I realized it was a flashback from an enjoyable lunch at L'Arnsbourg more than 6 months ago. For anyone not familiar with L'Arnsbourg, it's a 3-star restaurant in a small French town called Baerenthal from the Alsace region (see previous review on L'Arnsbourg here - Link).
There were all together four separate set menus on the night, two falling under the degustation variety (¥ 15,000+). But we have just got off the plane and were not particularly excited about having an extensive 8-course tasting menu so we went for the lighter 3-course set (¥ 6,300) instead.
The first welcoming dish from the chef was a pear sorbet with white wine. The strong flavor from the liquor and the acidity from the pear puree combined to serve as the perfect cleanser for our palates.
Some light refreshment for us while we waited for our server to bring us the menu - some freshly roasted pistachio.
After we placed our orders, our amuse bouche almost instantly arrived and it was a tiny platter comprising of a shrimp mousse topped with a miniature shrimp, corn mousse showered with grain dust and a small piece of slow cooked chicken breast (from left to right).
The presentation was up to standard but unfortunately the taste was not (3/10).
Following a disappointing amuse bouche, we were a bit skeptic on what lay ahead for us. Those questions were quickly put to rest when our first starter arrived. At least initially.....
The first of our two starters was a spinach ravioli stuffed with minced shrimp and simmered in a cauliflower foam and pumpkin velouté. That was not a bad start at all (5/10).
Less successful was the next starter, a vegetable salad with foie gras mousse and egg yolk. Despite the fine presentation, I had to honestly say that foie gras mousse and vegetables just weren't a match made in heaven.
Believe me, I have tried to make it work. I stirred the foie gras and poached vegetables together until they were well mixed but somehow they just never seemed to get on the same page (2/10).
After a rather average showing from the starters, the team here finally redeemed themselves with our main course - a crispy quail stuffed with foie gras.
The quail meat was roasted to absolute perfection and it was served on a bed of tasty mushroom, together with a cauliflower and beetroot puree. This was by far the best dish of the night by a country mile (8/10).
For dessert, we had a mille feuille with custard cream and fresh strawberry. Simply yet delicate (6/10).
Before we prepared ourselves for the bill, of course the petite four. I have always liked a traditional petite four with macarons, mini cup cakes and meringue. That's perfect!
By the time we left the restaurant, the snow was really pouring hard. We didn't expect such heavy snowfall in late March so did not have an umbrella with us. Luckily, the restaurant staff was kind enough to lend us one (otherwise, we probably won't make it to the metro station!).
Food Rating: 5.5/10
Price: ¥¥¥¥
Address: 3-1, S1 W28 Chuo-ku, Sapporo-shi, Hokkaido, Japan
Closest Metro Station: Maruyama-koen
Website: www.hiramatsu.co.jp/eng/restaurants/baerenthal/index.html
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